Unnecessary numbering invites medication errors
After reading "Insulin protocol/Too many numbers" (Medication Errors, October 2015)* I handed the journal to my husband, pointed to the electronic health record protocol shown above, and asked, "How much insulin would you give to someone with a blood sugar of 271?" He immediately replied, "seven units." According to the article, one nurse mistook the line numbering in the left-hand column for the recommended insulin dose and would have given the patient only five units.
My husband isn't a nurse-he's a railroad track inspector at a chemical plant-yet he read the chart correctly. Nurses need to read more carefully.
-CARRIE RICHARDSON, RN
Marshall, Tex.
Top billing for nurses
I'm writing to share my support for H.R. 379, the National Nurse Act of 2015, which will designate the existing Chief Nurse Officer of the U.S. Public Health Service the "National Nurse for Public Health" within the Office of the Surgeon General. I believe the additional duties of this position will elevate the nursing profession and provide the nation with trusted nursing leadership to enhance health prevention efforts. It will also encourage Americans to embrace all the benefits of public health.
Please join me and many of our peers in supporting this bipartisan effort. Nurses must be at the table when healthcare decisions are made, and this bill will help make that happen, without costing any additional funds. As a citizen and a nurse, I support this legislation as a way to achieve better health for all of our citizens.
-CAROL L. SELLERS, BSN, RN, CMSN
Abilene, Tex.
* Individual subscribers can access articles free online at http://www.nursing2016.com. [Context Link]
REFERENCES