patient isn't getting adequate care who does charge nurse report to

by Anthony Lebsack 8 min read

How can I complain about poor medical care I received in …

24 hours ago If you are covered by Medicare or by a Medicare managed care plan, you can file an appeal about a discharge while you are still in the hospital. You should get a form from the hospital titled "An Important Message from Medicare," which explains how to appeal a hospital discharge decision. Appeals are free and generally resolved in 2 to 3 days. >> Go To The Portal


For example, many charge nurses get report from the bedside nurses regarding how much care their patients need. Someone who is completely bed bound, incontinent, has multiple wounds, IV lines, oxygen, and may be confused, would require the assistance of three nursing staff members. This could be a combination of nurses and nursing assistants.

Full Answer

How many patients per page for charge nurse report?

I wondered how that would work because it too that nice consolidated Charge nurse report and turned it into 26 pages, one patient per page (if we were full).

Should charge nurses be allowed to bring on additional nurses?

However, if the charge nurse were able to bring on an additional nurse, or nursing assistant to help manage the increased acuity, then patient safety and nursing staff job satisfaction would improve significantly.

What are my responsibilities as a charge nurse?

When you undertake a charge nurse position, you have responsibilities to provide care to any patients you directly care for in a non-negligent manner. Log In Sign Up Courses Courses

Can nurses be charged with professional negligence?

As you probably know, allegations of professional negligence are possible against any nurse. As a nurse, you must conform your conduct to the overall standard of care; that is, what other ordinary, reasonable and prudent nurses would do in the same or similar circumstances in the same or similar community.

What will you do if a patient is not satisfied with your care?

Here are some tips to help you handle difficult patients without losing your cool.Listen to the complaint and identify the problem. ... Don't lose control. ... Remind the patient you expect to be treated with respect. ... Empathize with the patient. ... Find a solution.

Who is responsible for patient care?

A variety of stakeholders (society in general; patients; individual nurses; nursing educators, administrators, and researchers; physicians; governments and legislative bodies; professional associations; and accrediting agencies) are responsible for ensuring that patient care is safely delivered and that no harm occurs ...

How would you deal with a difficult charge nurse?

The charge nurse spends their day waiting for the inevitable moment when they have to solve a problem they didn't cause....7 Concrete Strategies for a Challenging Charge NurseFocus on your job. ... Put yourself in their shoes. ... Use this as an opportunity. ... Ask questions. ... Never trash talk. ... Practice Self-Care.More items...•

What is a nurse's responsibility to a patient?

Nurses are responsible for recognizing patients' symptoms, taking measures within their scope of practice to administer medications, providing other measures for symptom alleviation, and collaborating with other professionals to optimize patients' comfort and families' understanding and adaptation.

What responsibility should a patient have in supervising his or her own medical care?

Provide as complete a medical history as they can, including providing information about past illnesses, medications, hospitalizations, family history of illness, and other matters relating to present health. Cooperate with agreed-on treatment plans.

What are three types of patient responsibility?

According to the Consumer Bill of Rights and Responsibilities, patients must:Be responsible for their own health. ... Provide information about their health and let healthcare provider know what they want and need. ... Be financially and administratively responsible. ... Be respectful to others.

What would you do if one of your nurses was underperforming?

3 Ways to Address Nursing UnderperformanceGet to the root of the problem. If a nurse runs into trouble, Poduska asks her team to determine whether it's a process or individual issue. ... Determine whether the problem was intentional or due to oversight. ... Be candid and open.

How do you deal with challenging patients?

Dealing with an aggressive patient takes care, judgement and self-control.Remain calm, listen to what they are saying, ask open-ended questions.Reassure them and acknowledge their grievances.Provide them with an opportunity to explain what has angered them. ... Maintain eye contact, but not prolonged.More items...•

How do you deal with a rude charge nurse?

5 Strategies Leaders Can Adopt When the Charge Nurse is the BullyObserve. ... Engage in honest conversations. ... Provide leadership training. ... Start a documentation trail. ... Remove his/her power.

What are the professional responsibilities of a nurse?

Key ResponsibilitiesPerform physical exams and health histories before making critical decisions.Provide health promotion, counseling and education.Administer medications and other personalized interventions.Coordinate care, in collaboration with a wide array of health care professionals.

What are the 5 rights of a nurse?

Most health care professionals, especially nurses, know the “five rights” of medication use: the right patient, the right drug, the right time, the right dose, and the right route—all of which are generally regarded as a standard for safe medication practices.

How to avoid liability as a nurse manager?

As a nurse manager, one of the best ways you can avoid potential liability for your role is to underscore the importance of preventing foreseeable and unreasonable risks to patients. Following a sound risk-management approach can do wonders to avoid such risks. Open lines of communication with your staff, as well as with patients ...

