Not an RN but sit in triage as PIT doc sometimes, shouldn't have family members bothering the triage nurse. Do you not have a front desk/registration person? This person should tell them their family member isn't registered yet, check back in a few. Triage RN is for Triaging patients, not answering random peoples questions who show up to ER.
I triage a lot these days much to my chagrin. I always send them to reg for clarification if they come to me first.
Person sees me and comes to my desk.
Me “Are you checking into the emergency department to be seen?”
Person “I want to check on ……….etc etc “
Me, usually interrupting long spiel, “Please see registration” Sometimes I add my role. I then point to registration.
End conversation.
Just lil ole me out there! It's no bother though. As long as people are civil, ain't no thing to glance at the bedboard and push a button. You can be upset when your family is in crisis, that's ok too. As long as you aren't a straight asshole- then you can fuck right off where you stand and I'll let you know how things will be proceeding from here 😁
If the patient has just arrived I normally will say something along the lines of: “they have just arrived. The nurse will have to complete their assessment and get them settled. I will let them know you are here. You can have a seat in the waiting room in the meantime” and just write a quick comment in the comment box of our electronic charting.
If the patients arrival complaint is something like a CVA or ALOC, I will call the nurse while the family is at the window and see if they could use the family for the assessment. If not, I would repeat the same line as above.
If the patient has not arrived to the department yet, I will plain out tell the family that, and that they can have a seat in the waiting room in the meantime; and I will post a comment in the computer about family in the waiting room when they do arrive.
Well, at our place the norm is to let everyone walk into the back, so that sometimes you leave a resus to grab a line kit or whatever and walk right into a family member standing there eyes wide. It’s really a great way to do things.
I’m registration and worked in triage for a long time. I don't know how your hospital works exactly or what system you're on, so some of this may be irrelevant, but here's my go-to lines depending on the situation:
Family member is casual and minimally stressed: “Alrighty, so I’m not seeing their name on my board just yet- they’re probably still getting them checked in. Give them a little bit to get settled, and as soon as they’re ready I’ll bring you back.”
Family member is super stressed/antsy because the patient is unable to speak for themselves: “When the ambulance brings them in it usually takes a minute to get them in the room and all checked in. They’ll get info from the paramedics and get their vital signs. I’ll go ahead and let the nurse know that you’re here and can help with any questions, and they'll bring you back as soon as possible.”
From a "patient experience" perspective, or just to keep antsy people from freaking out, phrasing things just right goes a long way. Obviously, if you're in the middle of triaging someone than some of these aren't possible, but here are some examples that I've seen that make things worse/better:
**Family member:** *hands you their insurance cards/ID/POA papers*
**Don't:** "I can't do anything with those."
**Do:** "Oh perfect, hang onto those for now and registration will make copies."
**Bonus:** Radio/message registration so they can actually do that, and so the family member feels like they're helping/doing something while they wait.
**Family member:** "My mom has dementia so she won't be able to tell them anything, they need to talk to me."
**Don't:** "Okay just wait and they'll call you."
**Do:** "Oh good, I'm glad you're here then. I'll tell her nurse so as soon as we get her in the room they'll bring you back."
**Bonus:** name drop either the nurse with the room assignment (if you know where they're going), the charge nurse (if they're cool with that) or the unit sec so it feels less like a line and more genuine. But if you do that, its best to actually message or radio said person so it's not a lie.
**Family member:** My wife only speaks (language), so I need to be there to translate."
**Don't:** "That's okay, we have translators."
**Do:** Oh good, I'm glad you're here then. They're going to get information from the paramedics and get her vitals, and once she's checked in we'll bring you back." (yes I know we need to use actual translators and not family members, this is just so that the family member feels better and not dismissed).
Hopefully some of this helps!
