Can Hospital Patients Refuse Unvaccinated Nurse?

Nurses COVID

Published

Specializes in Home Care.

I work in home care and one of my patients has asked if they are hospitalized can they refuse to be cared for by an unvaccinated nurse, and ask for a vaccinated nurse? In home care we tell them we cannot force our caregivers to be vaccinated, and the care is voluntary so it's up the patient if they choose to have the caregiver come into their home to help them (it's a non-medical home care service provider). However, if they are hospitalized, it's not a choice, it's a necessity and they're afraid of unvaccinated nurses or caregivers putting them at risk.. The patient is vaccinated, but still worried about the Delta variant being as contagious as it is. I'm not sure how I could find out the answer to this question for them.

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Specializes in Home Care.

Oops sorry for being redundant, I just realized there is already a thread about this below. I see that a patient did refuse a non-vaccinated nurse and the hospital accomodated them.

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Specializes in Public Health, TB.

It will likely vary between hospitals and depend on what staff is available. They can always ask, but staff may refuse to disclose or there may not be any vaccinated staff available. Or the other patients want them too. 

A patient has more control when people are coming into their home than when in a facility. 

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Specializes in Education, FP, LNC, Forensics, ED, OB.
25 minutes ago, neenie109 said:

Oops sorry for being redundant, I just realized there is already a thread about this below. I see that a patient did refuse a non-vaccinated nurse and the hospital accomodated them.

Thank you.

Please continue conversation here:

 

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