dilemma: adult ward or children's ward?

[paris2]

Our hospital policy states that children up to age the of 16yrs should be be nursed on peadiatric ward, patient between 17-18yrs if working should be nursed on adult ward but if in full time education they should be nursed children's ward.

I have a dilemma here: Is 17 yr old with mental age of 10 is classed as an adult or as a child? , consultant wants patient on adult ward but the ward sister objects to this and insits patient to go on children's ward and be nursed by peadiatric nurses.

What should i do ? any advice please?

thankyou

[Silverdragon102, BSN]

at the hospitals I used to work at they was given a choice at the age of 15 whether they wanted to go to a child or adult ward but once 16 they was treated on an adult ward. I personally would say at 17 he should be treated on the adult ward especially if under a consultant who is not a paeds. How would the ward sister respond if he was 30 with a child age of 10?

[XB9S, BSN, MSN, EdD, RN, APN]

We have a young persons unit which kind of gets around this problem, but I am in agreement with silverdragon at 17 years is more appropriate for an adult ward

[cariad]

have had a few 14/15 year olds on adult floors, but over here parents are encouraged to stay with them as they cannot make any legal decisions about their care.

but then again where do pregnant teenagers go, thay can be children but because they are giving birth, they cant exactly go to paeds, but have to go where the grown ups are.

[english_nurse]

i suppose you have to bear in mind appropriate care, the physiology of an adult, is different to that of a child, so despite mental age the person should be nursed on an adult ward with consideration taken for the mental age when decisions have to be made

[ayla2004, ASN, RN]

the op was about a 17yr with a mental age of ten should be nursed by pead nurses as in learning disability pt under 25 fall into their skills areas