What would you do if several patients complained to you about one of your staff nurses?

"As a charge nurse, it's my responsibility to investigate these complaints. I would meet with each patient privately to listen to their concerns and complaints and thoroughly document each conversation. From there, I would review the complaints to understand if the patient was upset with a hospital policy or doctor's order or if the nurse acted inappropriately. For example, I have had patients complain about a staff member not giving them enough of the food they asked for, but the patient was under strict dietary restrictions by their physician, and it was just a matter of re-enforcing and re-educating that patient. If the complaints were warranted and required action, I would address them with the nurse immediately. Depending on the severity or issue, I would consider disciplinary action and involving HR."

"I would thoroughly investigate each complaint and ask questions to understand the situations and complaints. I would assure the patient that I was taking their concerns seriously and would thank them for bringing things to my attention. If the issues were related to patient care, negligence, abuse, etc., I would follow the appropriate company policy to address, discipline, or report the incidents to the appropriate people or agencies. As part of my investigations, I would also speak with the nurse to understand the situation and get their perspective. I would likely also need to loop in the unit manager or the director of nursing to provide oversight."

Every patient complaint needs to be investigated thoroughly. This involves interviewing the patient to find out exactly what the concern was and attempt to get specifics such as the day and time the incidents occurred. I then utilize other resources I have to continue the investigation including looking at medical records/ documentation, watching camera footage, interviewing other staff that may also have been involved. With multiple complaints on the same staff member it is very important to be diligent in the investigation. Once I have completed my investigation I will then meet with a staff member to discuss the concerns and get their explanations of what happened. Depending on the issue and what the investigations determine there may be formal education or disciplinary action needed with the staff member.