Some argue that patient care is all or nothing; that we cannot give part of it and still do a great job. Unless we do a ‘proper job’ and give idealized patient care, we should not even start. ‘Proper’ care requires thorough examination, investigation, treatment and discharge excellence. If it isn’t ‘proper’, then you should not do it.
The same people find time to
- take breaks
- talk about honeymoon plans
- visit with police, fire, or ambulance personnel
- help their colleagues
All this while completing their patient care work. They find time during the day for things they value by adjusting the time they spend with patients. Most of the time, this is reasonable. Each patient requires a different amount of care.
Patient Care: Discrete or Continuous?
Sewing together a skin laceration is a discrete event. You cannot sew it halfway. Hanging an IV requires a certain minimum time to complete. You cannot hang half an IV. Closing lacerations and hanging IVs are discrete tasks that will always require at concrete minimum of time and effort by even the most efficient provider.
Most patient care depends on providers and patients. It varies widely. Some patient histories contain only a few words while others require pages and could go on for days. Most patient care exists on a continuum from a few seconds, to minutes, to many hours.
Cutting Corners
Patients especially appreciate care when they know we can’t give them the whole deal. They know and appreciate when corners were cut to provide them some relief, any small help.
Providers, who argue for rigid ratios of nurses or doctors to patients, or ideal numbers of patients seen per hour, think of care as bundles of ideal service. The same people tend to defend waiting rooms and boarding admitted patients in overcrowded emergency departments.
In a system stretched beyond function, we need to provide some patient care even when we cannot give it all. We need to do something – anything – for patients suffering and waiting, even if it’s not ideal. For most patient care, just a few seconds can make a world of difference.
(photocredit: dailymail.co.uk)
