Q: What must be documented in the medical record when a critical test result is reported from the laboratory to an inpatient nurse rather than directly to the physician?
No one in healthcare ever wants to hear about a serious clinical adverse event occurring, especially in his or her own hospital, but every clinician and caretaker knows that sometimes, despite best efforts, mistakes are made.
Physicians and nurses learn their practices in different schools. Their schedules are different, and sometimes, it seems their priorities are also different. It can be hard to get along. But they truly have one common goal in mind: great patient care.
How humbling it is to shadow the steps of our frontline caregivers. Previously in this column, I've mentioned the incredible value in slipping into a pair of scrubs and spending time shoulder-to-shoulder with clinicians and care teams. As I continue to conduct nursing research for...
Patient falls are one of the most common adverse events in a hospital setting, making them an easy target for indifference after a while. But when staff at Saddleback Memorial Medical Center, a 325-bed hospital in Laguna Hills, CA, noticed a spike in its patient fall rate during...
Beep. Beep. Beep. The telltale noise of a hospital is the bleeps, the sweeps, and the creeps of the many machines hospital patients are hooked up to during their stay. These machines have alarms—as many as 400 per patient—and many are important. They alert staff if a patient needs immediate...
