For HDMH staff – I am meeting with Kathy next week to chat about stocking in the ER. I have heard concerns about inconsistent stocking of certain items and have run across a few frustrations myself this summer so we are just going to do a walk-through the department to identify certain areas that need attention/feedback to our nursing staff who work through these re-stocking tasks at night.

Please let me know if you have areas of concern. My current list includes:

-Suture carts – ensuring they are stocked the same & with adequate supplies for busy days, including 25g 1 1/2 inch needles and adequate drape supplies if using the new utensil-only suture kits.

-ENT cart – plastic ear curettes, lido spray, cotton balls & cup, possibility of stocking otrivan or similar ?

-Trauma carts – ensuring radial & femoral art lines are clearly labelled and BOTH stocked along with supplies/tubing to set them up; creating a central line kit with all the materials needed (including sterile probe covers, chlorhex sponges, flushes, caps, tegaderm, mask & gown all in one bag);

Any other feedback? Thanks

Kirsten

Hello again,

It was requested by our internal medicine colleagues at rounds a few months back that we clearly document our conversations with specialists (especially neurosurgeons) via Criticall on the chart of patients that are being admitted for monitoring at our hospitals.  Specifically, the inpatient doc needs to know who we spoke with and their recommendations for follow-up. This information too easily gets lost in the busy ER chart, so I have created a template sheet to use that will hopefully make this easier (and remind us what to ask on the phone!).  It can be used for other specialist consults as well (i.e. ortho) and should be stickered and included in the patient chart.

Copies of these template sheets can be found in the drawer to the right of the physicians desk in Huntsville under the (scribbled) label “Criticall”.  I will be bringing copies to Bracebridge today to include in the physician resource drawer there too. Please let me know if you have or hear feedback about these forms – is there any way to make them better/more useful?

Kirsten