have you ever had family members who interfered with treatment?

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I had a family member who came to visit a patient said whenever this patient is done with IV ABT, we are suppose to remove it and throw it out in the trash because she's allergic to residue of ABT. Well, i'm due to hang her next IV ABT in an hour so I'm not suppose to hang it becuase shes allergic to it? How would you react to this?

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Does the pt have allergies listed in her chart? That is what I would go by. If there are any questions always check with the MD. The whole thing doesn't make sense to me.

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Specializes in Ortho, Case Management, blabla.

edit-dual posted

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Specializes in Ortho, Case Management, blabla.

One time I had a family member haranguing me about giving her dad IV ABX (clinda) post-operatively. Apparently he had a really nasty reaction (rash) to penicillin in the past and she needed to be (in her words) "100% sure that this is not going to cause that to happen!" If I didn't know any better I'd probably say that she had some anxiety issues..

Anyways, I probably spent the better part of 10 minutes trying to explain to this lady that I know what I'm doing. I even broke down the difference between clinda and penicillin, but her opinion was basically "He's allergic to antibiotics!!!" Finally I realized I wasn't gonna get through to her and I just turned to the patient and said, "Well, sir, you've already gotten 2 doses of this during your surgery so if you're gonna have an allergic reaction to it then you're SOL..." The patient just made this face :D Later he apologized for her behavior and told me that she's always been like that and was quite the PIA last time he had surgery.

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Specializes in Cardiac Telemetry, ED.
I had a family member who came to visit a patient said whenever this patient is done with IV ABT, we are suppose to remove it and throw it out in the trash because she's allergic to residue of ABT. Well, i'm due to hang her next IV ABT in an hour so I'm not suppose to hang it becuase shes allergic to it? How would you react to this?

I don't quite understand. Can you elaborate, please?

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Specializes in ICU/ER.

Who is allergic? the pt or the family member?

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who is allergic? the pt or the family member?

the family member is allergic to residue of antibiotic. when nurses hang iv abt and when its done infusing, nurses keep empty iv bag hanging in iv pole until the next dose and just change the bag when its time to hang the next dose right? family member claims that she is allergic to residue of abt. i dont know what she meant by residue but she said she worked as pharmacy tech and she had to quit her job because she was allergic to so many antibiotic. so she want nurses to throw the abt ivpb out after its done infusing, so it doesnt leave a scene of antibiotic. i hope i clarified a little bit.

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Specializes in Medical Surgical.

Sounds like she has mental health issues. Throw it out and move on; life is short and so is a shift.

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Specializes in Cardiac Telemetry, ED.

While removing the setup and throwing it away might be wasteful, inefficient, and a PITA, it's not really interfering with treatment. However, not hanging the ABX because the family member is present would be inappropriate. I'd just explain to her that you have to hang this medication, that it is timed, and that if she doesn't feel safe to be present while it is infusing, she should go get a cup of coffee or go home and get some rest.

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Specializes in Maternal - Child Health.
While removing the setup and throwing it away might be wasteful, inefficient, and a PITA, it's not really interfering with treatment. However, not hanging the ABX because the family member is present would be inappropriate. I'd just explain to her that you have to hang this medication, that it is timed, and that if she doesn't feel safe to be present while it is infusing, she should go get a cup of coffee or go home and get some rest.

I respectfully disagree that needlessly wasting expensive medical supplies does not interfere with treatment. It may not have an immediate impact on this patient's care, but generating unnecessary, non-reimbursed expense impacts the cost of health care for all of us, and ultimately our access to health care.

If this visitor has such a significant sensitivity to "antibiotic residue" (whatever that is), then her mere presence in a hospital setting where antibiotics are in constant use is inappropriate and dangerous. Other than allergens that can be carried as dust-like particles in the air, I know of no case where an allergic person has been exposed and suffered a reaction merely by his/her presence in the same room as a particular substance. Please correct me if I am wrong, but I don't believe she is at any risk unless she is handling the IV bags, tubing, etc., which she has no business doing.

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Specializes in Rehab, Infection, LTC.

I think I would have had to tell her to stay home then. Changing the tubing every time just to satisfy her is wasteful and we cant afford waste like that!

it's also idiotic. she's allergic to the atb residue? whats she doing...sucking it out of the tubing?

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I agree with one of the other posters....I would inform her of how long the medication

would take to infuse and ask her (only for her own safety,of course ) to go home or get some coffee while the med is hanging.

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