The Social Network & Community JUST for Firefighters
What is the law/Standard of Practice on bedside report?
I am not an EMT/Paramedic. I work in an ER as an RN and have done so for the past 4 years. When I graduate nursing school i went straight into the ER and was greener than anyone should ever be. I learned very early on to listen to and respect the reports given by the first responders and was fortunate that 95% of time they were spot on and very informative. I was told that the EMT/Medics were to remain with the pt until the receiving facility's staff came to assume transfer of care and that anything else was, under the law, abandonment. Fortunately, in that time multiple ERs as a traveler, I never once had an issue where this was not done.
However, at my new job i am CONSTANTLY finding pts in the beds with no one there to give report. It is a semi-busy rural ER but i am talking about pts that have arrived 3 minutes prior and i have to go get the EMT/medics out of the truck, or out of the break room or off the computer. Today i had a pt that was alone, an obvious alzheimers sufferer and the complaint on the radio report was chest pain. I spent 5-8 minutes LOOKING for the ACLS crew to find out that in the 40 minute travel time they had given meds (ASA and nitro) started an IV and ran a 3 lead. A 3 lead?!? on a pt with an extended cardiac history - which i didnt find out about until the family arrived. They were unable to provide allergies or any coherent history on the gentleman.
I this was an isolated event i could possibly understand, but this is something that happens over and over.
The crappy report I can overlook for now. However, my main concern is having to SEARCH for the medical professionals that transported the pt, so as a community, can someone enlighten me on the actual laws or standard of practice that should be being follow? Thanks, and for the 99.9% of you guys that do your job well, thank you so much.
Replies to This Discussion
-
Permalink Reply by 55 TRUCK on
-
Is there a triage desk in the ER where a ER nurse takes the initial report &and then directs the Ambulance crew to a room or does the ambulance crew walk in with no one in sight press a buzzer and take them to a room then flip a switch and a light comes on letting you know what room there in?
How many er nurses,PAs,EMT-P, etc work in the er?
When the Ambulance crew gives the report to the triage nurse then puts the patient in the room. Have they not transfered care to the hospital? Do you as a Nurse wait at each patients bedside until a Nurse or Dr. comes in and relieves you so that every pt has a health care professional at there bedside 24/7 with no period of time where one isn't in the room with the patient?
I would also ask them meaning each dept. that brings patients to your er. What there protocols and dept. SOPs are. concerning turn around time and working incident responce. Remember ems abondonment laws are are not exactly the same in every state.
Also talk to your er Drs. those that are medical directores, many times in an area the er medical directores will define SOP for transfer of pt care in the ER.
Just some things to think about.
Just to be clear the walking down to the break rm should not be done when briging in a emergent pt. ie..Stroke,MI,massive trauma, gsw,etc. Here when we bring a pt like this in we are met at the door and we all go to the er room. If there leaving pt like this then there is a huge problem! Not only with the ambulance crews but the hospital er.
-
Permalink Reply by Brian Dumser on
-
"Here when we bring a pt like this in we are met at the door and we all go to the er room."
Same here, we usually never have to wait for a nurse to direct us to a room, and transfer care.
-
Permalink Reply by Bill Anderson on
-
We did that one time. Partner slammed the Narcan just before we unloaded. We unloaded the junkie and headed out the door. We heard a commotion behind us and my partner said keep walking. Next thing we heard was the nurse yelling our names. She then yelled(and I mean yelled), "Ya'll woke this SOB up, come back and help us fight him." Then she started on us about slamming the Narcan. One of few butt chewings of my carreer that I didn't deserve but had to take.
I never leave the patient's room, or hall bed, until I get a nurses signature. If they're busy that just gives me more time to finish my charting.
- ‹ Previous
- 1
- 2
- Next ›
© 2024 Created by Firefighter Nation WebChief.
Powered by
