Comments on: Patients waiting for hospital beds http://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2008/10/patients-waiting-for-hospital-beds.html Tue, 14 Feb 2012 19:56:00 +0000 hourly 1 By: geenahttp://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2008/10/patients-waiting-for-hospital-beds.html#comment-87896 geena Sun, 02 Nov 2008 03:42:00 +0000 http://clients.emmense.com/kevinmd/2008/10/patients-waiting-for-hospital-beds.html#comment-87896 Sometimes there are simply no beds to transfer the patient to. You can hire all the nurses you want, but you typically can't make more patient rooms.<br/><br/>If ICU is full and ER has patients for us, there is simply nowhere to go. We try to call the docs to get transfer orders, but they're busy up on the floors trying to discharge patients. <br/><br/>And even when patients get their discharge orders, there's still usually the issue of getting someone to pick them up. "Sure, my son/daughter can come get me after they leave work at 5pm." <br/><br/>Well, that doesn't help at 9am.<br/><br/>It is definitely a multi-faceted problem. Sometimes there are simply no beds to transfer the patient to. You can hire all the nurses you want, but you typically can’t make more patient rooms.

If ICU is full and ER has patients for us, there is simply nowhere to go. We try to call the docs to get transfer orders, but they’re busy up on the floors trying to discharge patients.

And even when patients get their discharge orders, there’s still usually the issue of getting someone to pick them up. “Sure, my son/daughter can come get me after they leave work at 5pm.”

Well, that doesn’t help at 9am.

It is definitely a multi-faceted problem.

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