[nursebedlam]

Thursday, July 8, 2004.

Bashed nurse looking forward to work
A nurse who has spent four months recovering in hospital after being bashed by a patient in March, expects to discharged tomorrow.

Debbie Freeman, 43, was bashed at the Swan District Hospital four months ago and spent several days in a coma at Royal Perth Hospital after a patient allegedly repeatedly stomped on her head.

She has only recently regained the ability to speak and to walk independently.

The attack prompted calls for urgent security upgrades to protect staff.

Ms Freeman says she has no memory of the attack but is looking forward to returning to work.

"I get scared, I've never been a scared girl at all, for some unknown reason I get scared," she said.

"I've got no memory of what happened to me, I don't know why it happens, but I want to start teaching at university again. I was doing psychiatric nursing."

http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems...7/s1149129.htm

[mattsmom81]

How awful. I hope the patient was prosecuted ...but he probably got by with it due to his psychiatric dx.

Hope this nurse has a full recovery and can return to the work she loves.

[purplemania]

I am so sorry for her. This may not be a popular opinion, but I do not think having a mental illness means you should not be prosecuted for crimes. I realize it depends on the patient and the situation, but some people are MEAN, crazy or not.

[RN4NICU]

Originally Posted by purplemania

I am so sorry for her. This may not be a popular opinion, but I do not think having a mental illness means you should not be prosecuted for crimes. I realize it depends on the patient and the situation, but some people are MEAN, crazy or not.

I totally agree. The "I just went crazy" defense is way overused - because it works.

[Surgical Hrt RN]

This is CRIMINAL!!!!!! I can't believe it! Every hospital administrator in the country needs to read this! Maybe then, and only MAYBE will units become locked down! I know this was a patient that did this, but visitors can be just as bad!

[gwenith]

Having followed this story from the start I am so so glad that she has recovered. There has been more than one investigation over this.

[zenman]

I was attacked violently by a psychotic patient bigger than me once on a psych ICU. Fortunately, I am a martial artist and he lost. When he hit the floor a tech and I jumped on him and he gave up immediately. Thank goodness, his xrays showed no damage and nothing happened to me for protecting myself in a "non-hospital approved manner!" Funny thing, as psychotic as he was, he was very respectfull to me after that!

Another tech (and nursing student) had to have surgery for a neck injury from a patient and had to switch careers from nursing to medical records.

Another nurse I worked with had to have back surgery from a patient injury.

Then there were the usual bites, scratches, kicks etc.. It's a war zone out there!

[Farkinott]

Originally Posted by zenman

I was attacked violently by a psychotic patient bigger than me once on a psych ICU. Fortunately, I am a martial artist and he lost. When he hit the floor a tech and I jumped on him and he gave up immediately. Thank goodness, his xrays showed no damage and nothing happened to me for protecting myself in a "non-hospital approved manner!" Funny thing, as psychotic as he was, he was very respectfull to me after that!

Another tech (and nursing student) had to have surgery for a neck injury from a patient and had to switch careers from nursing to medical records.

Another nurse I worked with had to have back surgery from a patient injury.

Then there were the usual bites, scratches, kicks etc.. It's a war zone out there!

The organisation I work for used to have a 2 day program to teach how to respond to an assault by a patient/client. The philosophy was to teach avoidance and minimal physical response tactics. A new course has been developed that teaches more forceful retaliatory skills as the "culture" of the organisation, and fear of litigation has changed. The organisation now sees fit to prepare nurses and other health care providers with skills to fight back when attacked. I remember taking part in the old course where the scenario is if a client was biting your leg. The appropriate response taught was to pull the attacking person's hair and strongly say "no". I can guarantee if anything like that happened to me I would be stomping on their head with my workboots and trying to find any implement to smash their head in!