Dealing with Nurses and Caregivers
Your interaction with nurses at your doctor's office will become more familiar as you become a regular patient. The relationship becomes friendly and helpful. You depend on the nurses in much the same way you depend on your doctor.
Fact
Study results have shown that if hospitals increased staffing of registered nurses and hours of nursing care per patient, more than 6,700 patient deaths and 4 million days of hospital care could be avoided each year, according to an article in the January/February 2006
In a hospital setting it's a bit different. Though nurses are professionals in any setting, the familiarity is lacking. Unless you have been hospitalized frequently and that's not likely, your nurse will not know the little things about you that can make a big difference. For example, if you have a painful right elbow with restricted range of motion, your nurse may extend that arm to put in an IV without realizing your other arm would be a better choice.
Nursing shortages have been a problem for years. In a hospital, the patient-to-nurse ratio is not optimal. Each nurse is taking care of more patients, and not that you aren't getting great care, but there is less time to become familiar. Once again, good communication is the answer.
When you are hospitalized, explain to your nurse which of your joints is most problematic. Explain why you can't move in a certain direction. Discuss why you make certain requests and have specific needs. If you are in the hospital following a hip replacement surgery, for example, you must have your call button in a place you can reach. You may not be able to move as quickly as other patients to get in or out of bed, to get on or off of a bedpan, to eat your meals, or to clean up in the morning. You may require more help than most patients. Be realistic with your expectations; however, don't expect your nurse to know what you need unless you have had a heart-to-heart talk. Don't expect that one nurse will relay your conversation to all of the other nurses — there's no time. Have the conversation with each nurse on each shift. Realize that you are not his only patient. Also, be respectful of how hard nurses work and their efforts to make you comfortable.
Don't expect your nurse to know everything there is to know about your specific type of arthritis. Nurses are not doctors; nurses carry out doctors' orders and specialize in caring for patients. Mutual respect and good communication will lead to understanding between you and your nurse.
