Contacting patient after discharge

cdsavannah59, CNA · Nov 12, 2015

If you see them at the chemotherapy center just by coincidence that's one thing, but I would never contact a former patient by mail or phone call for unrelated job reasons. Did they give you their contact info? If not it's a HIPPA violation to use their contact info for personal reasons, such as forming a friendship.

TheCommuter, BSN, RN · Nov 12, 2015

Is it okay to send a short letter?

No, it is not okay. This would be crossing the boundaries of the nurse/patient relationship, which terminates once the healthcare worker stops rendering care to the patient.

These people are our patients, not our friends. It is time to formulate some personal boundaries and professional distance when dealing with patients and their families. Boards of nursing generally frown down upon nurses who maintain relationships with patients who are no longer under their care.

Don't do it. Good luck to you.

NurseGirl525, ASN, RN · Nov 12, 2015

I've connected and bonded with certain patients, especially in my ltc rotation, but it is never ok to contact outside of your care. There is an ethical boundary there. Don't cross it.

And I do wonder about those particular patients from time to time, but that's part of the job. You have to learn to deal with not ever knowing because they are under your care for a short, partial part of their treatment. I do understand what you are talking about but there are ethical lines that you have to abide by.

elkpark · Nov 12, 2015

It's not "against the law," but it's a violation of your professional boundaries as a nurse (nursing student, in your case). I agree that, if you happen to run into them at the cancer center, you don't need to go out of your way to avoid speaking to them, but making any sort of effort to contact them is a bad idea.

lvoro001 · Nov 12, 2015

They did not but I understand that it's not right to think like this. Ill just have to wonder. Thank you for your input! :)

lvoro001 · Nov 12, 2015

Thank you all for input. I figured it was not allowed so I wanted to ask you all first. Thank you so much. I'll just keep on wondering and hope all is well.

Jules A, MSN · Nov 12, 2015

Kudos for asking before you acted on this. I'm rarely a fan of self disclosure. It is often done by inexperienced staff as a way to connect but what it does is take the focus off the patient and puts it on you. You can empathize without bringing your personal life into the conversation. I would discourage future self-disclosure especially this early in your career.

lvoro001 · Nov 12, 2015

Kudos for asking before you acted on this. I'm rarely a fan of self disclosure. It is often done by inexperienced staff as a way to connect but what it does is take the focus off the patient and puts it on you. You can empathize without bringing your personal life into the conversation. I would discourage future self-disclosure especially this early in your career.

Thank you, you're right. It just happened once when he asked if I knew of the cancer center and it ended at that. However my personal life remains separate. Thanks again :)

anglezwarmth · Nov 14, 2015

I do not agree with most of these comments. Yes, there is some silly ethical issue these days with health care professionals not being allowed to contact patients even if the patient is ok with it. We are supposed to basically be like "professional robots" as some have called us, do our job, and pretend the patients no longer exist after they leave our care. That is how I have heard nurses being described. I do not believe in this. I believe in the old fashion care. It is inhumane, in my opinion, to tell any nursing professional to not have feelings for or to not make friendships through their work. Yes, this can be a HIPPA issue if you attempt to contact them without their consent and the patient giving you their contact information. However, if they willingly give you their information and are ok with continuing a relationship outside of the work area, I find that to be good. It's not about ethics. That is stupid. It is pathetic to know that the nursing profession in this country has come to a turning point that medical staff cannot create a "bond" of any sort with their patients, especially if you live in rural communities. Are you saying that I cannot walk down a street and see people I take care of nearly daily and ask how they are doing? That is just plain stupid. I might as well avoid my entire community. Sorry, life just does not work that way. Where I live, it is a rural community and everyone knows everyone else. You don't go around advertising a person's condition but if you see someone, it is considered polite to stop and ask how they are doing. This country has become terribly rude in how the medical profession has become. I see such "cold" nurses anymore who do their job and go home because as one told me "you cannot be allowed to show feelings towards your patient because you can get into trouble." That again, is just plain stupid. We are here to care for people, love what we do, and love the people we care for. If we did not have this type of love, I think any nurse that lacks such should just quit being a nurse. I refuse to stop caring for my patients. I am a loving person and I will continue to say hi to them and if they want me to call them on the phone, I will. This is what life is meant to be. Not "nursing robots." It is pathetic to think we are not even allowed to send them a thank you note. What has this country come to? Too many lawsuits, "nursing robots," and people in the government trying to micromanage healthcare to the point that nurses and doctors become stressed, over-worked, and show little to no feelings towards patients. I had a doctor recently tell me that it takes an act of Congress now to get things approved for a single patient. It's stupid. This nursing profession needs to go back to it's loving and caring aspect, and get rid of the "nursing robot." I work with nurses who literally show almost no emotion towards their patients. They are grumpy, and you can't tell if they even care about the patients. My past instructor had stated it is because they are protecting themselves from any "ethical" problems that could arise. I personally would never want to be cared for by any nurse that truly didn't care whether I lived or died.

BiotoBSNtoFNP · Nov 14, 2015

When i worked in oncology, some of my fellow nurses were friends w long term patients on facebook. Sometimes they would even get together outside of

The hospital. I just assumed that this was against the nursing professional conduct/judgement/ethics etc but they would always tell me that its different in oncology. The people in these patients lives dont understand what they go through, but the nurses did. And they became friends over that and their relationship expanded from nurse-pateint to actual friend. One of them had no family or friends. The nurses on my floor were basically it. Which is sad, but not hard to believe if you spend most of your time in the hospital, dont work, arent married etc.

Now I have no idea what is the correct answer. I didnt get to know any of the patients like they did so i have no idea what they felt, but it seems questionable.

goldie1618 · Nov 14, 2015

I'm a nurse who is six months new in a position on a pediatric intensive care unit. My first reaction is that having contact with patients/families outside of the hospital is a breach of our professional relationship . . . but I also know that some of the best, most experienced nurses on my unit freely admit to being friends on Facebook and exchanging texts on a regular basis with some of the parents of our long-term patients. Watching their example gives me pause - if they are able to provide excellent care and establish a genuine and supportive relationship with parents who are going through the most challenging part of their lives, then why shouldn't they? I don't know if having contact with parents outside of the hospital would work for me though. That professional boundary is the only way I can maintain enough emotional energy to go to work every day. Maybe that feeling will fade after a few years.