I am a charge nurse on a skilled care unit. We have one resident in particular on warfarin and we can’t seem to regulate the INRs. Can you give me some ideas on how to assist with solving this problem?
Ask the care expert … about INRs
By
Sherrie Dornberger
Apr 01, 2014
We have quite a few residents on INRs (with a diagnosis of Atrial Fibrillation) that we cannot regulate as hard as we try. Do you have any suggestions we should look at?
Ask the care expert … about interpretive guidance
By
Sherrie Dornberger
Mar 01, 2014
I heard there was communication to surveyors on being required to cite the regulation and not the interpretive guidance. Where can I find this?
Ask the care expert … about the ISTAP tool kit
By
Sherrie Dornberger
Feb 01, 2014
I am in a new charge position and when I went to training, someone kept mentioning “ISTAP” with reference to skin tears. Do you know what this person was referring to?
Ask the care expert … about water temperature in SNFs
By
Sherrie Dornberger
Jan 01, 2014
The nursing and maintenance departments are feuding over the water temperature. What should it be in a skilled care unit?
Ask the care expert … about hospice rules
By
Sherrie Dornberger
Dec 01, 2013
I heard the rules recently changed related to hospice. Do you know what will be included?
Ask the care expert … about the high-dose flu vaccine
By
Sherrie Dornberger
Nov 01, 2013
We are training our staff, residents and family members on the annual flu vaccines. I hear that this year a high-dose vaccine is available. Does Fluzone High-Dose influenza vaccine work better?
As the care expert … about inhaler lifespans
By
Sherrie Dornberger
Oct 01, 2013
If inhalers do not have a counter on the unit that tells us how many metered doses are remaining, we never know about discarding or continuing their use. I fear we are letting them live out their time...
Ask the care expert … about photographing wounds
By
Sherrie Dornberger
Sep 01, 2013
I am a charge nurse on a skilled unit. We do not take photos of wounds, but I would really like to take pictures. As they say a picture is worth a 1,000 words. Do you agree?
Ask the care expert … about fecal containment systems
By
Sherrie Dornberger
Aug 01, 2013
Are you aware of any type of fecal containment system that may assist us with very loose stools that keep contaminating sacral ulcers?