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Web site spotlight: Prudence or wisdom? Can your policies pass muster?

Healthcare Training Weekly, October 23, 2009

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In 1751, Dr. Thomas Bond and Benjamin Franklin founded the first hospital of the 13 colonies. At that time, Philadelphia was the fastest growing city, boasting a population in 1730 of 11,500 that grew to 15,000 in 1750. The mission of Pennsylvania Hospital, as it was then known, was “to care for the sick, the poor, and the insane who were wandering the streets of Philadelphia.”

Patients were expected to follow strict rules and policies. They had to comply exactly with orders given by physicians and nurses. There was no talking allowed on the wards when the physicians were present. Patients could not be in the bed unless they were in bedclothes— no street clothes were allowed. There was to be no profane language, gambling, or spitting on the floors. And my personal favorite: If you were able, you were expected to help the nurse with her duties.

Imagine updating those policies to match standards of practice today?

Editors note: To read the rest of this article, visit "Prudence or wisdom? Can your policies pass muster?" found in the Reading Room at www.StrategiesForNurseManagers.com. Get a free trial membership that will give you 30 days to test drive all the exciting features on the Web site.

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