Do you allow Tele patients to leave unit to smoke?

[UM Review RN]

Do you allow Tele patients to leave the unit to smoke or visit the cafeteria?

Under what conditions?

What are the legal ramifications?

[Kymmi]

I do understand what you are saying and I apoligize because I think I didnt word my post to truly say what I was trying to say. If the patient was bleeding, had fallen..things like that...we would provide emergency care until the patient could be taken to the ER for care. What I meant when I said cant get a w/c was lets say they are sitting in the smoking area and they dont want to walk back to the unit...we are not allowed to take them back just because they dont feel like walking. If a IV becomes dislodged then yes we'd apply pressure or do what needed done but lets say the pump is alarming we are not to correct it because we are not the ones who know the patient. I didnt mean it to sound like we'd let them lay on the sidewalk in distress...our obligation would be to provide emergent care and phone 911 if the patient was able to return to their unit...we wouldnt leave the patient in distress until EMS takes over.

[danielleRN76]

No, no tele pt is allowed to leave the hospital to smoke. If they have demanded to in the past they have had to sign out AMA. It has only happenned a few times at my hospital that I am aware of. Usually it's the ones who really need a beer that are desperate enough to sign out AMA.

[Monica RN,BSN]

I do understand what you are saying and I apoligize because I think I didnt word my post to truly say what I was trying to say. If the patient was bleeding, had fallen..things like that...we would provide emergency care until the patient could be taken to the ER for care. What I meant when I said cant get a w/c was lets say they are sitting in the smoking area and they dont want to walk back to the unit...we are not allowed to take them back just because they dont feel like walking. If a IV becomes dislodged then yes we'd apply pressure or do what needed done but lets say the pump is alarming we are not to correct it because we are not the ones who know the patient. I didnt mean it to sound like we'd let them lay on the sidewalk in distress...our obligation would be to provide emergent care and phone 911 if the patient was able to return to their unit...we wouldnt leave the patient in distress until EMS takes over.

Thanks for the clarification. I can rest better now :)

[UM Review RN, ASN, RN]

I guess what bothers me about this is that if smokers are so addicted to their smoking that we have to escort them down to smoke, why are the alcoholics not escorted to go have a drink?

Both addictions are legal -- and lethal.

[Tweety, BSN, RN]

We're a non-smoking facility, no smoking anytime anywhere. However, we are not a jail and if free Americans leave the floor to smoke that's their right.

I'm not sure about the legal raminifactions since we are not "allowing them to smoke" but they are choosing to of their own free will.

Proper documentation should hopefully prevent any legal ramifications, but I don't know. I've never heard of any bad outcomes or nurses being sucessfully sued before.

[Tweety, BSN, RN]

I guess what bothers me about this is that if smokers are so addicted to their smoking that we have to escort them down to smoke, why are the alcoholics not escorted to go have a drink?

Both addictions are legal -- and lethal.

We often give our patients beer. Two or three a day to keep away the dt's. They are trauma patients and they have no desire to stop drinking and will drink when they leave. Why torture them with dt's? Why extend their lenght of stay with DT's.

I never, ever escort patients outside to smoke. End of discussion dont' even ask me to.

[PeachyERNurse, BSN, RN]

At the hospital I do my clinicals at, they discourage patient's from leaving our tele floor to smoke, but they do allow it if the patient signs a release.

[blackIrish]

I've worked at 2 different hospitals- 2 completely different "rules"

1st hospital- If a pt. wanted to go out to smoke, they would sign a release. You cannot stop an adult from smoking. It is their right.

2nd hospital- no way in hell. They would have to actually sign themselves out AMA. They were not allowed off the floor, period. General rule-if they leave the floor, you call security.

[muffie, RN]

i tell them if they succumb to an event outside i will not be there to save their lives

[fronkey bean]

i tell them if they succumb to an event outside i will not be there to save their lives

Most of the smoking pts I have had don't care that you say you won't be there b/c A) they don't believe any thing will happen to them in the Butt Hut (our name for the smoking area) and B) they know, no matter what you say, someone will administer emergency aid.

[bigsyis]

Tele pts were never allowed to go out to smoke. They were offered a nicotine patch, and if they chose not to use it, that was their option. If they were found outside smoking they were told that if it happened again they would be given AMA papers. A few griped, but most were ill enough to be compliant.

And then...there were those few who thought if they smoked in the restroom that we wouldn't smell it. Oh, geez!