One of the techs on my inpatient psych unit was bitten by an adolescent patient. The skin was broken, and a small flap of skin on the back of his hand was hanging by a small piece of skin. At my insistence, the tech reported it immediately, was sent next door to the "real" hospital, and was treated.
Our infection control nurse offered to have blood drawn on the tech but not on the patient.
Am I missing something here? Drawing blood on the tech might protect the hospital in case the tech later develops something and they can prove he probably already had it, I guess.
I thought there was a mandatory blood draw on the biter to discover if he was carrying any goodies (HIV and hep for starters), so that a prophylactic protocol could be started until there was an all-clear.
But just in case I am missing something obvious, I thought I'd run it by you guys first.
This reminds me of a situation I encountered as a new grad -- I was taking care of an 11 year old with LOC changes (later brain herniated and she died) but at one point she was placed in restraints, the nurse aide had reached over her face and the child clamped down on her hand and bit her. It was several seconds before she released but eventually she did. I wonder what should have been the proper response if she had not released. Holding her nose would have caused her to breathe through her mouth and I'm afraid that pinching or slapping her would have led to battery charges. Is there a good way to handle that type of situation?
Specializes in Happily semi-retired; excited for the whole whammy.
This reminds me of a situation I encountered as a new grad -- I was taking care of an 11 year old with LOC changes (later brain herniated and she died) but at one point she was placed in restraints, the nurse aide had reached over her face and the child clamped down on her hand and bit her. It was several seconds before she released but eventually she did. I wonder what should have been the proper response if she had not released. Holding her nose would have caused her to breathe through her mouth and I'm afraid that pinching or slapping her would have led to battery charges. Is there a good way to handle that type of situation?
In California, only those who have received specialized training can use restraints. This law, passed in the form of the Hughes act, came about after a child died as a result of being improperly restrained. I think this should be the law of the land, to keep both patients and caregivers safe. (BTW, I can't speak to proper technique, since I haven't received the training)
mydesygn
244 Posts
This reminds me of a situation I encountered as a new grad -- I was taking care of an 11 year old with LOC changes (later brain herniated and she died) but at one point she was placed in restraints, the nurse aide had reached over her face and the child clamped down on her hand and bit her. It was several seconds before she released but eventually she did. I wonder what should have been the proper response if she had not released. Holding her nose would have caused her to breathe through her mouth and I'm afraid that pinching or slapping her would have led to battery charges. Is there a good way to handle that type of situation?