What do you write on your pt's bulletin board?

NursePaula · Dec 29, 2007

We carry pagers in our pockets that vibrate when one of our call lights go off so that we know right away who is calling. Love it!!!

P_RN, ADN, RN · Dec 29, 2007

For those with really bad eyesight I re-write it all on a piece of paper and tape it to the bedside table or bed rail

I like this.. Good hint. Maybe not hanging RIGHT in their face though.

jlcole45 · Dec 29, 2007

Date

Day of the week

My name and my shift.

And any other important things -- ie calorie counts,

fuild restrictions.

Family are invited to write things like phone numbers as well.

mshultz · Dec 29, 2007

... Don't give my patients my extension since in our ICU they don't have phones in the room anyway. ...

Interesting. When I was in the ICU, a telephone was available to me upon request. However, when the first nurse went to write her name upon the white board, there were no markers. She left in search of a marker, but came back empty-handed, so the board remained blank during my 2.5 day stay. I had neither pen nor notepad.

The clock and calendar on the other side of the room were large enough so that a person with 20/300 vision (me) could read them. There was also a television, which I refused to watch.

lpnstudentin2010, LPN · Dec 30, 2007

in the hospital where i am a patient some nurses write on it some dont. when they do usually write their name and that they are an rn and when they get on/off shift.

RheatherN, ASN, RN, EMT-P · Dec 30, 2007

if i forget to write something on the board til later morning, which i usually do... i will write something we talked about during the day, or during my assessment.

NO pain today

LESS pain today

Call home today

or something joking if i know they need that.. it all depends on the person really

-H-

LydiaNN · Dec 30, 2007

I used to write their goal(s) for the day.

Dempather, RN · Dec 30, 2007

Guys, this is great. Thank you for such informative feedback.. and for some good laughs. Goals for the day is something really helpful. As for quotations, maybe I'll ask the patient if they want one. Thanks again!

Altra, BSN, RN · Dec 30, 2007

Interesting. When I was in the ICU, a telephone was available to me upon request. However, when the first nurse went to write her name upon the white board, there were no markers. She left in search of a marker, but came back empty-handed, so the board remained blank during my 2.5 day stay. I had neither pen nor notepad.
The clock and calendar on the other side of the room were large enough so that a person with 20/300 vision (me) could read them. There was also a television, which I refused to watch.

Not to hijack the thread ...

But that's an interesting ICU stay - with the alertness and enough wellness to desire a pen & notepad, and make the decision whether or not to watch TV.

The patients I take to the unit are usually too busy clinging to their basic life functions to worry about the availability of writing materials.

psalm, RN · Dec 30, 2007

We put patient name, room, date, diet, activity , rn, and ca. Diet and activity in case someone else answers a light and doesnt know the patient, they can see it says "up with assist" or "cardiac diet" or whatever. Helps us so people aren't calling us even more to ask if a patient needs to toilet or wants a snack..

That would work if it were a private room but even then, wouldn't some of the info be anti-HIPAA? I think it would be a wonderful idea for all the above info to be on the white board for the above reasons. One of the nursing homes I worked in did have the info on each pt. on a sheet on closet door but it wasn't as visible as a white board so less HIPAA violation.

It seems that no matter what we as a staff does to make our work day run smoother, and easier for pt. care, it will somehow offend someone or something (HIPAA). It used to be there was criticism because pt. was referred to as the appy in 302. So we went to using proper names, Mr. Jones in 302. Then to respect privacy of pt, we aren't supposed to refer by name! So we're back to room #.

We put RN name, med nurse name & CNA name below the date and day.

not now, RN · Dec 30, 2007

I didn't do that on med surg either too many phone calls to have pt call "Can I have a pop?"

The NM on the floor I'm leaving wants us to write our numbers so our patients can "feel safe" because we're only a phone call away. She constantly talks about how it has reduced the number of call lights and it totally has. Thing is, now they call us for everything including soda, ice, turn off the TV...

mshultz · Dec 31, 2007

Not to hijack the thread ...
But that's an interesting ICU stay - with the alertness and enough wellness to desire a pen & notepad, and make the decision whether or not to watch TV.
The patients I take to the unit are usually too busy clinging to their basic life functions to worry about the availability of writing materials.

Yes, I was fortunate to be alert and oriented my entire hospital stay. The 2mg of Versed and 50mg of Demerol had no perceptible effect, so I remember the EGD too. I found the EGD to be quite tolerable.