Eating on the floor

Multicollinearity, BSN, RN · Jan 15, 2008

It probably is against JACHO regulations for the staff to eat while on the unit. Thing is - if they can't get away to eat - they've still got to eat some time during a twelve hour shift. That's the reality. I don't know about visitors eating or drinking in the room, though.

mianders, RN · Jan 15, 2008

I am not sure what the nurses bringing food on the unit has to do with one of the patients being on isolation. JCAHO does not regulate this. The only thing they say is it is up to each facility to designate patient care areas and you can not eat in these areas. The patient eats in the room don't they? MRSA is usually contact isolation, so you having a drink in the room should not matter.

BittyBabyGrower, MSN, RN · Jan 15, 2008

When it is really busy we will take food to our conference room that is in our unit or to the desk if we have to watch it, but for the visitors having things in an isolation room, we allow our moms of our isolated kids to have drinks in there with them, just no food. The containers have to be disposable, and I am assuming they are gloved in the room.

Blee O'Myacin, BSN, RN · Jan 15, 2008

I am a soon -to- be nursing student with a CNA background and witnessed something that made me go hmmmmm...?
I went to visit a family member on an ICU unit (I will not say where) and had to follow strict isolation measures as my family member had MERSA. It was a comfort measures situation so there were many visitors and we all had to gown up- etc. The weird thing is- they offered us coffee, allowed us to bring bottles of pop into the room...and I saw nurses bringing their lunch to the floor. Is it just me- or is that against some regulations?

Ewwww... I hope that you didn't. It's not you are going to get MRSA by drinking a soda in a loved one's room, just think about what goes on in there when visitors aren't around. That bedside table is used for all sorts of procedures - even if it is wiped off at the end... still - ew.

For the record, we never allowed family members to eat or drink in patient's room's in the ICU, *especially* if the patient was on contact isolation. :barf01:

Blee

Tweety, BSN, RN · Jan 15, 2008

Good question about eating and drinking while in an isolation room. I didn't think about this ever being a problem. I'd be curious to know. But how kind of them to be so considerate as to offer you coffee.

Nurses should only eat in designated areas like breakrooms and aren't allowed to have food or drinks outside of these areas. This must be a regulation because every time we're inspected we have to remove our food and drinks from our work station.

But the reality is different. Try not to judge them. I have coffee at my desk. Please don't report me, I'm really a safe and conscientious nurse.

EmmaG, RN · Jan 15, 2008

Sometimes even rooms that appear clean are contaminated.

I was at the desk, taking off orders and doing some paperwork when the call light went off. A voice on the other end said "sorry, that was a mistake!" Which happens, except that the light was to a room at the end of the hall that was blocked due to a plumbing problem. It was the middle of the night, so I walked down to see what was going on. I opened the door and literally just stood there for a moment totally dumbfounded.

There had to have been at least 8 to 10 people in there; family members from one of our patients. I always check empty rooms, but never went to this one because it was marked as being shut down. These people had dragged in chairs from other rooms and the lounge. Patient recliners, etc. They were stretched out the on the floor on couch cushions, watching TV. All the way across the window sill was a buffet set up for them to graze as they partied the night away.

I regained my voice, and said "you all need to leave this room please". I was nice, probably because I was so stunned. They got in my face, nasty and telling me what did it matter, it was an empty room we weren't using anyway. I again told them that they would have to leave immediately. They hollered at me, got nastier, and said they were staying. I told them I'd would notify the supervisor and security if they refused to leave "...and by the way, the reason the room is not in use is because raw sewage over-flowed from the toilet and has contaminated the entire room."

The look on their faces was priceless. (especially those biting into their food lol)

I was reported to administration for telling them they had to leave that room. Part of me wished I'd let them stay, knowing why the room was closed--- but then I'd probably have ended up with them as patients infected with ecoli.

shellsgogreen · Jan 16, 2008

sometimes even rooms that appear clean are contaminated.
i was at the desk, taking off orders and doing some paperwork when the call light went off. a voice on the other end said "sorry, that was a mistake!" which happens, except that the light was to a room at the end of the hall that was blocked due to a plumbing problem. it was the middle of the night, so i walked down to see what was going on. i opened the door and literally just stood there for a moment totally dumbfounded.
there had to have been at least 8 to 10 people in there; family members from one of our patients. i always check empty rooms, but never went to this one because it was marked as being shut down. these people had dragged in chairs from other rooms and the lounge. patient recliners, etc. they were stretched out the on the floor on couch cushions, watching tv. all the way across the window sill was a buffet set up for them to graze as they partied the night away.
i regained my voice, and said "you all need to leave this room please". i was nice, probably because i was so stunned. they got in my face, nasty and telling me what did it matter, it was an empty room we weren't using anyway. i again told them that they would have to leave immediately. they hollered at me, got nastier, and said they were staying. i told them i'd would notify the supervisor and security if they refused to leave "...and by the way, the reason the room is not in use is because raw sewage over-flowed from the toilet and has contaminated the entire room."
the look on their faces was priceless. (especially those biting into their food lol)
i was reported to administration for telling them they had to leave that room. part of me wished i'd let them stay, knowing why the room was closed--- but then i'd probably have ended up with them as patients infected with ecoli.

oh my goodness - they had the nerve to report you? so much for gratitude.

i am speechless. :confused:

psalm, RN · Jan 16, 2008

Did they try to sue the hospital for unsafe/unsanitary room? Duh? You did a wonderful job, they should have "reported" you as a hero.