deceased lenght of stay in ER

Blee O'Myacin, BSN, RN · Apr 9, 2008

Hi new to allnurses.com
Have a question. I'M AN ER NURSE IN CALI, AND WOULD LIKE TO KNOW HOW LONG A DEAD BODY CAN REMAIN IN THE ER, AN ER NURSE TOLD ME THAT PER DHS PT HAD TO GO TO MORGUE WITHIN 2 HRS OF DEATH??? I COULD NOT FIND ANYTHING IN HOSP POLICY...:bowingpur

That's a tough situation. On one hand, you have a family saying goodbye to someone who died suddenly; on the other hand, you have to get the room empty because there is a 5 hour wait to be seen as it is.

When a family is taking a long time, I try to find a space out of the way, sometimes we don't open a certain section of beds when we don't have borders, so I will have the deceased and the family move to that area instead of staying in the trauma room. Or if it's packed to the rafters, I will enlist the help of the house supervisor to find us some space. I tend to go in right away with the family and then give them about half an hour before I check in on them again. Usually, there is a "spokesperson" who will ask about what comes next and how to make arrangements, usually I can then steer the conversation to the inevitable taking of the deceased. I've never had a situation where I've had to pull a family out of the room, or one that wanted to stay to see the body go down to the morgue.

If it's "DHS" policy, then "DHS" would be the place to find the answer to your question. If you are having problems setting limits with people and the amount of time they are spending in the room after a loved one has died, then you need to contact your house supe so that the situation can be handled according to your facility policy. (Even if you couldn't find one, I bet one would be materialized if a family had a complaint about the way that you handled something, which is why I cover my behind when I have any doubts)

Blee