Beating my head against the wall

nrw350 · Jul 20, 2002

How long before they make it manditory that you nurses work in that envoirment, and just make you wear masks everywhere you go?

Nick

PS: This was meant as a joke to point out how stubborn the administrators seem to me.

Furball · Jul 20, 2002

What if I wanted my saint bernard to stay with me while in the hospital? He's my buddy and would be highly therapeutic. People who hate dogs or allergic to them would just have to deal with it, hair, slobber and all...:chuckle

Oh yeah...and it would be the nurse's responsibility to walk, brush and bath him. :rolleyes:

illya · Jul 27, 2002

nurse ratched, anything good happen lately?

teeituptom, BSN, RN · Jul 27, 2002

Howdy yall

from deep in the heart of texas

If yall are gonna beat your head against a wall, either pick a very soft wall or put a pillow up there so you dont get a bigger headache

deespoohbear · Jul 28, 2002

I absolutely will not take a pt out to smoke, period. I have asthma and allergies. I don't expose myself to cigarette smoke at any other time, so why should I at work? A few of the doctors I work with have this philosophy: If a pt is well enough to go out and smoke, they are well enough for discharge." I love those docs. When I hired into my present position 7 years ago, I told the manager then I would not take a pt out to smoke, nor would I float to our psych unit because the pts were allowed to smoke in a room back there. Haven't had any problems yet. My feeling is that if this pt can't take herself to the smoking area or has relatives/friends who can assist her then she will need to get by with a patch. That is the way the cookie crumbles sometimes.

Enabled · Jul 28, 2002

From what we were told by infection control was that the particulate mask the heavier ones are good for onlly 20 minutes tops. You would have to take a box with you as you know that given the opportunity that one is not going to be enough. If the patient needs that much assistance getting out of bed I would think and I am only assuming and I do know what that does she is already respieratorily compromised. I have found that someof the worst smokers are respiratory therapist. I know of several that I use to work with have died or now have advanced respiratory disease and now have chronic admissions. The patch, The patch. Most insurance companies are now paying for the patch. The only problem is that on discharge the patient has to be warned that if they do smoke with the patch on they are putting themself at rish for an MI as the studies have shown. I have seen too many people who never smoked fighting to take their next breath. Down with smoking. I am a former smoker of Tiparillos but 20 years ago and yes there are still times I would like to have one but it is too dangerous. I hate to admit I do like the smell of a good pipe, I only wish they could reproduce it so that someone doesn't have to light up..

night owl · Jul 28, 2002

What has medicine come to???? Respiratory isolation, but you can take her out of isolation so she can smoke as long as you take the necessary precautions and "clean up" afterwards. This doesn't even make sense to me. But I guess they know what they're talking about :confused: Does she wear a mask? Did infection control sit down and go over what exactly you have to do? And how do you clean up the room when she's finished? Use a can of lysol? Then you have to get the pt ready to go smoke...What would happen if another one of your pt's started to crash or code while you were out with her filling her already infected lungs with smoke? Fiasco! so much for necessary precautions! If you're in isolation, you're in isolation and it doesn't get any plainer than that. Risking the health of sick pts with lowered resistance to infection to me would be the first priority rather than her right to smoke...Then they wonder why nosocomial infections are the 4th leading cause of death in the USA of which 75% could have been prevented??? I wonder what "Jay-co" would say about this?:chair: :nono: If it were me, I wouldn't do it, no but's (pardon the pun) about it! Give her a patch, some gum and a straw to hold in her mouth...it's a start to quitting... :specs:

nrw350 · Jul 28, 2002

AMEN folks!!!!

Nick

teeituptom, BSN, RN · Jul 29, 2002

Howdy yall

from deep in the heart of texas

I remember a few decades ago in nursing school, an Instructor. Who taught us not to be judgemental but to assess and intervene appropiately

Pinkmegan · Oct 4, 2011

This issue is very close to my heart. I am in the UK. The facility that I work in has a dedicated 'smoking room' which, as you can imagine, is not a pleasant environment!

The majority of our clients can do nothing for themselves therefore facilitating smoking for them sometimes entails having to hold the cancer stick for them! I react badly to cigarette smoke, even in the street, it causes me dyspnoea and nausea. I refuse, point blank, to facilitate clients with smoking. I will, on occasion light one for people who have adapted smoking aids, but only when they are outside. As many others have mentioned we would no give a patient with diabetes sugar in their tea, we would not give a patient with high cholesterol a diet of bacon sandwiches so what is the difference!

Also I advise staff working on my shifts that they do not have to this if it makes them in any way uncomfortable.

If this violates human rights, so be it. Ash as been said before, 'with rights comes responsibilities'!

~Mi Vida Loca~RN, ASN, RN · Oct 4, 2011

Ughh.
Today MD writes an order ok'ing for a pt to smoke (we have facilities available.) Pt is on respiratory isolation. Infx control people say it's ok as long as we take appropriate precautions and keep other pt's out while she is there and clean the area afterward. Because of patient's physical condition (long story) it will take several staff members to ready her to smoke plus having to have one sit with her (in full isolation garb) plus cleaning out designated area afterward. I figured it would be a good 45 minutes invested in helping a patient smoke who is already extremely time consuming with her other medical needs.
I refused to assist pt in this. MD left for day. Passed it on to next shift who can do on their shift as they see fit.
Any thoughts?

That would never fly in our facility. Doc would have them sign out AMA before they made us go through all that.

xtxrn, ASN, RN · Oct 4, 2011

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