What happens if professional negligence is alleged against you in the latter role?

If professional negligence is alleged against you in the latter role, your overall standard of care would be compared with other nurse managers/charge nurses. The duty to manage your staff nurses does not require you to be aware of each and every possible injury that a patient may be exposed to because of staff nurses’ negligence.

What is personal liability in pediatrics?

And the theory of personal liability holds everyone responsible for their own behavior, including negligent behavior. When you undertake a charge position, you have responsibilities to provide care to any patients you directly care ...

What is the duty to manage your staff?

The duty to manage your staff also requires you to supervise nursing staff in a non-negligent manner. Negligent supervision might occur when, for example, you do not check on whether a nurse assigned to a patient that requires positioning on a regular basis is fulfilling that obligation and the patient develops several decubiti.

Can a nurse be accused of negligence?

As you probably know, allegations of professional negligence are possible against any nurse. As a nurse, you must conform your conduct to the overall standard of care; that is, what other ordinary, reasonable and prudent nurses would do in the same or similar circumstances in the same or similar community.

What is the nursing shortage in the US?

Various factors contribute to the nursing shortage in the U.S. First, the nation continues to age, foreshadowing an ever-growing need for care. Americans 65 and older currently represent 14.5% of the population, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

How much greater chance of being readmitted after the shortage?

Overall there was a 21% greater chance that a patient would be readmitted after the shortage began. In some specialties, this was even higher. For example, newborns had a 45% greater chance of being readmitted, often due to neonatal jaundice that was not diagnosed before they were discharged initially.

How much did nursing homes increase in mortality?

Nursing homes, on the other hand, saw a striking 13% rise in mortality among those aged 85 and older. Nursing homes likely suffered more drastic consequences of the shortage because of the way they are staffed. First of all, nurses have a greater level of responsibility there.

Why do nursing schools struggle?

Nursing schools struggle to expand capacity to meet the need for care and often turn away qualified applicants. At the same time, more nurses are reaching retirement age and leaving the workforce.

Why is there a 12% reduction in nursing?

As a result, there was a sudden and persistent 12% reduction in working nurses. Because nursing is a highly skilled occupation with regulated training and wages, healthcare organizations were unable to find temporary replacements for their lost workers.

Do nurses monitor residents?

From there, nursing managers and registered nurses each monitor a number of residents. Also, hospitals have a size advantage. Hospital nurses preparing to take leave can coordinate with other staff members to avoid the full consequences of a shortage, which is difficult to do among a smaller staff at nursing homes.

Does the mortality rate change in hospitals?

At hospitals, they found no change in the annual mortality rate. However the 30-day hospital readmission rate—an indicator of the quality of the care that patients receive—did increase following the start of the nurse shortage.

Can a nurse refuse to treat a patient?

In doing a bit of additional research into this topic, I learned that nurses actually can refuse to treat a patient. According to the American Nurses Association (ANA) position statement from 2009, nurses “have the professional right to accept, reject or object in writing to any patient assignment that puts patients or themselves at serious risk for harm”. Additionally, in 2014, The American Nurse published an article that discussed ‘conscientious objection’ when caring for a patient contradicts a nurse’s morals.

Can a nurse refuse to take care of a prisoner?

Just because a patient is in the prison system, does not mean that a nurse can automatically refuse to care for them. If a patient who is also a prisoner shows up on the unit, many times they are there with guards or police or whoever’s custody they are in.

How many direct care nurses are needed for Medicare?

According to the American Nurses Association (2018), this proposed legislation would require Medicare-participating hospitals to create a committee, composed of at least 55% direct care nurses, to develop nurse staffing plans that are specific to each patient care unit.

Who is Damion the nurse?

Damion is the founder and CEO of The Nurse Speak, LLC. - a nurse education and consultation services company and blog. He specializes in creating individualized consulting services that helps his clients develop strategies for success. He loves to teach, and enjoys helping others reach their academic and professional goals.

How many states have enacted nursing staff ratios?

The ANA states that to date, seven states have enacted nursing staff ratios legislation that closely resembles the American Nurses Association's recommended approach to ensure safe staffing, by utilizing hospital-wide staffing committees, where direct care nurses have a voice in creating appropriate staffing levels.

What to do if you can't go to the patient rights advocate?

If you can’t go to the patient rights advocate yourself, “you can call them or ask your nurse to call them and have them come up to your room ,” Richardson says. Hospitals must acknowledge patient complaints immediately, she says, and must respond in writing once they are resolved.

When should I ask my doctor for blood pressure?

If you’re getting jostled out of sleep for a blood draw or blood-pressure check in the middle of the night, ask your doctor the next day if it’s really necessary. Often, it can wait till early morning, says Julie Morath, president and chief executive of the Hospital Quality Institute.

What to do if you have a serious illness?

