The Primary Nurse: A Life Line For You in The Hospital

Whether you are a patient in the ICU, Cardiac Wing, Med Surg or another section of the hospital, your primary nurse is your life line. Most people think that your doctor is the go-to person for just about anything regarding the patient's medical care. And he or she is. But what many don't know just how important this medical professional is to the well being and safety of the patient. The primary nurse is the only person who knows what is going on with you 24/7 and the only person who can respond to the your needs besides the physician.

Five Ways To Get More Attention For Yourself In The Hospital

And more attention means fewer medical errors

  1. If you want more attention during your hospital stay, and more attention tranlates to fewer medical errors,  then begin by establishing a relationship with your primary nurse. Treat him or her with respect and show appreciation. Even if he or she has not responded to the call button in a timely manner, hold your tongue and be polite. Most nurses are overworked and asked to care for too many sick patients. Remind yourself that this person is there to fully care for you in a way that you cannot do for yourself.

  2. Ask a loved one to get invovled in your medical care. Request that they ask how you can help with care for the patient. Offer to bring your loved one ice chips, walk them down the hall, get them out of bed, massage their feet, help them eat. Anything you can do to show that you are an involved family member, will enhance care for the patient. Patients with involved loved ones get more attention.

  3. Nurses and hospital techs dress alike. If you request pain medication for the patient, make sure you make your request of the patient's primary nurse. No other nurse will do. If their name is not up on a board in the patient's room, ask for it. Write it down. There will be a new primary nurse during the day and another at night. Sometimes nurses work three day shifts, a new nurse will be on shift every day. 

  4. Humanize the patient.  The more the primary nurse can see your loved one as a person with a story, with a history, with family and friends, the more attention your loved one will get. Nurses see patients all day long, week after week and it is normal for them to become somewhat immune to the suffering they see. They have to in order to cope with  their job. You want the patient's primary nurse to see your loved one as a human being, not as the liver cancer patient in room 209. A personal connection can promote better care.

  5. Inform the primary nurse about the patient's health. Anything you can remember about allergies to medications, bad habits that might affect their care, health problems the patient has had in the past, what medications have been most effective. Share your current observations of the patient as well. You know the patient. The primary nurse may be meeting your loved one for the first time.

  6. If you or your loved one has a problem with your loved one's primary nurse, talk to the nurse directly about the problem. As your first step, do not go over their heads. If the issue cannot be resolved, simply find the nurse supervisor and explain the problem. You can ask that another primary nurse be assigned to your loved one's case.
     
  7. Bring cookies, candy and healthy snacks to the primary nurses who take care of your loved one. Most nurses are saints and most love their work and not many receive appreciation from family members. They are doing an extremely important job. They are not servants. Bring a basket of cookies or a healthy snack with a thank you note from you referring to the patient's name. Attach an open face card permanently to the basket. There is a reason for this. That basket will be placed on the nursing station counter and if the card is separated from the basket, all medical staff will help themselves to the goodies from you, not knowing who they are from. If you attach the card, then whoever eats the cookies will see yours and the patient's name.

 

By Martine Ehrenclou
Author of Critical Conditions: The Essential Hospital Guide To Get Your Loved One Out Alive
www.criticalconditions.com
martine@criticalconditions.com
(310) 458-6047