Ease the Way - Gebauer Patient Comfort Blog

Improving Nursing Staff Safety in the Emergency Department

By: Julianne Filion | On: April 28, 2016

The emergency department is without question the most dangerous place in the hospital for nurses. Combative patients, upset families and personal confrontations that spill into the emergency room can make the ED environment volatile at times. While you’re treating the AMI patient or juggling an influx of patients from a multi-car accident, the last thing you should be concerned about is your personal safety. That’s why we put together these tips to help your hospital advance nursing staff safety in the emergency department.

Maintaining Nursing Inventory Supply: A Nurse Leader’s Guide

By: Bethany Nock | On: March 31, 2016

You know that frustrating feeling when you are looking for a gauze pad, but you can’t find it? And it turns out you can’t find it because it is listed under New Gauze or the manufacturer of the product on your inventory list? (We can almost see you nodding your head right now.) All you want to do is take care of your patient, but inventory management is making it difficult.

Maintaining supplies may be an essential part of your job as a nurse leader, but we understand it can be hard to keep up with inventory management (or influence it when you don’t control it) when you have so many other responsibilities.

Developing a strong relationship with the materials management department, taking advantage of the capabilities of digital inventory control and using a few old-fashioned tips can help you stay on top of this portion of your job, even on the craziest of days.

Here are a few tips to help nursing inventory supply and to ensure your staff is never without the supplies it needs.

Make Electronic Charting Easier: 4 Top Tips for Nurses

By: Julianne Filion | On: March 29, 2016

Your shift starts off with one of your patients crashing, your new admission arriving, and the gentleman in room 204 falling and hurting himself. Immediately you feel the pressure of all you have to accomplish. You may be thinking, “How will I get this all charted in a timely manner and still handle my med pass on time?” The healthcare industry has recognized this plight and has made strides to help nurses more efficiently handle their daily tasks, including charting.

3 Tips for Dealing with Changing Shift Cycles

By: Julianne Filion | On: February 23, 2016

For nurses with ever-changing schedules, adapting to changing shift cycles can present several unique challenges. Shift work isn’t always kind to your circadian rhythm—the body’s natural clock that keeps us awake during the day and slows us down at night.

Patient care is a 24-hour operation, so to take care of yourself and ensure patient safety and satisfaction, it’s necessary to make adjustments to your sleep schedule and daily routine. Especially for busy nurses who are always on their feet, self-care is crucial for job satisfaction and improving the patience experience.

To provide the best nursing care and remain focused and productive, here are three tips to stay healthy and well rested despite a shifting schedule:

How Nurse Leaders Can Decrease Nursing Staff Turnover

By: Julianne Filion | On: February 9, 2016

Nurses play a critical role in caring for patients and improving outcomes, but also ensuring hospitals maintain higher HCAHPS scores. While some staff changes are expected, a high turnover rate can be disruptive to the team and affect patient care and satisfaction. As a nurse leader, it can be frustrating to train and manage a nurse only to have him or her become unengaged, or worse, leave the job. So what can you do to change the trend?

Nurse leaders can help reduce turnover. But, first, let’s look at what leads to turnover.