Quick question on patients having to share a room?

kastas, BSN, RN · Feb 1, 2004

Oh yeck! I thought sharing rooms on the OB floor was ancient history. I was just thinking of the sleep factor...your baby sleeps and hers doesn't. But, the bathroom factor is way worse. They can leave the place looking pretty bad.

SmilingBluEyes · Feb 1, 2004

Originally posted by kastas
Oh yeck! I thought sharing rooms on the OB floor was ancient history. I was just thinking of the sleep factor...your baby sleeps and hers doesn't. But, the bathroom factor is way worse. They can leave the place looking pretty bad.

In military hospitals, sharing rooms is not only an option, it's the only thing we get. All pp rooms are semi-private with no plans to change that. It sucks. I feel for ya. It sucks for nurses and patients, alike. Our visitations guidelines in the military hospitals are MUCH stricter than the one"downtown". Visitors are limited to immediate family and friends AND NO KIDS UNDER 14 except direct siblings--- and hours are enforced, strictly no one visiting except the father, after 8 p.m.....expect some complaints and resistance there. But it's only fair for everyone.

Now where I work, WE do LDRP and there will be no room-sharing, there is not enough room in these rooms, even if we tried. I feel for your patients, it really does suck. NO sage words of wisdom except you will have to develop and enforce more strict guidelines regarding visitors. It' s not fair to have a roomie's excessive visitation and/or noise that goes with it, interrupt the other's rest and recovery.

Good luck. You are on a tough road. I foresee a lot of problems regarding visitation and yes, bathrooms do get nasty. They will just have to deal with it the way we military wives do. I hated pulling my roommate's hat out of the toilet so I could pee. There was always a mess in there for me to deal with. You know how PP bathrooms get. It's NOT fun. But I was stuck dealing with this as a patient, as nurses are too busy to do it. Housekeeping only came in in the morning. It's not fun for the patients or staff. I dont envy you at all. I wish you good luck.

This is my perspective as a NURSE and PATIENT: CONTROL VISITORS, that will be the BIGGEST ISSUE OF ALL, trust me!!!!

Kim44 · Feb 1, 2004

Where I delivered, the rooms were all semi private and a family member could room in unless there was a bed crisis.

However, there was 1 bathroom in between each semi private room, so 2 patients share a BR. It was disgusting, the woman in the other room was very messy. I wanted to be re-cathed so I didn't have to use the toilet.:roll

live4today, RN · Feb 1, 2004

Originally posted by Kim44
.............................It was disgusting, the woman in the other room was very messy. I wanted to be re-cathed so I didn't have to use the toilet.:roll

:chuckle I know what you mean! :chuckle

Also.........so much for HIPHA or HIPPA or whatever initials its suppose to be. No privacy there, huh? :lol2:

chris_at_lucas_RN, RN · Feb 1, 2004

When I delivered, the bathroom was DOWN THE HALL!!!

No joke! And they were stall type toilets, probably three or four of them in there.

That first walk after the cs was a lulu!

I think the shower must have been in there too, but I don't remember (it's been a little while).

I delivered in November, in Lansing, Michigan, and the window air conditioner was still in place: snow came in and there was a little film of it on my bed!!! Their heating bills must have been out of this world.

Oh, and the room was semi private too.....

Wow. Things sure have changed.

live4today, RN · Feb 1, 2004

Hey chris? I had my first two babies in hospitals like that! :chuckle

Did you happen to be in a military hospital at that time? I was. By the time I had baby number three, she was born in a civilian hospital and I tell you......... I thought I'd died and gone to heaven it was soooooooooo nice! :chuckle

manna, BSN, RN · Feb 2, 2004

Where my first son was born, the bathrooms were down the hall as well.... and that was only in 1998! Of course, I was a Medicaid patient - if I'd had private insurance I would have gotten a much nicer room with a private bath. The differences in care I received with the birth of my first son (on Mcaid) and my 2nd son (private insurance) are drastic, my brother (an MD) and I have had many an argument about that one...

Thankfully, I didn't have to share a room with anyone either time - YUCK!

kastas, BSN, RN · Feb 2, 2004

Originally posted by manna
Where my first son was born, the bathrooms were down the hall as well.... and that was only in 1998! Of course, I was a Medicaid patient - if I'd had private insurance I would have gotten a much nicer room with a private bath. The differences in care I received with the birth of my first son (on Mcaid) and my 2nd son (private insurance) are drastic

Really? Were both at the same hospital? I can't imagine! We don't even know what insurance a person has by their room. The only reason I ever have to look is for tubal consents (have to be signed 30 days in advance for medicaid). I can't imagine giving different care to pt's depending on their insurance.

manna, BSN, RN · Feb 2, 2004

Originally posted by kastas
Really? Were both at the same hospital? I can't imagine! We don't even know what insurance a person has by their room. The only reason I ever have to look is for tubal consents (have to be signed 30 days in advance for medicaid). I can't imagine giving different care to pt's depending on their insurance.

No, they weren't at the same hospitals. That could factor into the difference, but my eldest son and my nephew were born less than a year apart at the same hospital - I on public assistance and my SIL on private insurance. We compared stories and she quite obviously fared better. I should clarify and say it wasn't necessarily so much the care from the nursing/aux staff that I received, but more the facilities I was assigned in general and my obstetrician! UGH!

The hospital/OB group where my second son was born does not accept Mcaid patients at all - must have private insurance or out-of-pocket pay.

kastas, BSN, RN · Feb 3, 2004

That seems funny to me that someone wouldn't accept Mcaid but will accept self pay. I realize you see very little $$ when Mcaid is paying the bill, but I would be curious to see how much more you see from self pay. Not generalizing at all, just curious.

Long Term Care Columnist / Guide · Feb 3, 2004

Boy, have things changed since I started having kids almost 22 years ago........I shared a ward room with five other mothers, the only bathroom was down the hall, there were no jaccuzi tubs (only a sitz bath) and women could actually SMOKE in the halls! :eek:

Compare that to the last time I gave birth, in the early '90s.....I started out in an LDRP suite, and even though I ended up having a C-section I still had a private room with its own shower, bathroom, refrigerator, a dining table and chairs. Now entire families can room in with Mom and the newborn, and in the event that Baby has to stay in the nursery for a few days, Mom and Dad can stay in one of our "nesting" rooms that feature two beds, a shower and bathroom. They aren't considered patients, so they have to supply their own food and any medications, but it's really nice for them to be able to stay until the baby's discharged.

What a difference a generation makes.........