NURSING CARE
WHAT TO EXPECT:
Your nurse will :
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1. Perform good hand hygiene by using the gel or washing at the sink when entering and exiting your room.
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Your role: Speak up if staff (or family) forget to clean their hands when entering and exiting your room.
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2. Respect your privacy by knocking before they enter.
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3. Acknowledge you by name and introduce themselves by name and licensure. (Example: my name is Aaron and I am your nurse.)
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4. Tell you why they are in your room and how long it will take.
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5. Narrate their care while they are in your room. Example: I am checking your IV bag to see when you will need another one and to see when the tubing should be changed.
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6. Close doors/curtains to protect your privacy.
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7. Thank you before they exit.
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8. Physically examine you and conduct assessments like listen to your lungs with a stethoscope every shift.
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9. Give you understandable explanations.
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10. Keep your bed rails up for your safety.
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11. Round on you hourly (This decreases your chance of falling by 50%, and your chance of skin damage 14% and your need to push the call light by almost 40%):
a. assess your personal needs
b. communicate the plan of care for your length of stay.
c. help you change position in bed to protect your skin
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12. Customize your care to meet your personal needs and participation.
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13. Ask for your commitment to the plan of care.
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Your role:
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Tell them what is most important to you and ask them to write it down to help them remember.
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Ask them to note on the care communication board what would make their care exceptional to you.
14. Conduct a bedside introduction of your next nurse and report off at the bedside to include you.
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Your role: Ask what “core measures” apply to your care.
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15. IV tubing must be labeled with the date it was placed and/or the date it is due for
change.
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Your role: To reduce your risk of an associated infection, ask when your tubing is due for change, and point it out as a reminder on the day change is due.
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16. IV site must be labeled by who started it on what date.
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Your role: Ask when the IV is due to be changed. If your IV site is not labeled, point it out and ask that it is properly labeled.
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