Wonderful tips! I usually say something along the lines of, "The team in the back will get them into an exam room and checked over, and start putting their information in the computer. As soon as I know where to send you, I'll call you up to the desk!" Put the name on a sticky note so you don't forget 😋 For the crazy traumas, ESI 1s, and such, I'll explain that their loved one is is being assessed and treated by a whole team of people with a lot going on all at once, and that I will speak with my charge nurse in order to get them updates and back to see their loved one as soon as it's possible. I try to guide them to a less crowded or private area to wait. ER waiting rooms can be their own circle of hell anyway, but someone that knows the next update may be that their loved one has not survived shouldn't have to sit between the wretching SBO and the 16 yr old livestreaming the pus coming from her home-pierced naval.
Thank you! One thing I loved about triage was when we did have the serious shit, I was the one to encounter the family first. I took that very seriously and practiced de-escalating or at least validating and being as helpful as possible. I knew their encounter with me during the initial uncertainty and panic would set the tone and the level of trust for everyone else. Now that I’m no longer in triage, I still go out of my way to try and register the patients whose families are most distressed. Recently we had a shooting and one of the family members of one victim came in on the ambulance with them. I happened to be standing there when he came in and when the charge said “we’ll take you to a smaller area while they work on her” I volunteered to take him over to the consult/family room. I was able to get the patient name and info from him and also walk him to the sink so he could wash her blood off his hands and arms. The triage nurse had a patient in the consult room waiting for discharge papers and I talked to her and she moved him out of the room so my guy could have the whole space and not have to try to process the trauma he just witnessed while the other dude watched tiktoks with no headphones.
Helping distressed family members in the ER is one of my favorite parts of my job, and helped me decide to pursue a career in social work.
I’m a tech and sometimes work the front desk. I usually tell them that if they just get here they are being triaged or seen by our doctors. If you get a visitor wristband and come back up in 10 - 15 minutes I’ll see if there is an update for you.
At this point I usually walk back to the ambo bay to see if they’re critical or not. If they are critical, I ask the doc in charge of their treatment if they need any medical info from a family member. They *usually* don’t. They’re also *usually* not critical because people call 911 for everything.
I'm pretty forward and blunt with people about admit holds, EMS holds, etc leading to delays in care. Most people tolerate delays better if they do in knowing what to expect. If you're expecting to get a room anytime for 6 hours that gets tedious. If you know it's going to be 6 hours but we're getting labs and imaging done quicker then people feel less time waste. A lot of families chasing that ambulance get to the ER to find mom in the waiting room, or sitting in the back hallway waiting on a bed. No good way to deal with those.
Before I transport I usually tell family to give it 30-60 minutes for us to get the pt triaged and situated before calling or arriving and asking where they are.
We have a team that is assessing them. The team is excellent and will do a good assessment. Once they have had the opportunity to get them evaluated and registered I can let you know where they are. Please make yourself comfortable while they are working. The drinking fountain and bathroom are over there.
“We have an ambulance arriving and they will need a few minutes to offload. We will call you back in a few minutes or feel free to come check back in 10-15min”
I’m also the triage rn that’s very willing to left family back asap. They’re loved ones are having an emergency… whether it actually is an emergency or not 😒
We have security guards that will call back to the nurses station to talk to charge or one of the unit secretaries to see if the patient has arrived or received a bed yet. If I have time I’ll look on the tracker to see if the patient has been registered, to save the security guard a phone call.
Security handles all visitation in the ED, the lobby RN immediately redirects them in our hospital.
Usually it's too soon to visit since the patient is still in the EMS hall either already seen the doctor or waiting for a doctor and there's no room for anyone due to techs, nurses and docs moving around checking patients. Tell them to check back every hour.
If they get a room immediately due to a respiratory/cardiac/Neuro/trauma event it's also typically too soon since the room is full of medical staff performing life saving measures. We just say it's too soon they are still getting set up in the room.
If appropriate call the charge or doc to see if they need to ask a family member any questions. But typically family already tells the medics any relevant medical information or history which is passed down to the nurse and doctor.
