legal ramifications?

Nurses Safety

Published

scenario: patient in a room in a hospital 2 days with a bedside commode with someone else's urine in it. asked several times for it to be removed instead was just moved around the room "out of the way" and come back in a minute...2 days later the patient put the urine filled bedside commode out in the hallway, where it was still sitting when the patient was discharged. nurse thought the tech did it the tech thought the nurse did it...no one took ownership...

Specializes in Critical Care, ED, Cath lab, CTPAC,Trauma.
I work ortho, they usually are either bedrest first day or stand and pivot to BSC (hence the need for the BSC). can't see them moving it LOL. usually PT helps them to BSC the first time so I hope they would dump or notify.

It still would not takre me two days to get annoyed enough to move it my self. If I were not capable of moving it myself I know my fingers can do the walking in a phone call to the CEO

or just another trying to stir ppl up, since the OP has never commented again?

That was my other thought.

You clean it yourself first and ask questions later, it's your patient, you are their advocate and you make sure that room is clean. People that replied that they would dump it on the floor: really????

Specializes in Gerontology.
You clean it yourself first and ask questions later, it's your patient, you are their advocate and you make sure that room is clean. People that replied that they would dump it on the floor: really????

No one said dump it one the floor. Several people said that if they were the pt they would move the commode out of the room

Specializes in Pediatrics, Emergency, Trauma.

No one said dump it one the floor. Several people said that if they were the pt they would move the commode out of the room

A poster DID say the would "dump it in the floor and call the CNO"...

Specializes in PICU, NICU, L&D, Public Health, Hospice.

I said I would dump it on the floor and call the cno. It will quickly get cleaned if it is on the floor.

Specializes in Med/Surg, Academics.

Every time I enter a room, I do a little clean up. Warning, rant ahead.

I'm getting sick and freaking tired of not only managing my work, but also that which is clearly within the job description of the nursing assistants. Noon vitals? Tracking down the NAs because they can't seem to enter them while in the room. Blood sugars? Reminding them to dock the glucometers. Feeding 1:1s? I don't know how many times I've finished noon meds, rounded, and I've fed 1:1s with one hand while charting with the other. Then rounding again to find that lunch trays have been moved from the side tables, but not out of the room! So, that means I have to enter the I/Os before taking it out. Sometimes commodes and hats have been emptied, but there is urine and feces on the seats or hats, and I clean with a bleach wipe. I'm SICK of it.

End rant.

+ Add a Comment