Contact Lists
Dealing with Radiological Implants and How to use the Geiger Counter
A patient who comes in s/p I 131 (radioactive iodine) treatment within a month of their treatment
Isolate the patient in an Isolation room in the ED if condition allows. Stay 6 feet away from the patient as much as possible at all times.
Keep pregnant staff and children away from the patient.
Take geiger readings as documented below.
Call Endocrinology Consult 24/7 to make them aware the patient is in the Emergency Department also page the Radiation Safety Officer (RSO).
If the patient needs admission, admit them to the “Radiation Room” on A3 OR a private room if this is not available.
If it was a patient recently discharged from EHC and needs admission – re-admit the patient back to the room from where they were discharged.
Individual Staff should have no greater than 30 minutes close contact (within 6 feet)
All trash except sharps, should be placed in a red biohazard bag near the patient’s bedside and not disposed of by housekeeping. The RSO will arrange for this trash to be picked up.
Prostatic Implants
Get readings with the Geiger Counter and call radiation safety officer.
How to use the Geiger Counter
Get the geiger counter from hospital police
Remove the red shield (do not discard)
Turn the on switch to x0.1
- Turn off audio
- Test the battery, when you press the button, the indicator should move to the battery test area of the display
- Press reset
- Make sure the f/s switch is turned to “f”
- Take a background reading at least 15 feet from the patient
- Now wand as close as possible to the affected area
- Look at the mR/hr area of the display (the one in the middle of the 3 arcs), look at the number and divide by 10 (you have set the machine to the “x0.1″ setting so all readings need to be divided by 10)
- Where the arrow settles is the reading
- If the indicator moves all the way to the right, change the setting from x0.1 to x1, then to x10, x100
- Retake the reading
- Take readings at 1 inch, 1 foot, and 3 feet, 6 feet, and background readings (>12 feet from patient). The best way I have found is take a piece of paper and write down the reading and the dial setting next to it and do the multiplication later (i.e. write down that at 3 feet the dial reads 0.4 mR/hour when set at 10x, then sit down out of the room and calculate the actual 3 foot reading is 4 mR/hr).
What to do with the readings
Call or Page the radiation safety officer
Until they advise–
- < 2mr/ hr all children and pregnant staff need to stay 6 feet from patient.
- >2mr/ hr all staff need to stay 6 feet from the patient.
- If the patient is in extremis, treat the patient first as radiation emission is a secondary concern and brief exposure to implants will not cause a significant exposure to staff. Pregnant staff should not treat the patient.
Check on Narcotics Prescriptions
Instructions:
GO TO: https//commerce.health.state.ny.us
[If you don't have a log in go to https//hcsteamwork.1.health.state.ny.us/pub/top.html or call 1 866 529 1890]
Select the “applications” tab at the top of the screen.
Click “c” and scroll down to “Controlled Substances Info (CSI) on Dispensed Prescriptions”
Click on title to open the program.
Enter patient info (name, dob) and your dea#.
Submit info for report.
Giving Bullets / Property to NYPD
Policy #PTS 29, Request for Release of Physical Evidence/Patient Property, permits hospital personnel to tag and secure all items (including knives, bullets etc) removed from a patient not in custody of Dept of Corrections. These items are secured in the property office and released upon presentation of a subpoena. The items should not be released to police officers who requests them as the police may have a vested interest in the evidence. If the patient is in DOC custody the items can be released to an appropriate official of the DOC agency.
Here in Risk Management we do not release anything to the police without a subpoena.
