They were in bed together.

[Yaadie]

I'm currently completing my med surg clinicals and yesterday was my last day. While going in to check if my client needed anything, I walked in on him and his girlfriend(I'm assuming because I hadn't met her) having full blown intercourse. Once they noticed i was in the room they stopped but didn't move so I immediately left but I didn't report it. Will I get in trouble? We never went over any guidelines for such a situation. By the way, he was 63 with some dementia.

[Kooky Korky, BSN, RN]

I can't see how you would get in any trouble.

This did remind me of a patient of mine that was fully aware that he was on video feed for safety and even this didn't stop him...the monitor tech must of gotten an unexpected shock that shift as these are used to decrease patient falls...

If anyone was really even watching the monitor. My loved one was in a so-called monitored bed. The monitoring, best I could tell, was a "Hello" by speaker and we could see the person at the monitoring console at 0800. And that was it.

I know no one was monitoring my LO's thrashing and nearly falling out of bed for a good 1/2 hour until I just couldn't take it any more and called the NM's office myself, as LO's nurse was busy, some staff were at lunch. At least, if anyone was monitoring and did nothing, the assigned monitor should have been reprimanded, educated, etc.

[tyvin, BSN, RN]

Agree - this is post conference GOLD!

Also agree that the ethics of this are fascinating - how does informed consent work in a population with impaired cognition? We do talk about how a SNF is a patient's "home." I don't know about you, but I like to have sex in my home too!

SNFs are considered patient homes now...I though that was LTC, AFCHs, and AL. When I first started out I was a charge in a SNF (Blank on earth) and it wasn't their home. The patients that transferred to the SNF I worked in (exclusively SNF) were not ready to go home and still needing 24 hour nursing intervention but had overstayed their welcome at the hosptial ortho floor, whatever floor in the hospital so Voila; SNFs were born as opposed to having some beds in LTC deemed skilled beds (which they still do). Hips, hearts, psych patients they were trying to figure out where to put because med-surg wouldn't take them and the psych ward was filled, the whole gamut of post operative patients, wounds, anyone with anything where more teaching was in order, PT, OT, etc...; the whole ball of wax. Could you enlighten me about a SNF now becoming a patient's home. Is this like "While you are here; consider this your home...(give me a bag).

I have found people in all kinds of compromised positions (no pun intended). One of the places it's an absolute no, no is the inpatient psych wards. The law for a person to not have capacity is very high level of proof per state. I've seen full blown cat ladies with dementia change their wills at the end right before they pass and though challenged in court; it is still legal unless you can prove the person did not have capacity (very high benchmark).

As long as that man understood where he was, what he was doing, who he was doing it with, along with the consequenes of his actions...like the final outcome (come is not a pun) than he's legal; unless your facility has a policy in place that addresses this issue and basically says patients can't have sex in their rooms. If that is the case, patients need to be informed. Now there's another bunch of paper work and careplanning. Or: you could just slip it in (I can't help myself) the patient's rights and responsiblities.

There's also undue influence and insane delusion; did he appear in distress, or the women for that matter?

Later

[Kooky Korky, BSN, RN]

Since he had some dementia and you didn't actually know who the woman was, I would have reported it for safety reasons. When it comes to nursing I never assume, especially where safety is involved.

I've (unfortunately) found many patients in sexual situations. Some were completely appropriate, some were not. The inappropriate instances included a minor and her boyfriend, a drug seeker who was looking for "some Valium and a really good time", and a 30 year old masturbating cancer patient. The cancer patient wouldn't have been a problem, but he used to masturbate only when specific nursing students were doing clinical, and he used to try and lure them into his room.

I really can't imagine why anyone would want to have sex in a hospital.

Perhaps it helps people feel more normal, relieves sexual tension, helps keep the partner happy. Remember - you get to go home, the patient is still there.

[Kooky Korky, BSN, RN]

When I worked in the hospital, a colleague once walked in on an infant patient's parents (who were 16 years old, btw) having sex.

Great. Just what the world needs - another baby for this couple.

[Ruby Vee, BSN]

You are assuming this actually happened, and that the poster is real.

First and only post, no response to responding posts.....

Also, I would assume anybody smart enough to turn on a computer would have the intelligence to ask her supervising nurse or instructor, rather then The World Wide Web.

I'm assuming it's real. I've encountered it a few times. In the setting of dementia, though, I would wonder about consent. Was the woman his spouse or longtime partner or was she some other dementia patient who might also have consent issues? (I've seen both. I have also seen -- and this disgusts me to no end, but I've seen it with at least three different individuals in three different hospitals in two different states -- a male nurse having sex with the patient or a family member. I also walked in on a 30 year old female nurse making out with her 17 year old patient.

I think it's a perfect topic of conversation for a post-conference or class discussion. There are plenty of ethical dilemmas all wrapped up in one neat little post.

[Avid reader]

He would have forgotten about it by now so don't be bringing anything up:whistling:

[canadawali]

Very Shocking!! Who was giving the BJs? I hope it was not any hospital staff..

[Been there,done that, ASN, RN]

Privacy is a mandated requirement . Why did you just walk in?

[Penelope_Pitstop, BSN, RN]

When I worked in the hospital, a colleague once walked in on an infant patient's parents (who were 16 years old, btw) having sex.

My best friend revealed to me, after a lot of wine, that she and her husband got busy at their daughter's hospital bedside when she was an infant years earlier.

*Barf*

[Ruby Vee, BSN]

Maybe because, in the absence of permission, the OP feared the patient was unable to grant it. Perhaps it's my long history of cardiac nursing, but I would have gone in to make sure my patient wasn't seizing or unconscious or compromised in some other fashion.