- Joined
- Oct 1, 2009
- Messages
- 848
- Reaction score
- 116
Question for y'all. How do you deal with patients and family that want/need updates. Like, legitimately some have serious issues going on, and I think they deserve an update, but they also ask a ton of questions, talk super slow, and sometimes make life hell for the nurses, but you're sitting in the middle of a dumpster fire of a shift?
Also, do you go and update every patient being discharged on results, diagnosis, answer questions, etc?
I had a horrible shift recently. Multiple strokes, brain bleeds, traumas, GI bleeds needing transfusion, and they just kept coming. Admitted 3 to obs, 8 to the floor, 2 to ICU, and 4 to stepdown. Then dealt with the normal BS that comes in. It was a night for me. Ended up staying 3 hours past shift to avoid turning over the 8 patients I got in my last 2 hours. Overall I was able to juggle the patient care ok. Had pretty good nurses. But the way our department is set up, family members can see me. And I had angry family members coming up to me asking for updates, and yelling at nurses because I hadn't updated them. I'm normally good about updating people, but I have my own workflow to get it done. When your workflow gets interrupted, it just compounds delays.
Also, being from the south, I was raised to not interrupt people, especially your elders. And most of my patients are way older than me.
Thanks for any tips.
Also, do you go and update every patient being discharged on results, diagnosis, answer questions, etc?
I had a horrible shift recently. Multiple strokes, brain bleeds, traumas, GI bleeds needing transfusion, and they just kept coming. Admitted 3 to obs, 8 to the floor, 2 to ICU, and 4 to stepdown. Then dealt with the normal BS that comes in. It was a night for me. Ended up staying 3 hours past shift to avoid turning over the 8 patients I got in my last 2 hours. Overall I was able to juggle the patient care ok. Had pretty good nurses. But the way our department is set up, family members can see me. And I had angry family members coming up to me asking for updates, and yelling at nurses because I hadn't updated them. I'm normally good about updating people, but I have my own workflow to get it done. When your workflow gets interrupted, it just compounds delays.
Also, being from the south, I was raised to not interrupt people, especially your elders. And most of my patients are way older than me.
Thanks for any tips.