Do You take your patients out for smoke breaks?

steelydanfan · Aug 23, 2006

I am a smoker, don't smoke once I get to the hospital until after I have left (I consider it a welcome break from the smoking stimuli)!

I once had a pt. who had JUST had cataract surgery, was wheeled out by me to the parking lot to await her ride, and PROMPTLY lit up. I said to her, "Now is not a good time to smoke, your driver will be here any moment, and you KNOW that smoking will not help your eye to heal".

She turned around in her chair, looked me straight in the eye, and said " I don't give a s___"!

And promptly called the Manager the following day to report me for "being mean".

Well, I guess she had not much stake in HER outcome, after all, Medicare was paying for her operation!

Seriously, our patients can be as uncomprehending as rocks, but we still have to TRY.

sarahlh · Aug 24, 2006

No we don't and let me tell you there have been some pretty upset patients/families.

Our hospital is smokefree although people go out and smoke in front of the hospital because they say the sidewalk is part of the city and not the hospital. I think it is a nasty habit.

I don't want to smell like smoke when I walk into the building because they are all gathered around the entrance.

bethin · Aug 24, 2006

No, never! I'm not sitting outside where I can catch some second hand smoke, go back in and take care of pts smelling like smoke.

Our hospital is going to be smoke free so that'll take care of any problems.

Had a fresh post op appy who insisted that she go out and smoke. Told her after all that morphine that it wouldn't be safe. Her and her husband went outside anyway. This woman was 2 hours post op!!!! That's addiction.

froghair · Aug 24, 2006

never, i work night duty and the place is locked down so every door alarms when a door is left unlocked. the pager going off drives me crazy so they soon learnt that when im on there not going out untill lockdown finishes at 0600. when i worked in ED it was definate no

doularoz · Aug 25, 2006

Never in a million years!

Vagon · Sep 2, 2006

Well, once i'm in the hospital I personally won't. But will I have a problem with another nurse doing it? Not at all. I understand most peoples veiw of anti-smoking, but when patients have been through so much they sometimes need to take a smoke and calm their nerves and so on. My whole family smokes, me being the exception, and I know it isnt easy for any of them to just stop at any givin time.

gonzo1, ASN, RN · Sep 2, 2006

I used to go out with patients but was never comfortable doing it. Had a hard time deciding where the line was for conversation etc. Don't like compromising the nurse/patient relationship and standing outside smoking together makes those lines very shakey. So now I don't do it. I also worry about the liability of the whole issue. I like the idea of them having to sign AMA papers or wavers before they go. In the future I will chart that they went out. I hadn't been doing that before. It makes sense though because from what I've seen the patients who are really sick and worried about their recovery do abstain from smoking while they are in the ER with us.

April, RN, BSN, RN · Sep 2, 2006

When I worked as a CNA in a nursing home, the nurses would hunt us down to take residents out for a cigarette. I'm a non-smoker, but at first I would agree to it... mostly because I was afraid to speak up and say "no". However, saying "no" became much easier when they decided that we had to actually HOLD the cigarette for the resident because there were incidents with residents dropping cigarettes on themselves! :no: :eek:

Dianne6 · Sep 4, 2006

I haven't but some of the smoking RN's and CNA's will if they have signed a "smoking release"

NICU_3_RN · Sep 13, 2006

when i was an ER nurse I REFUSED to take patients out for smoke breaks. if you're sick enough to be in the hospital, there's no reason for you to smoke (not that I think anyone should smoke anyway).

People smoking anywhere near the front entrance to the hospital is one of my biggest pet peeves. Babies and healing people are discharged through those doors and should not be subjected to your second hand smoke.

When i discharge a baby from the hospital , i go out first, and give smokers the option: put out your cigarette or move.

country mom · Sep 13, 2006

Nicotine addiction is very strong- are patients at your hospitals routinely offered nicotine patches during their admission? At our place, some have orders and some don't. But I like to be able to at least offer it as an option. It at least takes helps with the nicotine cravings for some people. I personally will not take a patient out to smoke and I think it's wrong for any place to expect staff to do so. When I first started here, the nurse manager told me I had to take a patient out to smoke. I went and got a TB mask to wear when we went outside- she changed her mind.

nursedawn67, LPN · Sep 13, 2006

At the nursing home I work at we do have smoking times for the residents. They are taken outside to a gazebo, with a staff member every 2 hours from 7:30am to 7:30pm. I've noted with some residents, this is their only enjoyment they get and I feel they should be able to. Now don't get me wrong we do try to engage everyone in other activities, but sometimes you just can't persuade them. As far as those that can't hold them...then they just aren't smoking, and for those people that occasionally drop them...they have special smoking aprons to prevent injury to them.