Abuse Towards Nurses...

[Headhurt]

Is it just me, or are patients getting worse?? In light of the whole change of focus being on customer service rather than the healing arts, I feel like it has gone to the heads of a lot of people.

For example, we had one patient who was a blatant racist...constant verbal abuse of nurses who were not white. He complains to the patient advocate about getting blood on his tattered shirt (when he refused to take it off even though he had a draining wound), and the hospital gives him money to buy a new shirt.

We had another patient who verbally attacked the nurses, and he was rewarded with a fruit basket courtesy of our hospital.

I've seen nurses verbally attacked and been threatened physical harm, and I have heard of nurses who are physically attacked by patients as well.

I've always felt that nurses should have some sort of protection, or legal recourse when they are abused. If this patient were out of the hospital and did this, they would not get rewarded with a fruit basket, to say the least. However, whenever I talk to my coworkers about it, their basic attitude is that it comes with the job, and there is nothing that can be done as patients satisfaction comes first.

I totally disagree. I can understand and accept a certain amount of crabbiness from patients as they are sick and do not particularly want to be in a hospital. However, I will not stand there and tolerate a patient threatening me nor my coworkers just because he happens to be gunning for A-hole of the Year Award.

So, I guess my questions to you are: what sort of policies does you facility have to protect nurses from abuse? If a patient (fully within his/her mental capacity) strikes a nurse, do the police become involved? Is the patient still accountable for their actions while they are in a hospital? I guess I am tired of seeing hospitals reward patients for bad behavior, while leaving their nurses out in the cold. No wonder nurses are leaving the profession in droves.

I'm just interested in everyone's opinions, and maybe any experiences they've had...

[RN Rotten Nurse]

To Ainz:

We're not actually talking about customer service here.......We're talking about nurses getting abused(physically and verbally) and what we can do to protect ourselves against. Another case of administration not listening to 'the problem'........

[barefootlady, ADN, RN]

Ainz, sure am glad you banned that family member for abusing your staff. Must have been the first time you took such action in probably a thousand of incidents reported to you. Were they, patients family, threatening you? I will bet it was more than the average "abuse" we staff/floor nurses take almost everyday to make YOU take action.

Like the others posters have pointed out, this is not a customer satisfaction issues, it is a NURSING ABUSE issue. I do want to thank you for the lesson in economics, I will remember to smile the next time a patient or a family member attempts to abuse me, I will remember that the only important factor is the patient getting what they want, never mind doctor's orders or good, rational nursing care.

Sure am glad you are not my HN. It's plain to see where your loyality and support starts and ends.

[nyapa, RN]

We nurses support each other. Our hospital has a policy of not allowing violence in the workplace, but all it seems to have done is create more paperwork, ie extra incident forms as well as recording in the notes. The security officers do not have the legal right here to touch some one who is behaving inappropriately, visitor or patient...it could be construed as assault, though there is no doubt they are there to help us to the best of their ability - they are great.

I do not agree with Ainz's comments...try dealing with insulting, sexually degrading remarks as well as physical assault from ppl you are caring for, when they are orientated. And as for seeking legal recourse...that costs a bomb. Could call that being trapped between a rock and a hard place...

[Hellllllo Nurse, BSN, RN]

Originally posted by Headhurt

You can have the nicest, newest, fanciest hospital in the world, but if the nurses are allowed to be treated like dogs, than no one is going to want to work there, and I don't care if they pay $50 an hour to start. No amount of money in the world can pay for my dignity and self-worth.

Truer words were never spoken.

And...there IS a Nurse's Bill of Rights.

It's been out for a few years. I think the ANA put it out. It's just that no one gives a crap about it.

[LauraLou]

Originally posted by ainz

The attitude of the poor down-trodden, unappreciated, unrecognized, oppressed nursing staff is tired and old. Stand up and realize the power you have and use it.

I am still a student, so perhaps I am missing something, but what power is she talking about?

[Hellllllo Nurse, BSN, RN]

Nurses' Bill of Rights

1. Nurses have the right to practice in a manner that fulfills their

obligations to society and to those who receive nursing care.

2. Nurses have the right to practice in environments that allow them to act

in accordance with professional standards and legally authorized scopes of

practice.

3. Nurses have the right to a work environment that supports and

facilitates ethical practice, in accordancee with the Code of Ethics for

Nurses and its interpretive statements.

4. Nurses have the right to freely and openly advocate for themselves and

their patients, without fear of retribution.

5. Nurses have the right to fair compensation for their work, consistent

with their knowledge, experience, and professional responsibilities.

6. Nurses have the right to a work environment that is safe for themselves

and their patients.

7. Nurses have the right to negotiate the conditions of their employment,

either as individuals or collectively, in all practice settings.