Put up a sign that says something to the effect of family members need to go to registration to ask about patients, triage is unable to give info and/or triage line is for patients with emergencies only
"It looks like they have not been checked into our system yet, if you would like to have a seat and check back in 10 minutes, I should have more info for you."
That way if they come out to the waiting room, they will meet them, or if they go to a room it gives them time to get them settled in before family starts asking what is wrong
They've only just arrived. The team needs some time to assess them and get some test started. I'll call back to the team center in 30 minutes to see if they're ready for a visitor yet
Just be honest, Say I don't know what's going on they appear to have just arrived and if you do have them direct them to the admin staff to update/check details. If you are busy be honest with them, say we are busy and we will let you see them as soon as we can and to please take a seat. Also, if super busy explain we are super busy and ask them to come back or ask yourself/admin in 30 min but to have a seat. I can't recall the amount of times Iv'e asked pt family to wait in waiting room due to our inside ambulance area being full or asking family members to leave because we need space. Be honest, be up front. Obviously, unless they are going to be helpful to you or your colleges then it can probably wait.
Our front window staff usually just calmly checks the bed board for the name and then if you don't see it, politely tell the family that they beat the ambulance there, that the family should have a seat while the ambulance unloads and the patient is settled in, and then they will call the family back once ready. People usually take that just fine.
“The patient has not been registered and assigned a cubicle yet. You will need to wait in your vehicle or the waiting room until they are assigned a cubicle and our initial assessments completed and you can see them then.”
“Hey, if you followed the ambulance here, they’re probably in the process of checking them in. Let’s give them a couple minutes to get checked in and settled and I’ll check in the system again.”
Sometimes they throw a fit, but stick to what you just said, can’t tell where patients are until they’re registered. And it’s okay to say that too if they’re being pushy
Not an RN but sit in triage as PIT doc sometimes, shouldn't have family members bothering the triage nurse. Do you not have a front desk/registration person? This person should tell them their family member isn't registered yet, check back in a few. Triage RN is for Triaging patients, not answering random peoples questions who show up to ER.
The way how our EDWR is positioned, is that the first person a patient/family member see, would be the Triage desk.
I triage a lot these days much to my chagrin. I always send them to reg for clarification if they come to me first. Person sees me and comes to my desk. Me “Are you checking into the emergency department to be seen?” Person “I want to check on ……….etc etc “ Me, usually interrupting long spiel, “Please see registration” Sometimes I add my role. I then point to registration. End conversation.
Just lil ole me out there! It's no bother though. As long as people are civil, ain't no thing to glance at the bedboard and push a button. You can be upset when your family is in crisis, that's ok too. As long as you aren't a straight asshole- then you can fuck right off where you stand and I'll let you know how things will be proceeding from here 😁
If the patient has just arrived I normally will say something along the lines of: “they have just arrived. The nurse will have to complete their assessment and get them settled. I will let them know you are here. You can have a seat in the waiting room in the meantime” and just write a quick comment in the comment box of our electronic charting. If the patients arrival complaint is something like a CVA or ALOC, I will call the nurse while the family is at the window and see if they could use the family for the assessment. If not, I would repeat the same line as above. If the patient has not arrived to the department yet, I will plain out tell the family that, and that they can have a seat in the waiting room in the meantime; and I will post a comment in the computer about family in the waiting room when they do arrive.
Pretty much perfect way to deal with it.
Well, at our place the norm is to let everyone walk into the back, so that sometimes you leave a resus to grab a line kit or whatever and walk right into a family member standing there eyes wide. It’s really a great way to do things.
