NR 360 UNIT 4 DISCUSSION TOPIC:
WORKAROUNDS AND THEIR IMPLICATIONS FOR
PATIENT SAFETY (SUMMER 2020)
Workarounds are usually shortcuts in the workplace to get things done faster. I’ve
always had nurses tell me, “do as I say, not as I do.” I have heard this so many times
that it is scary how many nurses find loopholes to get things done in a short period of
time. A lot of times when vitals are being taken on a patient that has just been
transferred to the floor, the pulse oximetry sometimes fails to work. I noticed that there
is a certain machine that has a rubber band around the pulse oximetry to hold it in place
on a patient’s finger. Working in environments of increasingly complex clinical care and
contending with the management of large volumes of information, nurses need to take
advantage of the technological tools that can support a quality practice that is optimally
safe, informed, and knowledge-based (McGonigle & Mastrain, 2015). I have informed
the nurses of the problem and they state that a “work order” has been placed. These
are patients who have just come up from surgery or are battling some sort of illness.
The risks to have a faulty pulse oximetry is not determining what their level of oxygen in
the blood is, which can cause numerous complications, so obviously, there is no benefit.
A patient can deteriorate quickly and one not know simply because of a faulty pulse
oximetry. The pulse oximeter is unable to distinguish between hemoglobin molecules
saturated in oxygen and those carrying carbon monoxide (Casey, 2001). I truly hope
that the pulse oximetry is fixed by the time I come back to clinical.
My clinical site is huge on patient safety. One of the main concerns that can be visibly
seen and verbalized are patients on fall precaution. Patients who are on fall precaution
will have a yellow bracelet that says “fall precaution”, a yellow sign on the door and
yellow socks. I believe this is a good practice so that everyone is aware of the client’s
situation and is attentive just in case a bed alarm or wheelchair alarm goes off.
WORKAROUNDS AND THEIR IMPLICATIONS FOR
PATIENT SAFETY (SUMMER 2020)
Workarounds are usually shortcuts in the workplace to get things done faster. I’ve
always had nurses tell me, “do as I say, not as I do.” I have heard this so many times
that it is scary how many nurses find loopholes to get things done in a short period of
time. A lot of times when vitals are being taken on a patient that has just been
transferred to the floor, the pulse oximetry sometimes fails to work. I noticed that there
is a certain machine that has a rubber band around the pulse oximetry to hold it in place
on a patient’s finger. Working in environments of increasingly complex clinical care and
contending with the management of large volumes of information, nurses need to take
advantage of the technological tools that can support a quality practice that is optimally
safe, informed, and knowledge-based (McGonigle & Mastrain, 2015). I have informed
the nurses of the problem and they state that a “work order” has been placed. These
are patients who have just come up from surgery or are battling some sort of illness.
The risks to have a faulty pulse oximetry is not determining what their level of oxygen in
the blood is, which can cause numerous complications, so obviously, there is no benefit.
A patient can deteriorate quickly and one not know simply because of a faulty pulse
oximetry. The pulse oximeter is unable to distinguish between hemoglobin molecules
saturated in oxygen and those carrying carbon monoxide (Casey, 2001). I truly hope
that the pulse oximetry is fixed by the time I come back to clinical.
My clinical site is huge on patient safety. One of the main concerns that can be visibly
seen and verbalized are patients on fall precaution. Patients who are on fall precaution
will have a yellow bracelet that says “fall precaution”, a yellow sign on the door and
yellow socks. I believe this is a good practice so that everyone is aware of the client’s
situation and is attentive just in case a bed alarm or wheelchair alarm goes off.
