Okay - I have this patient....a male, young, 23yrs. He has a private room. There's a young woman there with him. I assumed its his wife/girlfriend by the way they're acting towards each other....calling each other 'honey'. So around 2am, Im making my rounds, go into the room and the patient and this girl is in bed with each other spooning...sleeping.

Whoa! Im like.....UH...huh?? She wakes up...gets out of bed. Patient looks fine...I leave. Im at the nurse's station. The girl stops by and leaves me a note with her phone number in case I need to get a hold of her if something comes up. She leaves the floor. The note says she's his sister. I dont know what to say???? This is waaay to freaky for me!!!

hmmm...

I'm thinking the note said sister to make it less awkward for staff to call her...versus "just" a girlfriend...My issue is why didn't you just bring up the fact that A)ok, 1 person to a bed...B)if you don't want to do that, we'll be happy to set you up on a couch in the patient lounge.....

if she is not listed on chart as NOK don't call no matter how close they seem

patient has a option when he is admitted to determine whom to call with private information

i know this is not what you meant in op but these days you have to be extra careful

That would freak me out too..............

What is NOK?

Next of kin

I'm taking a wild guess that she's saying she's his sister because she's afraid that otherwise no one will contact her if something happens.

When my Mickey had a heart attack I said I was his daughter and my mom claimed to be his wife even though he's my mom's boyfriend of nearly 20 years that practically raised me, because we were too afraid we'd be left out of the loop in decision making if anything happened. Instead they would go to his crazy family.

I actually know of someone that has an "odd" relationship like that with his sister. It has always creeped me out.

...and it always made me "wonder".

I'm taking a wild guess that she's saying she's his sister because she's afraid that otherwise no one will contact her if something happens.

When my Mickey had a heart attack I said I was his daughter and my mom claimed to be his wife even though he's my mom's boyfriend of nearly 20 years that practically raised me, because we were too afraid we'd be left out of the loop in decision making if anything happened. Instead they would go to his crazy family.

That I could understand, but the thing is AFTER being caught in bed together I think the jig would be up?? I would never lie about something like that anyways, but ESPECIALLY not after being caught in such a compromising position.

Maybe she meant it as a joke??

I don't see the big deal. I would have offered her a cot (in the same room) but if they want to squeeze into one bed who cares? Might have made him feel better. Obviously she was not his sister :wink2:

think Angelina Jolie

I don't see the big deal. I would have offered her a cot (in the same room) but if they want to squeeze into one bed who cares? Might have made him feel better. Obviously she was not his sister :wink2:

I agree, whats the big deal? Unless he was extremely sick who cares if shes in the bed with him? My DH was admitted with susp diverticulitis and he was feeling just fine and I laid in the bed with him for a while. The beds are usually made to fit large people and both me and my DH are fairly small. Also, yeah she wasnt his sister and she knows she has to say she is to be kept in the loop. Doesn't seem to be a big deal to me at all.