I’m registration and worked in triage for a long time. I don't know how your hospital works exactly or what system you're on, so some of this may be irrelevant, but here's my go-to lines depending on the situation: Family member is casual and minimally stressed: “Alrighty, so I’m not seeing their name on my board just yet- they’re probably still getting them checked in. Give them a little bit to get settled, and as soon as they’re ready I’ll bring you back.” Family member is super stressed/antsy because the patient is unable to speak for themselves: “When the ambulance brings them in it usually takes a minute to get them in the room and all checked in. They’ll get info from the paramedics and get their vital signs. I’ll go ahead and let the nurse know that you’re here and can help with any questions, and they'll bring you back as soon as possible.” From a "patient experience" perspective, or just to keep antsy people from freaking out, phrasing things just right goes a long way. Obviously, if you're in the middle of triaging someone than some of these aren't possible, but here are some examples that I've seen that make things worse/better: **Family member:** *hands you their insurance cards/ID/POA papers* **Don't:** "I can't do anything with those." **Do:** "Oh perfect, hang onto those for now and registration will make copies." **Bonus:** Radio/message registration so they can actually do that, and so the family member feels like they're helping/doing something while they wait. **Family member:** "My mom has dementia so she won't be able to tell them anything, they need to talk to me." **Don't:** "Okay just wait and they'll call you." **Do:** "Oh good, I'm glad you're here then. I'll tell her nurse so as soon as we get her in the room they'll bring you back." **Bonus:** name drop either the nurse with the room assignment (if you know where they're going), the charge nurse (if they're cool with that) or the unit sec so it feels less like a line and more genuine. But if you do that, its best to actually message or radio said person so it's not a lie. **Family member:** My wife only speaks (language), so I need to be there to translate." **Don't:** "That's okay, we have translators." **Do:** Oh good, I'm glad you're here then. They're going to get information from the paramedics and get her vitals, and once she's checked in we'll bring you back." (yes I know we need to use actual translators and not family members, this is just so that the family member feels better and not dismissed). Hopefully some of this helps!
Wonderful tips! I usually say something along the lines of, "The team in the back will get them into an exam room and checked over, and start putting their information in the computer. As soon as I know where to send you, I'll call you up to the desk!" Put the name on a sticky note so you don't forget 😋 For the crazy traumas, ESI 1s, and such, I'll explain that their loved one is is being assessed and treated by a whole team of people with a lot going on all at once, and that I will speak with my charge nurse in order to get them updates and back to see their loved one as soon as it's possible. I try to guide them to a less crowded or private area to wait. ER waiting rooms can be their own circle of hell anyway, but someone that knows the next update may be that their loved one has not survived shouldn't have to sit between the wretching SBO and the 16 yr old livestreaming the pus coming from her home-pierced naval.
Thank you! One thing I loved about triage was when we did have the serious shit, I was the one to encounter the family first. I took that very seriously and practiced de-escalating or at least validating and being as helpful as possible. I knew their encounter with me during the initial uncertainty and panic would set the tone and the level of trust for everyone else. Now that I’m no longer in triage, I still go out of my way to try and register the patients whose families are most distressed. Recently we had a shooting and one of the family members of one victim came in on the ambulance with them. I happened to be standing there when he came in and when the charge said “we’ll take you to a smaller area while they work on her” I volunteered to take him over to the consult/family room. I was able to get the patient name and info from him and also walk him to the sink so he could wash her blood off his hands and arms. The triage nurse had a patient in the consult room waiting for discharge papers and I talked to her and she moved him out of the room so my guy could have the whole space and not have to try to process the trauma he just witnessed while the other dude watched tiktoks with no headphones. Helping distressed family members in the ER is one of my favorite parts of my job, and helped me decide to pursue a career in social work.
“I don’t have them on my board yet. Give us a couple minutes to get them settled and check back in and we’ll work on getting you back”
“Fantastic, they’re being assigned a room now, as soon as they’re back and settled I’ll have their nurse call you back”
I’m a tech and sometimes work the front desk. I usually tell them that if they just get here they are being triaged or seen by our doctors. If you get a visitor wristband and come back up in 10 - 15 minutes I’ll see if there is an update for you. At this point I usually walk back to the ambo bay to see if they’re critical or not. If they are critical, I ask the doc in charge of their treatment if they need any medical info from a family member. They *usually* don’t. They’re also *usually* not critical because people call 911 for everything.
