Choked by a patient. How do you deal with this trauma?

Nurses Safety

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I was all alone in this hallway around 4am, charting on a computer- when out of the blue, somebody tried to choke me from behind. As I tried to twist free from him while screaming my lungs out, I saw that it was a patient. Amidst the fear and horror I felt, I somehow was thinking, "He's a patient. I MUST NOT HURT HIM." I pried his hands off my neck but he went for my hair & wouldn't let go. By then staff members arrived to help me.

My new admission arrived a few minutes after. So I had to suppress everything and carried on. After settling the patient, I was brought to our ED for assessment. But I was a crying mess as soon as I got to the car.

It has been 4 days & I thougt I was okay til I see men walking on the street who look like him, then I feel palpitations and fear, even if my conscious mind thinks it cannot be him.

Has anybody been physically assaulted by a patient before, whether yours or another nurse's? How did you recover from this? How did your management handle it? Did law enforcement get involved? Do some hospitals still exist out there wherein they discouraged getting police involved? How did your family/ co-workers take it? What are our rights as nurses under duress?

Mostly, I need your help to heal from it emotionally & psychologically. I feel weak & silly for reacting this way, but I'm still scared of going back to work. Thank you.

The ER ought to have documented the marks. You are entitled to a copy of that record; get it and attach it to your police report.

Specializes in Cardiac, Neuro, Progressive Care.

That's a great idea. I definitely need to look into that. At the hospital I used to work in, there were actually required seminars on crisis management which included hostage taking, violent patients, etc. Maybe I could suggest that such training be offered at this hospital. But I surely will take classes on my own and regain a sense if control.

Specializes in Peds Urology,primary care, hem/onc.

I am still stuck on the fact you were choked and assaulted by a patient and still had to do an admission on a patient before you went to the ER!!!! WHERE were your coworkers? How could they expect you to admit a patient immediately after being assaulted and before even getting treatment in the ER! that is insane! Definitely report it to the police and apply for worker's comp. So sorry for you!

Specializes in TCU, Post-surgical, Infection Prevention.
^^^ This. The marks may no longer be fresh, but you know who your attacker is, and you had at least 7 witnesses.

Plus, there should be camera footage to substantiate your situation.

I would contact security as soon as possible to make sure they still have that particular day/evening captured.

I am so sorry that you went through this.

That's a great idea. I definitely need to look into that. At the hospital I used to work in, there were actually required seminars on crisis management which included hostage taking, violent patients, etc. Maybe I could suggest that such training be offered at this hospital. But I surely will take classes on my own and regain a sense if control.

You're sounding better already. :)

Specializes in Cardiac, Neuro, Progressive Care.

Yeah. I kinda feel abandoned in that respect. The hospital I used to work in was in the city. It was a rough crowd. This is more a suburban hospital. The staff / managers were stunned. They didn't know what to do in the immediate aftermath. I couldn't believe it either. But I suppose it's because they've never seen this happen. At my old workplace, the charge nurses were tougher and they new the next step. Cops were there in minutes.

Specializes in Critical Care, ED, Cath lab, CTPAC,Trauma.
Thank you, all. Thank you so much. I feel like I'm all alone in this.

I don't know what his diagnosis was, he wasn't my patient. The bed alarm was not on so I didn't hear him coming until it was far too late. No, the police was not called, only security. Nursing supervisor was there, she accompanied me to the ED. I still had a new admission after that choking incident. I still stayed to chart and finish cause I had Core Measure patients.. Then I was an emotional mess when I got in the car & it finally hit me that it really happened, it wasn't a bad dream.

At least 7 people came when they heard me scream- techs, nurses, a doctor. Nobody thought to call the police, including myself. Looking back,, we should have while the marks on my neck was fresh.

He would have been off me sooner, had I not hesitated out of consideration that he was in a gown and I was in scrubs.

I thought at the time that it would soon be erased when the sun comes up. But it's didn't. It hasn't.

They should have taken picture...emergency departments should know how to deal with assaults.

Is this patient on a watch now? Has he been moved to a secure place within the facility or better yet moved to a secure facility? Your supervisor should have known how to deal with this. You need some time off to heal. Emotionally gather yourself and talk about this.