~Adopted by the ANA Board of Directors: June 26, 2001~

Disclaimer: that this is an ANA consensus but "does not necessarily reflect the rights embodied in state and federal law".

A few they forgot:

8. Nurses have the right not to be abused in any form by physicians, pharmacists, administrators, nursing directors or patients. Any abuse that occurs should be delt with in a professional and impartial manner by the nurse's employer.

9. Nurses have the right not to be exploited and abused by being floated to areas of practice that they are not familiar with.

10. Nurses have the right to refuse any assignment that they feel is unsafe. Such as when a nurse is assigned a patient load he/she feels is unsafe. A nurse is assigned to work in an area of nursing in which he/she is not familiar. A nurse knows that equipment/supplies are inadequate or not available.

~As posed by Christina, webmaster of "The Nurse's Lounge"~

Copy and paste from http://www.nursingpower.net

[barefootlady, ADN, RN]

Hello Nurse;

You rock in a big way. Thanks for the support and for posting our Bill of Rights. I agree, if more institutions cared about the nursing staff this would be posted on each unit.

Have a great day!

[Agnus]

Has this happened to you? If so did you file charges? If not, why not?

You are by law entitled to file against your employer and the individual. The employer is obligated to have in place a certain level of safty to protect you. They can't prevent everything. However, if you were asaulted and you received no support from the employer you should seek legal counsel and redress. Just because someone is a patients does not make them immune to the laws concerning asault. You can bring criminal and or civil charges against them. They do not have the right to attack you just because they are a patient.

Under FEDERAL law you have a right to not be discriminated against in the work place this includes discrimination, hate and violence directed by patients.

Where do you work that this to tollerated??!!

Check patient rights laws they do not include a right to asault another.

Your facility is rewarding these people because they are scared of a law suite by these people. They do not reward the nurses because the nurses accept being a punching bag. You can change that.

For those of you who expressed fear of loosing your job or a bad review, where the heck is your common senses and self respect??!! Do you really believe this is the last job on earth? You would rather submit to this than risk loosing a job where you are asaulted with no recourse?

Your life won't end if you are fired or get a bad review. It just might end someday if you are asaulted.

ANIZ:

We are well aware that the patient's third party payor ultimately is your and our souce of income. We are well aware which side our bread is buttered on. That is not the issue.

The issue is that too many shortsighted administrations will allow patients, physicians and other precieved sources of income to do as they please and abuse staff in the name of keeping the customer satisfied. DO you really think this satisfies the customer? If they committed this behavior on the street they would be in jail or worse.

When the term customer sevice is used too often this IS what it translates to in health care. Simply because administrators do not have a clue themselves how to run a businesss.

I am a business owner. Believe me if a customer or anyone behaved this way toward my employees they would be facing criminal and civial charges both. I really do not care how much $$$ they bring my business nor how many of thier friends come to my business, nor how much negative advertising they can spread. They can shut me down before I will tollerate such non sense.

Most health care facilities would never make the above statement. Would yours? Would yours risk being put out of business all together??

This whole issue centers around MORAL COURAGE. Moral courage of the nurses to stand up to administration, and moral courage of administration to stand up to physicians, patients, family and visitors and other preceived sources of $$$$.

Oh we hit the nail on the head here didn't we $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$??

Before nurses criticize administration remember you have to risk your $$$$ too and stand up. If you take it don't expect anyone to help you out.

On the other hand you as well as the facility must be willing to risk everything to do the right thing. In most cases you will not loose $$$$$ by doing the right thing and neither will they. In all likely hood more $$$ is really being lost by not doing anything.

[fiestynurse]

Here's a great article on Violence in the Healthcare setting:

http://www.hhh.umn.edu/centers/wpp/mcgovern.pdf

[HomeNurse4kids, LPN]

Originally posted by fiestynurse

Here's a great article on Violence in the Healthcare setting:

http://www.hhh.umn.edu/centers/wpp/mcgovern.pdf

Although very lengthy (24 page pdf), was worth the read.

It is a terrible shame what some health care providers endure on a regular basis. Even when they DO call it to the attention of supervisors, the supervisors themselves can also be abusive (Mentally).

If we become abused or injured by patients (whether intentionally or not) and management could have done something to prevent it......we have noone to protect us but ourselves.

It is unfortunate that they don't teach a class on self-preservation in nursing school.

[sbic56, BSN, RN]

That was a very sad story. What makes it even worse is, it sounds like those three women worked there and put up with it partly because they were getting paid better there than they could make elsewhere, as they certainly ended up in lesser positions. I can't imagine putting up with that level of crap, though. I would have walked the first time that patient assaulted me, especially after nothing was done by administration to rectify the problem. Just goes to show we have to take care of ourselves, because no one else is going to for sure!

Like sjoe says...

We will get exactly as much crap as we take.