Multitasking: Is It Worth the Risk?

[...]the nurse may be triaging a patient who is reporting symptoms and at the same, a staff member gives the nurse a critical lab result. Despite the perception that multitasking is an impressive skill, it is actually detrimental and, in some cases, risky. Since human multitasking became a phenomenon, it has been studied by many scientists. For the well-being of you and your patients, slow down, pause, and focus. * Kathryn Koehne, DNP RN, AMB-BC, C-TNP is Director of Nursing and Operations, Crescent Cove, Minneapolis, MN;Consultant and Presenter, Telephone Triage Consulting, Inc.;and Adjunct Faculty, Viterbo University, La Crosse, WI. Sg2 Health Care Intelligence. https://www.sg2.com/health-care-intelligence-blog/2021/06/sg2-2021-impact-ofchange-forecast/ Merriam-Webster.

Working from Home: Is it a Perk or a Problem?

According to Brunelle and Fortin (2021), employees who WFH have a higher level of job satisfaction when compared to their counterparts working in office settings. Xiao and colleagues (2021) identified when working remotely, employees experience decreased physical activity, poor quality food intake, and lack of communication with coworkers which leads to a decrease in physical and mental wellbeing. According to the Anxiety & Depression Association of America (2021), consistent participation in exercise may decrease tension, elevate and stabilize various moods, and improve sleep and self-esteem. According to Seva and colleagues (2021), spaces in homes, furniture design, acoustics, temperature/humidity, or lighting may not be suitable for prolonged hours of work and can lead to eye strain, fatigue, respiratory issues, hearing impairment, and musculoskeletal issues.

Ethics in Telehealth: It Begins with Knowledge

Helmers and colleagues (2020) explain that formalized ethics programs provide support to identify, discuss, and resolve ethical issues by offering facilitated ethical debriefs, bioethics expert consultation, bioethics education sessions, and mentor support. [...]they will experience moral resiliency. The emergency department is deluged with patients with respiratory symptoms and leadership has informed triage nurses that patients cannot be referred there for care unless symptoms are life threatening. Kathryn Koehne, DNP, RN-BC, C-TNP, is Director of Nursing and Operations, Crescent Cove, Minneapolis, MN;Consultant and Presenter, Telephone Triage Consulting, Inc.;and serves as Adjunct Faculty, Viterbo University, La Crosse, WI.

Telephone Triage During a Pandemic: Perspectives Across The United States

Vickie Hovell (VH), BSN, RN, is a Clinical Manager - Telephone Nurse Advisor, Gundersen Health System, La Crosse, WI. Reading the responses will provide a glimpse of the patient care that has been happening with triage nurses who are providing guidance and reassurance to many in cities across the nation. When COVID-19 testing started, a primary care clinic became a call center staffed with [registered nurses] who called patients with test results and instructions if the test was positive. With input from staff, I created a new onepage workflow summary of the triage process we always do but included pandemic items such as always educating patients about PPE and visitor restrictions.