I have been assaulted at work. Too many times unfortunately but when I worked the rougher hospitals I expected it...you were ....prepared. I was assaulted by an major airline pilot in a nice rich suburban community...because he felt his toddler with a chin laceration wasn't seen quick enough he threw me into a wall and cornered me with his hands around my neck. I pressed charges but they were of course dismissed. It disturbed me for quite sometime. I realized it was because I let my guard down and I felt...safe. From that day forward I never felt "safe" again. I never made that mistake again.

You are sounding better today...know that you are not alone...((HUGS))

Specializes in Hospice.

I was grabbed by the throat by a patient who was detoxing. The day shift nurse failed to give him his scheduled Ativan because he felt the patient was too sedated. When the patient grabbed me I pushed him backwards and in the process he began to fall, I grabbed for him so he wouldn't fall (I was in nurse mode, "don't let him fall"). My thumb got broke in the process and I was on light-duty for 3 months after that incident. I know how you feel, and I agree with the other posters....get some therapy!

We have a police officer who is always in our ED, a report was filed, but I didn't press charges because I felt like he wasn't in his right mind.

The patient was re-admitted about four months later for the same thing, ETOH and hypokalemia. I volunteered to be his nurse, so that I knew the Ativan protocol was being followed

Specializes in Critical Care, ED, Cath lab, CTPAC,Trauma.
Yeah. I kinda feel abandoned in that respect. The hospital I used to work in was in the city. It was a rough crowd. This is more a suburban hospital. The staff / managers were stunned. They didn't know what to do in the immediate aftermath. I couldn't believe it either. But I suppose it's because they've never seen this happen. At my old workplace, the charge nurses were tougher and they new the next step. Cops were there in minutes.
I found that the suburban facilities don't know what to do with violent patients. They seem to have the misconception that these things do not occur there...but they do.

VA law....

18.2-57. Assault and battery. A. Any person who commits a simple assault or assault and battery is guilty of a Class 1 misdemeanor, and if the person intentionally selects the person against whom a simple assault is committed because of his race, religious conviction, color or national origin, the penalty upon conviction shall include a term of confinement of at least six months, 30 days of which shall be a mandatory minimum term of confinement.

make a report.What was this persons problem?
That's a great idea. I definitely need to look into that. At the hospital I used to work in, there were actually required seminars on crisis management which included hostage taking, violent patients, etc. Maybe I could suggest that such training be offered at this hospital. But I surely will take classes on my own and regain a sense if control.

I think that all of the above advice is excellent!! I would also look and see if there's Krav Maga given in your area. It is an incredible martial arts class that is very empowering.

And yes, every facility should have a educational component on the items you have listed above. It would be a really good suggestion.

Finally, a therapist who is specialized in trauma is a great choice.

Do what you need to in order to get your power back. I wish you nothing but the best.

I found this as part of VA law--

In addition, any person who commits a battery against another knowing or having reason to know that such individual is a health care provider as defined in 8.01-581.1 who is engaged in the performance of his duties as an emergency health care provider in an emergency room of a hospital or clinic or on the premises of any other facility rendering emergency medical care is guilty of a Class 1 misdemeanor. The sentence of such person, upon conviction, shall include a term of confinement of 15 days in jail, two days of which shall be a mandatory minimum term of confinement.

Workplace Violence

Also this from the ANA--some useful information that could help you to establish a protocol.

Specializes in Cardiac, Neuro, Progressive Care.

Thank you, thank you ever so much to all of you.

I went back to work last night but I never finished te shift. I was setting up my meds when I looked up and there was nobody there. It was the most awful feeling!!! I got sweaty, palpitating and nauseous at the same time. I ran to the Charge Nurse's office and went into full panic mode- crying, puking, hyperventilating. It was illogical, sudden and unexplainable, yet there it was- I was incoherent. The nursing supervisor came and relieved me of my duties. She said it was an anxiety attack. We see it in patients so many times, but it is so hard to grasp when we ourselves are engulfed by it. We try to be tough cause we're nurses, we take care if others. I realized that when we're put in that situation, it's harder because we fight it and still be the nurse that we are, not the patient we've become.

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