What do you do when one of your patients takes unexpected additional time to provide quality care and you have other patients waiting?

Patients and families are often experiencing stress while in the hospital with health challenges and are often anxious and anticipatory when receiving care. They may have been worried all night about experiencing pain during their bath or embarrassment during a catheter change, and even the slightest delay may increase anxiety. A great nurse is mindful of that and does not dismiss the importance of even the most routine task to a patient. Being organized can help a nurse be more efficient with time, but sometimes patients require more care. For example, the nurse may have just completed a difficult sacral wound vac dressing change when the patient has diarrhea, requiring the dressing be redone. The nurse has several other patients waiting but cannot leave this patient without the wound vac or soiled. He or she could not have planned this more efficiently. The only choice is to redo the dressing, which takes time. The nurse should use the call bell or connect with team members to have them communicate to other patients that there is a delay so that they do not experience anxiety, or request other team members help with the other patients.