Dealing accurately can keep you out of court

According to the nurse, the patient had no symptoms and his incidence was inside normal limits when monitored. She also stated that other employees who were involved in additional egregious incidents were only given an incident report. He desires to know what to do.

Document every part

One of the primary issues I notice in this case is the length of time the RN was monitoring the patient. She stated that she monitored the patient from 8:11 p.m. to 9:11 p.m., and the alleged failure occurred at 9:05 p.m. The exact time the teletechnician returned to watch the patient was not documented. The time and other information would have been documented if the RNs and telecommunications technicians had followed the really helpful communication protocols for call transfer. Joint Commission defines handover as “the transfer and acceptance of responsibility for patient care achieved through effective communication. It is the process of transmitting patient information in real time from one caregiver to another or from one team of caregivers to another to ensure the continuity and safety of patient care.”

If a nurse relieves a team member from caring for a patient, the transfer of that person needs to be noted within the patient’s medical record. Generally, handovers are face-to-face and verbal. Other handoffs may include a mix of written documentation and verbal checklists. There are also cases of computers being transferred, but they’re less common.

Regardless of the shape of providing information, it needs to be entered within the patient’s medical records together with the date and time of its submission.

File a grievance

The second issue I identified was the RN’s grievance regarding suspension through the employer’s grievance procedure. This process could be very essential, not just for the flexibility to have your suspension revoked, but additionally for reporting to the board of nursing. Grievances assist you to challenge or appeal a call made regarding employment when the choice affects your job security. The RN used this process but didn’t indicate what the final result was. Still, it was a vital step for her in attempting to remove this discipline from her work. Lamenting such a call can be mandatory to potentially prevail in disciplinary proceedings against the RN by the board of nursing. As you most likely know, when a report is submitted to the board of nursing, the board conducts an investigation to find out whether the Nursing Practice Act or its rules have been violated. If the report concerns workplace conduct, the nurse’s employment records are subpoenaed and evaluated for such misconduct.

Regardless of whether the final result of the grievance process was in RN’s favor, the undeniable fact that she complained concerning the suspension showed that she felt it was unfair. Silence (not mourning employment discipline) could also be perceived as acquiescence.

Hire a lawyer

The RN must have hired a nurse or lawyer to assist her with the grievance process. Most employers don’t allow lawyers to take part in this process, however the lawyer can have worked behind the scenes to assist her prepare her grievance. If she has not retained an attorney for the grievance process, she should retain one to represent her before the board of nursing. As I actually have written consistently on my blogs, legal representation is important when there’s a report back to the nursing board. The nurse stated that other staff nurses received less serious disciplinary actions for more serious patient care issues than she did. If that is true, she should seek the advice of a nurse practitioner or employment lawyer to find out whether she has been treated in another way due to a protected class under s. Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The Act prohibits employers from making employment decisions that discriminate against employees based on race, skin color, religion, sex and nationality.

Tips for effective handover communication

Remember these hand-shaking suggestions:

• Mentally organize what you’ll communicate through the hand.
• Speak clearly and concisely.
• Provide accurate, up-to-date and specific information concerning the patient’s condition (e.g. the patient has not complained of pain, medications taken).
• Keep your hand in a spot free from distractions and distractions.
• Make sure your colleague understands the patient information you share and take time to handle any questions or concerns.
• Make sure your colleagues have your contact information so that they can contact you in the event that they have questions.

Handovers are essential for continuity of care, so if you could have the time, consider helping develop policies and procedures that standardize handover communication to make it more practical for everybody.