Family members as patients on your unit

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This occurred last week at work and I would like some opinions. I work on a specialty unit (ortho). The business office called and asked me if we would be willing to take an observation patient being admitted for a GI bleed. The patient had requested to be placed on our unit because her niece works there. I told them we were unable to take the patient, and the patient was subsequently placed on the Obs unit. I happened to mention this in passing to one of my co-workers yesterday, who's response was "boy, aren't you nice. I wouldn't want my family member anywhere else." I didn't say anything to her at the time. My reason for not accepting the patient was because in my opinion, this opens the door for conflict. I have seen it happen too many times. The patient expects preferential treatment, the employee expects the patient to have preferential treatment, the rest of the family now feels that the employee is at liberty to discuss details of the patients' care, and heaven forbid if the patient was unhappy with the care received, they may be unwilling to report a legitimate complaint, or it may put the employee in a delicate position. Was I wrong to say no?

Specializes in NICU.
Just want to post a reminder that getting in a family member's or your own chart for that matter is a HIPAA violation and at least in my facility is punishable by firing.

I still don't understand that. Why am I not allowed to look at my OWN chart? The whole point of HIPAA isn't to withhold information - it's to keep medical records private. But if they're your own records, there is no violation of privacy. You have every right to see every bit of your medical record.

My doctor has even asked me, "Should we call you with the lab results or will you just look them up next time you work?"

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I still don't understand that. Why am I not allowed to look at my OWN chart? The whole point of HIPAA isn't to withhold information - it's to keep medical records private. But if they're your own records, there is no violation of privacy. You have every right to see every bit of your medical record.

My doctor has even asked me, "Should we call you with the lab results or will you just look them up next time you work?"

I wondered that, too. The patient can't see his/her own chart?

Just whose business is it if not the patient's?

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Specializes in Women's health & post-partum.

Forty years ago (good grief! Has it been that long?) my dh had a chole and was placed on my floor BECAUSE I worked there. It wasn't a total success--it was a urology floor and someone kept putting an abdominal binder over his incision. He developed a pneumonitis--apparently from constricting his chest, even though he kept taking it off and throwing it under the bed. I thought then (and still do) that patients belong where the staff is familiar with their care.

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Specializes in Cardiac care/Ortho/LTC/Education/Psych.

HI!

I was reading these posts and think about my floor.Geeeeee , we had from grandfathers, uncles , mothers,girlfriends,friends, old patient ( want to come again to our floor) and yes, even our own staff member on OUR floor. Different reasons but there; - and I never thought it should be different treatmant or feeling but rather exciting to go and say hello! It is OK if patient is cardiac to say NO( because we are surgical) but not to say NO if only reason is family reason.

And how about a hospice nurse - we had a case of whole family in the pt room sleeping, eating ,WORKING- home based work in pt room- he wanted - he was dying - who are we to decide how he wants to die?

(Maybe that is a reason our floor has 100% satisfaction rate!! )

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Specializes in Med-Surg, GI, Education.

As a manager I would want to know who the patient is related to, and not assign that patient to that nurse. As a staff nurse, it is really not any of my business. I would hope the staff related to the patient would be professional enough to not let this influence care given to the relative, or take away form the other patients. If the staff member would like to visit the patient this should be done during break time. Absolutely- the staff member should not access the patient record!

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I work in an icu and my cousin required admission for septic shock. I never expected any preferential treatment but in our unit it is something we just do for one another. I never asked for labs and imaging reports but everyone went the extra mile. I believe that we don't get many perks in our job but I am glad that this is the one we get.

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Just out of curiosity, are there hospitals that actually don't nurses to take care of their family members in the hospital? Thanks!

Sincerely,

-=Victor Ly

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Specializes in NICU.
Just out of curiosity, are there hospitals that actually don't nurses to take care of their family members in the hospital? Thanks!

Sincerely,

-=Victor Ly

Do you mean are there hospitals that don't LET nurses take care of their family members? If so, YES. I don't think any hospitals would allow that, unless it's a tiny rural hospital where this isn't any other choice.

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Specializes in CCU.

I wish that I could choose my family member's caregivers in the hospital! But they live to far from me to be able to choose.

We should take care of patients no matter who they are, the same respectful way.

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Specializes in CCU.
Strange that you guys came up with this subject!

Just last week, our nurse's aide father was in the ICU post-op for a advanced canceer and she asked me to care for him. I was rather flattered and accepted, of course. It was a pleasure to care for him, he was the kind of person that did not want to bother calling for anything, would not complaint... I tried to convince him to call at any time, as I tell my others patients and that if he does not use his call-bell I will just come all the time to check on him. He is just a nice person.:loveya:

{Unfortunately, he was aware of the chaos of the 2am code blue that lasted off and on for 3 1/2 hr (that pt made it too A/O X3 full recovery with a mushed heart), the noise, the short staffing...)}

Usually, the pt that does not "want to bother the nurse" makes my work harder because there is a lot of people that you can't figure out if they are uncomfortable, they just won't tell you. So, I tell them that's there job to call me for SOB,CP or anything and... I also have to hear the incentive spirometer ball every hour! :nurse:

The difficult part was the emotional aspect of it. I really felt for him and the family. He did great but I know that... his prognosis is grim.

Overall, I am sick about preferential treatment. But I pushed to keep him on the unit until we really needed his bed. That was not such a big deal since we have a ridiculous amount of VIP's that occupies a ICU bed just because they are judge so and so, Dr. so and so's wife grandmother or Arnold Swtzernegger whatever you spell his name!

:trout: :trout:
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I am in two minds over this. I have had my Father in Law in the Rehab unit when I worked there and there was no problem. I just did not give direct care. :saint: He was not really ill, just learning to walk again post amputation.

[EVIL]On the other hand I have had a colleages mother on my current unit and with only the two of us on nights I dreaded that she might have a serious fall or pass away ( both a high probability at the time) and I was concerned at my co worker being able to cope in the circumstances.[/EVIL]

I can see the need with specialist units for this to occur but the potential for a mishap to a family member in your care is worriying. Blame from siblings for not doing enough comes to mind

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Specializes in Transgender Medicine.
seeing that i'm a hospice nurse, i really would rather not have any family members on my unit.:)

leslie

OMG!!! LOL!

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