what would you do in this situation

1. 0 Question for nurses. Let's say you are a med surge nurse walking down the hallway of your hospital and around the corner is the ED entrance. A man, who is not a patient, walking in front of you suddenly grabs his chest and collapses to the ground. He is short of breath and states he has chest pain. What do you do? Would you do anything different if he were a current patient?

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2. 22 Comments

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3. 
   #1 0

   Nov 19, '13 by d00d00butter

   Edit: would there be a difference in what a LPN or RN should do in this situation?
4. 
   #2 12

   Nov 19, '13 by K+MgSO4

   Pull my camera phone out, film it and put it on the internet.
   
   For goodness sake!
5. 
   #3 5

   Nov 19, '13 by NurseOnAMotorcycle

   Is this for real?
   
   Regardless of who you are (nurse, doctor, environmental, transport, etc) you get his @$$ to the E.R. or call for help if you can't.
6. 
   #4 0

   Nov 19, '13 by Racer15

   I work in the ED. I'd be on the phone with my charge nurse to let her know I was bringing in a chest pain pt. I would hope our med-surg nurses would do the same.
7. 
   #5 0

   Nov 19, '13 by d00d00butter

   Also like to add to the scenario that the person collapsed on the floor and can't move
8. 
   #6 1

   Nov 19, '13 by Racer15

   Call a MET team then and they can help transport.
9. 
   #7 3

   Nov 19, '13 by Esme12, ASN, BSN, RN Senior Moderator

   Quote from d00d00butter

   Question for nurses. Let's say you are a med surge nurse walking down the hallway of your hospital and around the corner is the ED entrance. A man, who is not a patient, walking in front of you suddenly grabs his chest and collapses to the ground. He is short of breath and states he has chest pain. What do you do? Would you do anything different if he were a current patient?

   You follow your companies policy for visitor down. What ever that is. Don't leave the patient unless you have no choice to call for help.
   
   You call for help!!! and initiate BLS/CPR if they are pulseless. All hospital workers are educated in CPR. Tell anyone you see to go around the corner and get the ED for help! ask the same basic questions you would ask anyone else....what is your name? how old are you? what medical history do you have? what meds are they on....do they have allergies? Where is the pain and does if radiate? By that time help is there.
   
   Why do you ask?
10. 
    #8 4

    Nov 19, '13 by emtb2rn

    Based on other posts this might've been an interview question.
11. 
    #9 2

    Nov 19, '13 by morte

    I was thinking home work.....but interview would do...

    Quote from emtb2rn

    Based on other posts this might've been an interview question.
12. 
    #10 13

    Nov 19, '13 by Anna Flaxis, ASN

    To the OP,
    
    You know, I love to teach, but I dislike enabling the lack of effort to think it through or to find resources to assist with finding out for yourself (asking on an internet forum does not count as using a resource).
    
    So, the question is, what would YOU do? Tell me what you would do yourself first, which demonstrates that you have thought it through, and then I will let you know if you're on the right track.
13. 
    #11 2

    Nov 19, '13 by classicdame

    In Texas the "duty to a patient" begins with the encounter. So you call a code if they are in the building and do what your policy states if they are in the parking lot.
14. 
    #12 9

    Nov 20, '13 by Guttercat

    Quote from d00d00butter

    A man, who is not a patient, walking in front of you suddenly grabs his chest and collapses to the ground. What do you do?

    Try to rip the football out of his arms and make a run for the other endzone.
    
    
    
    (It's football season, and apparently I've been watching a lot of games lately....)

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