Nurses can:
1. Advocate for proper patient placement.
2. Collaborate with other practitioners to expedite discharge when appropriate, and emphasize teamwork in a patient’s care.
3. Facilitate transfers between units when appropriate — don’t let it wait.
4. Know the status of each patient under their care.
5. Adhere to infection prevention protocol.
6. Allow receiving nurses to ask questions during handoffs.
7. Collaborate with social services before the patient is discharged.
For more explanation of any checklist item, click here.
More Articles on Capacity:
What’s the Holdup? Overcoming the Costly Delays in Admissions and Throughput
Bed Shortages Cost L.A. $6M, 37k Hours in 2013
Survey: Nurses Feel Patient Overloads, Short Staffing Detract From Care