Can We Talk For a Minute

I was sitting here thinking of a catchy way to start this post and one song popped in my head. Yeah, you're right. Can We Talk by Tevin Campbell!

I am just getting off of work and getting home. It was such a ROUGH shift. However, there is something I would like to share with healthcare professionals. The biggest secret that is never shared but will save you a lot of time is............ taking the time to sit and talk to your patients. Wait..... Wait.... Wait a minute. Before you go into the long spill about how nurses DO NOT have the time. Let me take the time to explain why this time is crucial for your patients and will save you more time in the long run.

STORYTIME

A fellow co-worker was dealing with a patient and significant other that was again the visitor policy, which prohibits patients having visitors staying overnight. Failure to allow significant other to stay with the patient resulted in the two individuals being loud and trying to report staff to administration. My co-worker was afraid to care for this patient based on the patient's behavior along with the significant other behavior. Therefore, I assisted my co-worker by providing emotional support for her while she was about to administer the patient's medication. As she was giving medication to address the patient's pain, I had got a chair and sat right beside the patient's bed. After introducing myself, I began to ask questions to get to know the patient and understand the patient's frustrations. I guess my 8 months in psych really taught me the beauty of de-escalation. The patient stated, "If she can't stay, I am not staying". Informed patient of the visitation policy and why this policy is so critical for patients and staff safety. After the patient understood the purpose of the policy and how it was put in place to keep him safe, he was grateful for the explanation. After we discussed the reason for the policy (increase in COVID cases), we discussed the reason for hospitalization. Once I understood the patient's care, I began to talk about how leaving the facility would negatively affect the patient. We discuss pain, ambulation, and resources. Eventually, the patient came to the conclusion that leaving was not the best decision and the significant other left the facility and adhered to the policy.

Let's talk about it.

That conversation was simple and it only too about five minutes of my time that technically I could have used to care for my patients that were waiting on me to come back to their room. However, the patient felt supported and understood why policies were in place. In the end, the patient was appreciative of me taking the time to explain his care and how the hospital operated to him.

What did we learn?

Five minutes can make the difference between a good or bad outcome. Take time to be with your patient and give them the attention they need. Healthcare professionals, we are so thankful for all you do. I pray that every day you keep coming back! You are needed and essential! Don't forget to give your patient time. Thank you in advance!