unewillow

We also use Centricity and I think there are a lot of mixed feelings about it. Our biggest issue is that the nurses feel like they have to enter the same info multiple times because it doesn't carry over from mom to baby or from one flowsheet to another. I find that it makes it easier for me to do my pre-rounding and calculations in the morning assuming everything has been filled in correctly. We are supposed to be getting GE monitors (some day...) that will tie in to the charting system which may make everything easier. Our nurses do audits every month, making sure that safety checks have been done, lab values entered, etc. For the new nurses the change over was fairly painless, but for the older ones it's been a struggle (if it isn't broken, don't fix it mentality). Our biggest issue is that there are only 3 stationary computers in our unit to chart on so everyone is always fighting for time. It would be much easier if we had some sort of laptop or rolling computer system so things could be charted while the baby is getting hands on, that way things may not get missed.

Here is our nursing policy: https://remote.srhs.org/http/0/home.srhs.org/srhsintranet/documents/Women%20and%20Children/Nursing%20Policies/Endotracheal%20Suctioning-Neonatal%20With%20the%20Ballard%20In.doc hopefully it opens...

I switch between my Crocs and Merrils at work and I do find that I trip and shock myself a whole lot more in the crocs. But, I am also one of those people who kind of shuffles around anyway, so it could be due to my walking style. Crocs aren't banned at my hospital, but they are somewhat discouraged since the holes in the top allow random bodily fluids and baby juices in. I wear the fleece lined ones though so I don't worry about it as much.

We do OG and NG tubes, we prefer NG but if the baby is on nasal cpap or cannula then OG it is. We have long term tubes that can be left in for 7 days. We confirm by aspiration and auscultation. It's secured with a small piece of tegaderm on the face. We do gravity-fed bolus feeds every 3 hours on our larger kids and smaller feeds every 2 hours on our 30 wk and less kids. It's not perfect, our fiesty babies do pull their tubes out on occassion, but it works for us.