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What you Need to Know About Hospital Night Shifts
Readers Digest
May 2007
www.healthgrades.com
- More medication errors happen at night, so be sure to keep a list of all medicines and the doses you are taking. Ask what you're being given each time a nurse enters the room. If he or she answers, "Oh it's your heart medicine," ask for the specific name and dosage.
- As nighttime approaches, ask for the names of each of the nurses who will be working the upcoming shifts. Hospitals compile a schedule in advice, and the nurses' names are available. It's much more effective to say, "I'm looking for Nurse Burke," than "I don't know who my nurse is, but I need her."
- Find an ally. Many nurses are excellent. Make note of the people who stand out, and make sure that you or a family member gets to know them.
- If you don't feel comfortable with the level of attention you're receiving, ask if a friend or someone from your family can stay with you in the room. Many hospitals allow this. Hiring a private nurse is another possibility.
- Be sure you understand the hospital hierarchy
- Do your homework. In one study, top hospitals had 40% fewer errors. Compare hospitals in your state at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services website (hospitalcompare.hhs.gov)
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