ridiculing and grooming (and nailpolish)

Nurses General Nursing

Published

this is about patient's beard that he has had a long time.

female staff verbalizes that she wants to shave his beard off, he says no.

she says this several times, then tries to ridicule him.

It can't be for hygiene reasons because she wears bright red fingernail polish (against any guidelines that I've ever seen); she didn't wash her hands before dumping his pills into her palm then picked them up with her fingers to put them into his mouth.

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Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.

what is your interest in all of this?

why did the staff member want to shave the patient's beard? there are sometimes legitimate reasons for doing so. was this one of those times?

what do you mean by "she tried to ridicule him?"

are you venting? asking a question about hygiene? looking for ammunition to get someone into trouble?

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It is the beard of the gentleman and to shave it off would require his permission, which he has not given.

My interests are in protection of the patient.

The ridiculing are the staff's remarks about who she thinks that he looks like (uncalled for). (would a younger male be ridiculed in the same manner?)

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If the patient said no then the answer is no. If it is for a medical reason she should explain that, but if he still declines that is his choice. Making fun of a patient isn't nice regardless of their age.

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there are no medical reasons for removing his beard

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Specializes in critical care.
there are no medical reasons for removing his beard

Sorry to disagree....but there are. NPPV masks do not fit snuggly enuff on pts with full beards. I have shaved off a beard because of that reason, and no I did not ask permission. I told the pt that this was what had to be done in order to deter his potential intubation. Sometimes shaving is necessary. If they want to be a full code.

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there are no medical reasons for removing his beard

Sorry to disagree....but there are. NPPV masks do not fit snuggly enuff on pts with full beards. I have shaved off a beard because of that reason, and no I did not ask permission. I told the pt that this was what had to be done in order to deter his potential intubation. Sometimes shaving is necessary. If they want to be a full code.

This will be the first time I agree with one of Ginger's posts, but I think what she's saying here is that for THIS pt, there is no medical reason to remove his beard. If a beard is shaved off of every male pt because of potential intubation then that would be assault.

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Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.
it is the beard of the gentleman and to shave it off would require his permission, which he has not given.

my interests are in protection of the patient.

the ridiculing are the staff's remarks about who she thinks that he looks like (uncalled for). (would a younger male be ridiculed in the same manner?)

i don't know. how old was the patient? your original post didn't mention age as a factor.

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Unless there is a medically good reason for shaving, he can keep the beard, and the other nurse was wrong. He gets a choice.

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Specializes in LTC, Nursing Management, WCC.
This will be the first time I agree with one of Ginger's posts, but I think what she's saying here is that for THIS pt, there is no medical reason to remove his beard. If a beard is shaved off of every male pt because of potential intubation then that would be assault.

If the nurse is threatening to shave it off it is assault. If she actually does it then it is battery.

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