Family members as patients on your unit

[KAW1962]

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?

[noc4senuf]

Years ago when I did my clinicals, I was assigned my ex-husband two days in a row at the hospital. I immediately went to the charge nurse and asked if it would be a problem. She explained that family and friends were taken care of by the nurses on the floor and treated like any other pt in-house. I then went to him and stated that this was the situation and to behave when my instuctor came to observe my wound care on him. I have to say he behaved very well. My instuctor later said that I did very well and was professional about the whole situation. Since that time and working for a few years in my small home town in long term care, I had my two grandmothers at different times in my facility. I told my staff that my expectations were that they were treated as every other resident in the building without preferential treatment. I would spend extra time with them on my break or after work. It was very nice to be so close to them when they died.

[nursepearl]

My boyfriend gets hospitalized quit a bit, especially recently. He comes to the hospital I work at, but has been for many years even before we were a couple.

If he gets admitted to my unit(s), we make up four units, I am not allowed to take care of him or work on the same unit.

We usually dont get treated any different, but it has been a problem because another floor was upset at him because he had cursed at a doctor and they called my unit trying to get me fired!!!