No, I can't take your family member's blood pressure. My butt would get fired so fast, you wouldn't be able to see the flames.
The quote came from another poster in another thread.
I know a certain male tech on my floor, a really awesome guy I wouldn't want anything bad to happen to (and everyone reading this knows exactly who this certain anonymous male tech is), who will often do little things like that for family members when asked as a courtesy.
Is there any law or regulation prohibiting such courtesies, or is the other poster likely dealing with a local policy?
Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.
i don't know how many lawsuits have originated because someone took a family member's blood pressure. i remember years ago, though, when an elderly gentleman died his very young (20s) daughter became absolutely hysterical. the physician didn't want to deal with her, so he told me to "give her something to calm her down." i suggested he send her to the er. he declined. he wrote an order in the patient's chart for "valium 10 mg. im, give to daughter asap." (we were giving a lot more valium in those days.)
i refused to give it. my manager got involved, and ordered me to give it. once again, i refused and suggested that we send her to the er.
the manager announced that she'd give the valium and told me to wait for her in her office so we could discuss my continued employment. while i was sitting in the office, contemplating my sins and waiting for my manager, i heard a code called to my unit. it was the daughter. after my manager gave her 10 mg. of valium im, she respiratory arrested. they coded her on the floor of the hall outside her father's room. then they took her to the er as they should have in the first place.
and that's why i refer family members to the er when they request a sleeping pill, pain pill, blood pressure check, blood sugar check, etc.
You can always direct them to the local supermarket BP machine. They shouldn't be taking up staff time like that anyways. There are plenty of free BP machines in various stores. I use them myself.
i know sometimes we as nurses and medical professionals have to take care of families in special situations. this was one of those times when it trully is an emergency. my sis- in -law was in hosp (post partum), we were visiting her and new niece, my mom started having chest pains. thankfully, those l&d nurses sprang into action getting vitals for her, called ed, and ecorted her to ed. but the ones who seek out attention because their wife or hubby is in hosp. go to minute clinic.
I used to never take or allow the staff to take a family memeber's bp. but working in LTC and rehab, there are just sometimes when I cant say no and will take a bp. many of my patients are way up there in years and so are their friends that visit them, most times from their sunday school class. sometimes it's the only time they get a check on their bp except at their doctor's office. if it's high or low the only thing i do is suggest the ED or md office. if they wanna fire me for taking a bp of an 83 yr old lady then they can fire me.
I had a patient the other day that was being put in adult protective services. She was mentally retarded. She had been living with a brother who had been abusing her, she had bruises all over. I was told that her sister was also being put into custody and was staying in the room now (she had had a security person in there at all times)
When I went in the room, the sister was sitting with a placid smile on her face, holding the patient's hand. Upon speaking to her, it was obvious that she, too, was mentally retarded. These were older women, in their 60's. I smelled a strong smell of BM, and it wasn't coming from my patient!
Talked to the charge nurse, yes everyone was aware that this sister was also developmentally disabled, so she asked the tech to give the patient's sister a shower which she most gladly did, and she gave the sister a nice, fresh pair of pajama bottoms, and we made sure she had a guest tray too!
So sometimes there are circumstances that call for a deviation from the rules.
SmilingBluEyes
20,964 Posts
edit of title done...