Have you ever felt unsafe while in HH?

caliotter3 · Apr 22, 2010

Many people are reluctant to post about traumatic incidents on public websites.

Poi Dog · Apr 22, 2010

Many people are reluctant to post about traumatic incidents on public websites.

I understand.

allnurses Guide · Apr 23, 2010

I would not say that I've felt unsafe, but we wouldn't be human if the thought didn't cross our mind while we are riding along with our ventilator dependent young patient in the van driven by a Public Trans employee that there isn't a whole lot of backup should things go terribly wrong.

The best thing to do is reheorifice in your mind exactly what you will do if. . .a)the power goes out b)there is a fire c)your patient's airway is blocked for whatever reason d)there is an earthquake e)the suction machine dies

I've had a, c, d(:eek:x2) and e occur so far. Make sure you have your ambu bag, spare trach, phone and pertinent numbers with you at all times. Know the escape route that's supposed to be in front of the patient's chart.

I had a nurse tell me once she learned she could use a 60cc syringe attached to a Foley to pull secretions out of a trach if there's no suction machine. One of my adult patients told me to pull the trach out completely if it's blocked and you can't get it unblocked in a reasonable amount of time. I've never actually had to do either of those things, and you should rely on your agency's protocols at all times, but I feel better when I have back-up plan A, B, AND C if possible.

If you feel unsafe for any reason in the home, ask yourself why. Are you feeling physically threatened by your environment? Would some more study or online research ease your mind? Talk to your supervisor? If you can pinpoint your concerns you need to have them addressed now before you only have 30 seconds to figure it out.

Not sure if these help at all, but thought I'd toss in my :twocents: FWIW

anticoagulationurse · Apr 23, 2010

Nope.

Willow Moonsidhe · Apr 24, 2010

I have gotten an uneasy feeling in a dive down town where homeless get rooms but I just watched everything around me. I worked trauma and as a Paramedic RN before and I have had bullets literally fly by me so it takes a lot to really unnerve me.

~Willow

allnurses Guide · Apr 24, 2010

I have gotten an uneasy feeling in a dive down town where homeless get rooms but I just watched everything around me. I worked trauma and as a Paramedic RN before and I have had bullets literally fly by me so it takes a lot to really unnerve me.

~Willow

I learned that skill after spending time in the downtown Las Vegas and Los Angeles Greyhound stations. It helps. It really does. :)

erroridiot · Apr 24, 2010

Of course I have felt "unsafe". Let's take for example a patient answers the door holding a wooden hanger and says come in and proceeds to beat the crap out of another family member with the hanger. The other family members all start after each other with broomsticks and pots and pans. I leave and return to the agency.

Then......I get yelled at by the owner of the agency for "not signing the patient up".

Adult protective service was notified, and already had the case open.

AnnemRN · Apr 24, 2010

Yes, I have.

Once my agency told me I had to discharge a patient that had been "threatening to shoot the nurses". I was really afraid that he might pull a gun from underneath his pillow.

Another time, I admitted a patient to service who was a gang member and who had been hospitalized with multiple gunshot wounds and had been in the hospital under an anonymous name. His family had moved to another location, but I was told the " gang members are still looking for him." I was told to take a security guard with me - the security guard asked me to pick him up because he didn't want anyone to follow him home.

I also went to a home once where someone was trying to hide behind a carport post when I arrived at the patient's home, I called the patient and he met me outside to walk me in to his apartment and later escorted me to my car.

Another time, I went to a patient's home and knocked on the door, after several minutes I opened the door and could hear the patient moaning. As I was trying to locate him, strange people kept coming out of the other rooms in the house, very unnerving. I finally found the patient lying on the floor in his room with feces all around, appeared dehydrated and confused. There was no phone in the home and I didn't have a cell phone, so I left and went to a phone booth and called 911. I'll never forget the paramedic- he started yelling at me because he encountered the same weirdos coming out of the rooms that I did when he entered the house and it really shook him up. I told him "at least you have your EMT with you and the fire dept. here, when I got here I was all alone and had to deal with it all by myself".

erroridiot · Apr 24, 2010

I was once told to go discharge a patient because it was not safe for the PT to go back there.

I had been notifying the agency after every visit of gambling, prostitution, drugs, ETOH, etc. in the home.

On the day the PT was stopped and questioned by police after leaving the home to get into his car, I was called to "discharge the patient because the home is not safe and we can't have the PT going to a place that is not safe". I informed the agency that if was also not safe for THIS NURSE to go to the home.

I quit.

AnnemRN · Apr 24, 2010

I was once told to go discharge a patient because it was not safe for the PT to go back there.
I had been notifying the agency after every visit of gambling, prostitution, drugs, ETOH, etc. in the home.
On the day the PT was stopped and questioned by police after leaving the home to get into his car, I was called to "discharge the patient because the home is not safe and we can't have the PT going to a place that is not safe". I informed the agency that if was also not safe for THIS NURSE to go to the home.
I quit.

I think we might have worked for the same agency.

erroridiot · Apr 24, 2010

I think we might have worked for the same agency.

I am so sorry.

I hope you quit too.

This just goes to show the "value" of a nurse to some of these agencies.