As in lost, not expired... Well, this just happened to me a few days ago, and I'm still shaken up about it. I had just started my shift and the craziness they call bedside report (which was just implemented in the med-surg units). His room was my first stop, and he was sitting on his bed wearing street clothes instead of the hospital gown. Odd? Maybe, but he has an extensive Hx of CVAs and dementia, so some things he does are not considered "normal" anyway. So, the outgoing nurse doesn't like bedside reporting and stood at the doorway while giving report. We moved on to the next rooms and all is well. A few mins. later (still doing report), I see my PCA and another nurse escort him back into the room, as he was wondering the hall. When the PCA went back to do VS, he was gone, and she immediately came to tell me. To say I panicked is an understatement! I searched the entire unit (pretty big) and couldn't find him... Stairwells, elevators, even outside, and nothing! I informed the charge nurse who, in turn, called security and the nursing supervisor. Everyone was mobilized, but he was still nowhere to be found!
I was so mad because it seemed that security and the police weren't doing enough! The investigator looked like he was on his first day at the job! I spent most of my shift shuffling back and forth between my other patients and the security office looking at the tapes trying to figure out if he had, in fact, left the hospital. The family was informed, but they didn't seem concerned as "he does this all the time." All I could think of was that if this was my parent, I'd be hightailing it to the hospital trying to find him! All the big wigs were telling me everything would be all right, that I didn't need to worry, that my bases were covered, and that there was nothing I could've done differently. After all, it's not like we can physically prevent anyone from leaving if they so desire! Rationally, I understood what they were saying, but that didn't keep me from worrying that this confused, elderly man may have been wandering outside and possibly gotten hurt, or worse.
It seemed no one understood that I wasn't worrying about my behind, but about him! Screw the job, this is a person we're talking about! By the time I left after my shift, he was still missing, even though they had "searched everywhere" in the hospital. My coworkers and managers were very supportive, which made me feel very grateful and made me remember that I'm lucky to work with such wonderful staff, even though this job is less than ideal. Thankfully, they found him unharmed, 24 hours later, hiding in plain sight. They took him to ER to get him checked out, and I haven't heard anything else from this ordeal. I'm just extremely thankful that they found him and that he never left the grounds. I can only imagine what could've happened. So my question is, has anything like this happened to you, or on your unit?
Yup, I work med tele with a lot of patients on legal holds. