I find it disheartening to listen to all this talk of change and regulation, etc. that we must go through as nurses as far as patient safety is concerned when no effort is made to require doctors to clearly print their orders or make some kind of effort to assist in this process.

Safer, more effective methods are always being found for nurses to do their job in order to ensure patient safety, and we are continually being held to higher standards regarding responsibility for our actions.

This is something that I am 100% for. I think we should do whatever it takes to ensure the safety of those we care for.

But it makes me mad to attend a safety seminar and listen to the coordinator tell me "well, this is really a big problem that we'd really love to take care of, but the doctors really don't like doing that, and it really makes some of them mad." (this was regarding the reading back of phone orders to the doctor)

I mean, is it really that hard to sit and listen as the nurse reads back the orders you just gave her? This is a very simple way save alot of errors that I am sure happen.

And how many med errors are made every year because the orders were illegible?

I think someone needs to come up with a small device, like a handheld computer that has a small printer on it sort of like a glucometer has, and that can plug into a port of a computer. Doctors could carry this with them just like a palm and use it to print orders, or fax orders to the hospital, and they would be 100% legible. It would be convienent for everyone, and probably actually save the doctors time.

A law could then be passed requiring it and then boom, problem solved.

Am I being naive here?

Maybe just because I am new at this and haven't quite grasped the whole process, but I'm always trying to find new ways to make things better. Maybe I'm premature with this idea, but I think something should be done.

Personally, I don't like the idea of having to "learn to read doctor" when all they have to do is write halfway decent. It's like having to learn spanish because there is a large population of hispanics who do not speak the language living in your community. It just hacks me off, and one of these days, by goodness, I'm going to do something.....

Of course, that'd have to be after the thirty other somethings that I've started get taken care of, like nursing school and my web sites.

:grin:

[All41]

I like the way you're thinkin'! You will be the inventor of something really big. And.... that's just it! We need to join in finding the solution and not just griping about it. Yes, you may hit a wall more than one should, but persistance pays! Proactive is the word....not reactive. We need to all strive to learn this skill.