Your best nursing tips/tricks

[AOx1]

I saw a post in another thread about using coffee filters to help with obese patients' skin fold yeast and found it to be a great tip. I've seen some great ideas on AN over the years. What is your best tip/trick you've picked up in your practice?

[littlemammanurse, BSN, RN]

When I was in nursing school we have these blue pads that are waterproof, they are meant to be for surgical procedures or when you are doing a wound dressing to catch any drainage.When a patient was having incontinence it was very frustrating to keep changing the sheets all the time.We would put these blue pads underneath them to help catch anything and prevent having to change the sheets, we also used them on Post Partum moms.They work miracles!

[brownbook]

Rubbing alcohol untangles matted hair.

Tourniquets give you a good grip when trying to loosen IV tubing that is stuck together, (or any two things stuck together you are trying to get apart.)

[nytenurse66]

It is our protocol to place ice packs on a patient while waiting for the eye bank for innoculation. I have used gloves of ice on each eye, but a friend of mine shared this trick with me.

A baby diaper filled with ice works well to preserve the eyes, as well as for those new lady partsl deliveries.

[cjcsoon2bnp, MSN, RN, NP]

I learned from a few CNAs in a nursing home a cool trick when your trying to clean up a patient that is incontinent of stool and its really difficult to clean up (like those C.Diff patients who you can never seem to get all of the stool off of their skin). What you do is take one of those small cans of shaving cream (most hospitals or nursing homes have tiny travel size cans for patients who want to shave) and after you have tried to wipe all of the feces off of the skin then apply a small layer of shaving creme. After you apply the shaving cream take a dry cloth or toilet paper and wipe off all of the cream, you will see how much feces ends up getting left behind and you might not even see it (especially on darker skin patients). After that I just take a wet cloth and make sure to wipe off any left over shaving cream. It's that easy.

!Chris

[Purple_Scrubs, BSN, RN]

When you are drawing up meds, inject the air, draw up a little bit of the med (maybe a mL or so), then quickly push it back out. Then slowly draw up the correct amount. You will have few or no air bubbles this way.

[cmonkey]

It is our protocol to place ice packs on a patient while waiting for the eye bank for innoculation. I have used gloves of ice on each eye, but a friend of mine shared this trick with me.

A baby diaper filled with ice works well to preserve the eyes, as well as for those new lady partsl deliveries.

Wetting the diaper (or a huge hospital pad) and putting that in the freezer for a while works well, too. Fewer ice cubes to chase around if it gets dropped.

[Timetochange08]

a tiny bit of icy hot or bengay can make a vein more visible for IV starts!

[tknoob]

When giving an injection, tap your finger 3 times on the skin about 1.5-2 inches away from where you are giving the injection. On "3" dart the needle in at the same time as your finger tap.

[NurseStephRN]

when priming an IV tubing, I first clamp the rolly clamp all the way then spike the bag. I then fill the reservoir a little less than halfway. now i prime the tubing... i never get air in my line :)

[jerenemarie]

Strain urine using a coffee filter for those patients you suspect might be having a problem with kidney stones...works well in LTC when there aren't any urine strainer devices around!

[jerenemarie]

For those folks who have problems with reddened & dry, chapped skin...udder balm works wonderfully! It has no scents, is "natural" so it is free of harmful ingredients. I've had nursing staff look at me like I was nuts when I would suggest this but then after they saw how it works they were sold on it! Apply a thin film after each incontinent episode also for good preventative care!