boarded pts

[napster]

---

Members do not see this ad.

is it the norm in community ER's that boarded pts still in the ER are cared for my the hospitalist or whatever inpatient service there is, or does the EP still need to do it? At my residency, the admitting team takes over and manages the pt. I'm afraid my residency might not be preparing me for this aspect.

 

[Midwest Medic]

I work at a few community hospitals (our group covers 2), and the hospitalist covers the patients that we admit to them. There have been 2 times where I was called into a patient's room that was being boarded, one was for a seizure and one for a arrest. I managed the patient until the admitting service arrived and then they took over.

 

[docB]

In my hospitals once they are admitted they belong to the admitting doc. However, since we respond to all the in house codes and do all the tubes (in the whole house, not just the ED boarders) we get called back in frequently. But we just do the code or the tube, then the patient is back with the admitting doc.

 

[southerndoc]

How funny. I read the subject line and thought you were talking about patients immobilized on a long spine board. I thought "why would a hospitalist be managing a patient on a backboard?" Maybe I shouldn't read SDN after an overnight shift!

 

[DrQuinn]

We are thes econd worst hospital in the US in re: to boarding patients (some hospital up in NYC is the worst, unsure of which one). So this is a topic near and dear to my heart.

Generally, the admitting doc assumes care, once the doctor has been reached or the "paperwork is in" for the admission.

Now, that being said, if a nurse asks me for pain meds, or tylenol or whatever, I'm cool with that. If they code, I'll take care of it. If they need a tube, I"ll take care of that. There is some mentality that "its the hospitals' patient now, not mine, they can come down" but I disagree with that. It is still in the ED and I am the best qualified ot stamp out that fire, so I will do that without qualms.

On another note, my medical director, once a patient has been there ~ 16 hours, doesn't even want to hear about hte patient on signout. Weird! He just says "move on."

Q

 

[WilcoWorld]

In my hospitals once they are admitted they belong to the admitting doc. However, since we respond to all the in house codes and do all the tubes (in the whole house, not just the ED boarders) we get called back in frequently. But we just do the code or the tube, then the patient is back with the admitting doc.

Ha! This post belongs in the "How to know you've spent too much time in the ED" thread:

When you don't have to worry about the patient too much so long as you're just responsible for coding or intubating them.

 

[docB]

Ha! This post belongs in the "How to know you've spent too much time in the ED" thread:

When you don't have to worry about the patient too much so long as you're just responsible for coding or intubating them.

I see what you mean. I guess we all get used to various things like that old Dilbert cartoon where everyone gets used to working with giant clamps on their heads. What I meant is that if the patient is admitted and the nurse comes to me with the old "Doctor, the patient's blood pressure is 150/90! Do SOMETHING!" or the "You have to cover this K of 3.4." I can tell them to call the admitting doc.

 

[Jeff698]

I'm at a community hospital where boarding isn't a huge issue but the patient is mine until they move upstairs.

Take care,
Jeff

 

[GeneralVeers]

I see what you mean. I guess we all get used to various things like that old Dilbert cartoon where everyone gets used to working with giant clamps on their heads. What I meant is that if the patient is admitted and the nurse comes to me with the old "Doctor, the patient's blood pressure is 150/90! Do SOMETHING!" or the "You have to cover this K of 3.4." I can tell them to call the admitting doc.

I agree with you. We usually have 275 patients admitted to a 250 bed hospital, which means we always are boarding some patients in the ED. The nurses know better than to come to me for anything except an airway issue or cardiac arrest when it concerns boarded patients.

 

[roja]

How funny. I read the subject line and thought you were talking about patients immobilized on a long spine board. I thought "why would a hospitalist be managing a patient on a backboard?" Maybe I shouldn't read SDN after an overnight shift!

I did the same thing!