Did you know that most automatic medication dispensing systems track discrepancies? All discrepancies should be resolved by the end of the shift. They also report when controlled substances are taken and can compare the medications vended versus the medications charted. Then, someone needs to check whether the waste was properly documented. Was there an order for the medication? How often did the nurse remove the medication for a particular patient? Is the effectiveness of the medication … [Read more...]
Nurses Speak Your Mind: Change Is Possible
Recently, I have had so many issues with the Indiana Professional Licensing Agency and the State Nursing Board that it got to the point where I could not sleep at night. I decided it was up to me to go out and make change. I really had no idea how to do it. I am a great advocate one-on-one for my clients, but I have never had the experience of making change for the collective (outside of the hospital). However, I used what I know about making change such as approaching things from a … [Read more...]
Skip the Fancy Towels!
Alexandra Robbins is the author of “The Nurses: A Year of Secrets, Drama and Miracles with the Heroes of the Hospital.” She recently wrote an article for the New York Times titled “Skip the Fancy Towels and Hire More Nurses,” which discusses how hospitals are going about providing more concierge-type services. Flat screen TVs, monogrammed towels, gazebo patios for patient smoke breaks, fancy gyms, pool and even expresso machines. None of these luxuries are for use by hospital … [Read more...]
Short Staffing In Nursing
A frequent comment I hear from my clients is that they are given an extremely difficult assignment or that they are very short-staffed. One nurse was in a long-term care facility that was so short-staffed; she was assigned her own hall as well as half of another hall. These nursing situations are flat out dangerous. Patients cannot get the proper care when there is no enough staff to provide that care. As a nurse, what do you do? Your first instinct likely would be to not accept the … [Read more...]
Hospitals Profit From Their Mistakes
I recently read an article on a study from The Journal of the American Medical Association concluding that hospitals make more money by administering poor care. This shocked me. The study analyzed the per incidence contribution margin relative to cases in which patients suffered from surgical errors. As a result of these complications, patients needed additional treatment and additional time in the hospital. Rather than draining hospital resources, the study indicated that hospitals actually … [Read more...]
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