Remember The Mission

Beachy, a registered nurse, works with patients who are inmates at University Health System.




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By Lois Weisinger

Inpatient Psychiatry only has a small number of patients that are restrained.  Since restraint episodes are infrequent, the staff had difficulty complying with the stringent documentation requirements that are mandated by regulatory agencies. 

In the first quarter of 2007, our documentation compliance rate was 58%.  Throughout the year, the staff was educated about the documentation requirements through unit in-services, DVD presentations by the Nurse Educator, an RN Reminder List, a Tips for Techs List and a written instructional overview about restraint documentation requirements. 

The staff took quizzes after in-services about restraint documentation requirements. The staff received individual instruction about restraint requirements through the use of Educational Reminders forms sent to them after their restraint documentation was reviewed.

In the third quarter of 2007, our documentation compliance jumped to 94%.    Congratulations to the Inpatient Psychiatry Staff for their efforts in complying with the restraint documentation requirements. 

Denise Guerra, RN and James Stovall, RN recently updated the compatibility charts for the most commonly used intravenous drip medications on the Surgical Trauma Intensive Care Unit (STICU). 

This chart provides an easy reference for the bedside nurse when having to piggyback different types of medications for each patient, thus reducing the time and effort it takes to look up each drip and its compatibility. 

This further reduces risk of medication errors and enables the nurse to remain at the bedside.  An added feature was the creation of drug concentration cards that are easily attached to identification badges. 

The cards provide a list of various intravenous drip medications indicating the correct amount of medication and diluents and the correct range of titration for each. The cards provide an accessible and easy to read reference when programming the Alaris pumps. Both of these sources are important in providing the best care to our patients on the STICU.