If you have a serious illness and you’re suffering from symptoms that aren’t being managed correctly, you can also request a consultation with a palliative care team . Palliative care isn’t only about end-of-life issues, it’s about quality of life, Kirch says.

How to be in charge of a nurse?

Start a documentation trail. Start documenting as soon as you sense a problem. To be in charge, most organizations have an additional job description or at least written expectations for their charge role. Make sure you’re documenting how your charge nurse is violating the expectations.

What is charge role?

The charge role is a power role. Make sure you have the right people in that role because if you don’t, you’re putting everyone else at risk. If you need help to address disruptive behaviors in your department, stop trying to figure it out on your own. Call us instead!!

Why do people put people in charge positions?

We put people into a charge position typically because they are really competent at their job. But being competent doesn’t make you a good charge nurse. In fact, the charge role can allow a competent unprofessional nurse the opportunity to wreak havoc on your department. The reality is…. Charge nurses are NOT formal leaders ...

Is it enough to have a charge nurse class?

Although education and training don’t solve problems, by providing ongoing leadership development for your charge nurses, you are better able to influence their behavior and teach them the essential skills needed to step up as leaders, even though they’re informal leaders. Providing an initial charge nurse class isn’t enough!

Can someone who is not a role model stay in a power position?

Never, never, never allow someone who isn’t a professional role model to stay in a power position. People with power are more likely to abuse those without it. [Tweet “Never, never, never allow someone who isn’t a professional role model to stay in a power position.

Is a charge nurse a leader?

Charge nurses are NOT formal leaders but are expected to act as leaders. It’s rare that organization’s offer ongoing professional development for the charge role beyond the initial class. The charge nurse can destroy the team because they hover under the radar. Be warned…. The charge position is a power position.

What are hospital patient rights?

Hospital patient rights encompass many other areas, such as continuity of care after discharge and rights of psychiatric patients. For detailed information, check out rights as described on the website of your state's board of health, or take a look at those from the American Hospital Association.

What are patient rights?

Fundamental patient rights include: knowing all the information pertaining to your care, being part of the decision-making process and receiving truly informed consent, says Ana Pujols McKee, executive vice president and chief medical officer of The Joint Commission, the organization that accredits hospitals.

What to do if you disagree with a hospital?

If you disagree with aspects of your treatment or feel like your rights are being violated, you have several possible avenues, if talking directly to staff hasn't helped. One is to seek out the hospital’s ombudsman or patient advocate.

What happens if you request treatment for a medical emergency, including active labor?

EMTALA says if you request treatment for a medical emergency, including active labor, you have the right to a medical screening examination, and the hospital must either give treatment to stabilize you, or if unable to do so, transfer you to another hospital that can.

What is the right to emergency care?

According to the Emergency Medical Treatment & Labor Act, you’re entitled to have access to emergency services, regardless of your ability to pay. EMTALA says if you request treatment for a medical emergency, including active labor, you have the right to a medical screening examination, and the hospital must either give treatment to stabilize you, or if unable to do so, transfer you to another hospital that can.

Can you name a spouse if you are unable to make a health decision?

In the event you become medically unable to make health care decisions, you’re allowed to name a person of your choice, including a spouse, relative or friend, to make medical decisions on your behalf.

Do hospital patients have the right to religious services?

Hospital patients also have the right to religious services, like chaplaincy services offered on-site. Respect encompasses your right to privacy. And it also means that if you’re in pain, you have the right to get your pain addressed.

What to do if a doctor is in a clinic setting?

If the physician is in a clinic setting, ask the head of the clinic if another physician there will take over your care. Speak to other health care professionals who know you well enough to be comfortable calling to explain that you are genuinely in pain and are a reliable, conscientious person.

What did the pharmacist tell her when she came to pick up her medication?

A physician at the clinic told her she was drug seeking. A clinic pharmacist yelled at her when she came to pick up medications and told her not to come back for “her drugs.”. It took an HMO appeal, a complaint to the state insurance commissioner, and filing a complaint in a local court to get her relief.

Why is pain management training so poor?

poor training in pain management, or training against using opioids for chronic pain because, despite reassuring words, his state medical board takes a hard line on physicians who prescribe them. feedback from a pharmacist that the physician is prescribing too much pain medicine.

What to do if money is an issue?

If money is an issue, let him know. It is a good idea to bring a relative or friend who will talk to your physician about your suffering and the functional difference that pain medicine makes because prescribers are reassured when a patient using opioids has a visible support structure.

How long can a physician terminate you?

An oral message is insufficient. The physician. must also agree to continue your care for at least 30 days and he should also provide a referral.

Can a physician take a pain contract personally?

Good physicians will have some practice management tools in place, so don’t take it personally if you are asked to sign a pain “contract” and to submit to blood or. urine monitoring.