Practical Pointers: Discover Shortcuts Devised by Colleagues (March 2006)
Cutting-Edge Rehabilitation
To help patients who have had a cerebrovascular accident regain fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination, have them cut out manufacturers' coupons with blunt-edged scissors. Most coupons have dotted lines to follow.
——Sheryl Stone Clay, RN, BSN
Mason, Ohio
Thanks for the Memories
Each time I see a patient, I note on the chart personal events in his or her life--such as "going on a cruise" or "attending grandson's graduation"--in addition to the clinical findings. When the patient returns, I bring up the event I jotted down. This usually brings back pleasant memories, and patients appreciate that I follow events in their lives.
——Mohammed M. Basha, MD
Gainesville, Fla
Examine the Good Before the Bad
When examining a patient who complains of earache, start by looking in the "good" ear. Using this ear as a basis for comparison can help you pick up subtle changes in the affected ear.
— Amy Siegel, MD
Burlington, Vt
Streamlined Joint Fluid Drainage
To easily drain an ulnar bursa or a patellar effusion of any size--and simplify preparation of the aspirate for transfer--use an evacuated blood draw kit with an 18-gauge needle attachment, a see-through-labeled tube coated with whatever anticoagulant your laboratory specifies, and several large additive-free tubes. Begin with the coated tube. If more than 7 to 10 mL of fluid must be drained, simply exchange the full tube for one of the uncoated ones. Use of an anticoagulant-coated tube to begin the aspiration creates a specimen of about 7 mL that can be examined in the tube visually and then sent "as is" to the lab for analysis. This method also provides a ready and reliable estimate of the volume of fluid drained.
-Cameron Priesmeyer, MS