Nurse abuse: managment just doesn't get it!!

[iluvivt]

I just read the article about the ER MD that was attacked by a patient. I am sorry to say it did not surprise me. Over the last few years hospitals have emphasized the patient as a customer, including the sickening mantra...the customer is always right. I have seen many nurses afraid to set limits with abusive patients for fear of retribution. Many nurses that have set limits and do expect civil and appropriate behavior from patients and families and patient's visitors have been admonished by their supervisors at the slightest often bogus complaint of the patient and their associates. It frankly sickens me to see my co-workers being treated this way. Are others seeing this trend....cuz I think we should not have to take this crap anymore!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[rn-on-the-move]

For a time during my career I floated and one day I got assigned to a med/surg unit and a pt that was a "frequent flyer" This patient was homeless and refusing discharge placement in a shelter. And while gettiing report I was told by the other RN - we've been having issues with him verbally/physcially abusing staff. Excuse me what - this pt had been in the hospial over a month. No 1:1 security sit. What was management doing about it. I was told "yeah they're not doing anything" So I go in pleasant as can be to do my assessment and lucky me he ways in rare form. So after leaving the room I called the ADN (unit manager was gone for the day) and security. When both arrived on the unit - I stated what happened. Told them I had no problem caring for the pt but anythime he rang his bell I'd call security as I did not feel safe enetering his private room alone. Security was all for it the ADN was fine with that. So security and I walked back in to the room and I explained to the pt since his behavior was distressing and intimidating that from now on whenever he rang his bell I'd call security and I'd be in as soon as they showed up to escort me. So sorry sir there might be a delay in your tx because of that. Oh and that includes whenever you need your pain medication. And OMG was he just nice as can be after that.

A month these nurse put up with this guy because their unit manager didn't handle it appropriately. You can be sure the ADN had a nice lil chat with her about it.

[mama_d, BSN, RN]

It angers me that when a doc gets assaulted, it makes the news, but we get assaulted/threatened frequently and noone cares. We had a patient's family recently threaten to come up and kill staff...still allowed to visit. It took them getting into a physical altercation with another patient's family before they would do anything.

[StNeotser, ASN, RN]

Wow. I sense a lot of negativity in these posts toward your hospital administrators. First of all all kinds of people come into the ED with all kinds of issues. Was the patient drug seeking, was the patient coming down from drugs, was the patient having psyc issues. Working in the ED can be dangerous due to these issues and a mulitude of others. You can not always control what will happen. In our facility we have procedures to help with these kinds of situtations such as calling the police, calling the team (we call it a code brown - show of force or code black-show of weapons ) you try to defuse the situation. Never are staff expected to put themselves in danger because the "patient is always right" . When you say you shouldn't have to "take this crap anymore " what is your solution ?

In many facilities staff are "encouraged" not to call the police. The sort of You may lose your job if you call the police "encouragement" Hence the negativity you're sensing. Heck, there's even a few posts in this thread that explain this, so why am I explaining it further.

I'm sure most people working in Emergency departments are well aware of the risks they face.

I'm glad that you work in a good facility.

[Spidey's mom, ADN, BSN, RN]

In our facility we have procedures to help with these kinds of situtations such as calling the police, calling the team (we call it a code brown - show of force

Code Brown has always been a mess with feces where I've worked.

A local Catholic Hospital recently ruled that employees may not talk about politics, religion or personal matters with each other at work because a patient complained about overhearing such a conversation.

And this hospital has hourly overhead prayers.

steph

[iluvivt, BSN, RN]

What a great discussion!!!!. I was watching one of those prison shows the other day and when an inmate throws urine of feces or any other tasty things....it is considered assault and battery. If an alert and oriented patient hits us,spits on us or throws anything at us we should be able to file assault and battery charges on them. So what if they are sick...if they are lucid I say they be held accountable. Has any one ever done this with a patient or visitor?

[MzMouse]

I actually have to give my place of work kudos when it comes to dealing with violence towards its employees. As an outpatient clinic we don't run into it a lot, but it does happen. One of my coworkers was backed into a corner and intimidated by an irate patient. Luckily she and another staff member talked him down before it escalated and he left without incident. He was discharged as a patient and is no longer welcome at our clinic.

The CEO reportedly when ballistic when he heard a nurse was threatened. He stated we must have zero tolerance for this behavior.

[miko014]

This patient was homeless and refusing discharge placement in a shelter.

Isn't it amazing that they can refuse to be discharged??? Talk about ridiculous. We recently had a pt who was supposed to go home but refused to leave for 3 days - and they just let her stay! She was a real piece of work, too. She would use her call bell and if it wasn't answered within about 30 seconds she would scream out into the hallway "nurse, nurse! hello, I need my nurse!" and if that didn't get her what she wanted, she would go, "charge nurse! get me the charge nurse!" And she would do this about every 10 minutes. And know what she wanted? Graham cracker (even though she was so nauseated that she needed frequent doses of phenergan), cheese, tissues, chapstick, her table moved to the other side of the bed, etc. Talk about crying wolf. Her nurse told her not to yell out but she wouldn't stop. And they just let her keep doing it! Lucky I wasn't her nurse or the charge nurse when she was there. Lucky for her, I mean. I didn't get involved because her nurse was "handling it", but I would have had security up there super fast! It was ridiculuos. She was acting like a child (and she was no child!!)

[MrsMommaRN]

this all goes back to someone who needs to sell their product (press gainey) and talking the higher ups into believeing they need to make their employees fall in line. making the health care industry a customer centered industry instead of making employees enjoy their working environment they have to worry about bowing to the patient that is the squeaky wheel that may not truly need you and not spending as much time with the patient that does.