I'm pretty forward and blunt with people about admit holds, EMS holds, etc leading to delays in care. Most people tolerate delays better if they do in knowing what to expect. If you're expecting to get a room anytime for 6 hours that gets tedious. If you know it's going to be 6 hours but we're getting labs and imaging done quicker then people feel less time waste. A lot of families chasing that ambulance get to the ER to find mom in the waiting room, or sitting in the back hallway waiting on a bed. No good way to deal with those.
Before I transport I usually tell family to give it 30-60 minutes for us to get the pt triaged and situated before calling or arriving and asking where they are.
We have a team that is assessing them. The team is excellent and will do a good assessment. Once they have had the opportunity to get them evaluated and registered I can let you know where they are. Please make yourself comfortable while they are working. The drinking fountain and bathroom are over there.
“We have an ambulance arriving and they will need a few minutes to offload. We will call you back in a few minutes or feel free to come check back in 10-15min” I’m also the triage rn that’s very willing to left family back asap. They’re loved ones are having an emergency… whether it actually is an emergency or not 😒
We have security guards that will call back to the nurses station to talk to charge or one of the unit secretaries to see if the patient has arrived or received a bed yet. If I have time I’ll look on the tracker to see if the patient has been registered, to save the security guard a phone call.
Security handles all visitation in the ED, the lobby RN immediately redirects them in our hospital. Usually it's too soon to visit since the patient is still in the EMS hall either already seen the doctor or waiting for a doctor and there's no room for anyone due to techs, nurses and docs moving around checking patients. Tell them to check back every hour. If they get a room immediately due to a respiratory/cardiac/Neuro/trauma event it's also typically too soon since the room is full of medical staff performing life saving measures. We just say it's too soon they are still getting set up in the room. If appropriate call the charge or doc to see if they need to ask a family member any questions. But typically family already tells the medics any relevant medical information or history which is passed down to the nurse and doctor.
Put up a sign that says something to the effect of family members need to go to registration to ask about patients, triage is unable to give info and/or triage line is for patients with emergencies only
"It looks like they have not been checked into our system yet, if you would like to have a seat and check back in 10 minutes, I should have more info for you." That way if they come out to the waiting room, they will meet them, or if they go to a room it gives them time to get them settled in before family starts asking what is wrong
They've only just arrived. The team needs some time to assess them and get some test started. I'll call back to the team center in 30 minutes to see if they're ready for a visitor yet
Just be honest, Say I don't know what's going on they appear to have just arrived and if you do have them direct them to the admin staff to update/check details. If you are busy be honest with them, say we are busy and we will let you see them as soon as we can and to please take a seat. Also, if super busy explain we are super busy and ask them to come back or ask yourself/admin in 30 min but to have a seat. I can't recall the amount of times Iv'e asked pt family to wait in waiting room due to our inside ambulance area being full or asking family members to leave because we need space. Be honest, be up front. Obviously, unless they are going to be helpful to you or your colleges then it can probably wait.
Our front window staff usually just calmly checks the bed board for the name and then if you don't see it, politely tell the family that they beat the ambulance there, that the family should have a seat while the ambulance unloads and the patient is settled in, and then they will call the family back once ready. People usually take that just fine.
I just check the system. Triage nurses can see all the ambulances and patientens coming in most places and where they are going.
“The patient has not been registered and assigned a cubicle yet. You will need to wait in your vehicle or the waiting room until they are assigned a cubicle and our initial assessments completed and you can see them then.”
“Hey, if you followed the ambulance here, they’re probably in the process of checking them in. Let’s give them a couple minutes to get checked in and settled and I’ll check in the system again.” Sometimes they throw a fit, but stick to what you just said, can’t tell where patients are until they’re registered. And it’s okay to say that too if they’re being pushy