Janette A. Baxter, RN, MS, JD
Risk Manager
Elmhurst Hospital
79-01 Broadway
Elmhurst, New York 11373
Fax 718 334 5143
Where to Admit Patients
These patients should ALWAYS be admitted to surgery:
- Diverticulitis with and without abscess
- Cholecystitis
- Cholangitis (NOT MEDICINE)
- Choledocholithiasis (NOT MEDICINE)
- Liver abscess
- Post-operative complication within 30 days of surgery including DVT (go to the service that operated on the patient)
- Pancreatitis if caused by gallstones or if patient requires ICU admission (otherwise patient goes to medicine)
- Lower GI bleeds requiring admission
- Appendicitis
- Bowel Obstruction or Perforation
- Pneumoperitoneum
- Animals bites, frostbite, or burns below elbow go to service covering hand, otherwise to general surgery
- Acutely incarcerated hernia
- Spontaneous pneumothorax (unless requiring isolation for TB/HIV or acute exacerbation of COPD/Asthma requiring medical intervention, in which case they should be admitted to medicine)
Trauma Admissions
- Red Trauma-automatic admission to trauma service. If the initial work-up reveals no significant injury AND both the ED Attending and the Surgical Attending agree, these patients may be discharged (do not downgrade to yellow, discharge as red).
In rare circumstances, a red trauma may have isolated injuries that are under the purview of another surgical sub-specialty. Admission to this service may only occur if the trauma service obtains the agreement of this sub-specialty; if there is any disagreement, the patient will be admitted to the trauma service. (In this circumstance, downgrade the patient to a yellow trauma).
- Yellow Trauma-If 2 or more organ systems are involved, the patient will be admitted to the trauma service. Isolated orthopedic injuries with stable hemodynamics may go to orthopedics. Unstable pelvic injuries will be admitted to the trauma service. Any patient requiring STICU admission will be admitted under the trauma service. Isolated traumatic intracranial bleeds may be admitted to neurosurgery or trauma service.
- Syncope with isolated intracranial bleed may be admitted to neurosurgery or the trauma service. These patients should only be admitted to the medicine service if they are at significant risk for cardiac dysrhythmia or cardiac ischemia as determined by the ED attending.
- Syncope with any significant trauma (facial fractures, rib fractures) will be admitted to the trauma service. This excludes minor lacerations, contusions, abrasions. These patients should only be admitted to the medicine service if they are at significant risk for cardiac dysrhythmia or cardiac ischemia as determined by the ED attending.
- Yellow trauma with isolated facial or ocular trauma requiring admission should be admitted to the service covering facial trauma at the time and date of patient arrival in the ED. If the patient has facial/ocular trauma with additional injuries, they should be admitted to the trauma service.
- Isolated genitourinary trauma requiring admission should go to the trauma service.
- ??? Upper extremity fracture requiring admission for pain should be admitted to the trauma service. ???
- Lower extremity fracture requiring admission: Orthopedics. If pelvic fracture is unstable or accompanied by significant blood loss, then the patient will be admitted to the trauma service
- Altered mental status or post-concussive syndrome (excluding syncope) after trauma goes to trauma service even with a negative trauma work-up.
- Rib fractures requiring admission goes to the trauma service.
- Vertebral fractures after trauma goes to the service covering spine.
Neurology/Neurosurgery Admissions
- TIA goes to neurology (Only if unstable atrial fibrillation should these patients go to medicine)
- Spontaneous Intra-parenchymal hemorrhage (ICH)-admit to neurology, do not call neurosurgery. Neurology will consult neurosurgery as appropriate. If these patients require operative intervention or EVD, they will go to the STICU under neurosurgery
- Spontaneous SAH-neurosurgery
Miscellaneous
- Cellulitis below elbow-Service covering hand
- Cellulitis in other locations-alternates between surgery/medicine. Call bedboard to see which service is next up.
- Upper GI bleeds go to medicine
Giving HIV Test Results to Patients
Provider Directions for Positive rapid HIV Results
Additional Resources:
http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/topics/testing/resources/factsheets/rt_counseling.htm.
It includes information including the sensitivities and specificities of our rapid tests (appendix), allowing an educated discussion about what this test means with our patients.”
Who to Send to Infectious Disease (ID) Clinic
ID Clinic Who to send to the ID Clinic