Tell Tale Heart
Early one evening in 1990 an elderly patient who was on cardiac monitoring was found to be missing from his room. His telemetry pattern was still present on the monitor. Unit staff could see his heart beating on their computer screen, but a thorough search of the patient rooms, closets, bathroom couldn’t pinpoint where the signal was coming from.
The nursing supervisor and security began a search of the hospital. The man’s son was notified that his father was missing, and reassured that he must be nearby, since we could still see his heart problem on the monitors.
An hour later the unit received a call that the patient had been found on railroad tracks between the hospital and the river. Security went to retrieve the patient, clad in his thin hospital gown, and returned him to the unit. The son was notified of his father’s safe return, with only some minor frostbite.
The next day the son questioned how this could have happened. “I don’t understand how a frail man carrying a big heavy monitor could make it all the way to the railroad tracks.
Karen Libby, RN, evening charge nurse, realizing the son’s misperception, showed him a telemetry monitoring unit, which is about the size of a cell phone. She also showed his son the monitoring screens and the patterns that result from the telemetry unit.
“I had no idea they were this small,” the son admitted. “I thought it was a big heavy unit like a small TV set. Thank you for clarifying this for me.”
Karen’s quick understanding and explanation helped educate a confused and agitated family member, calming him and preventing one small misunderstanding from becoming a much bigger one.
The Moral of the Story :
- The unexpected can always happen.
- Communication with family is very important.
Don't assume everyone understands medical terms and equipment. |
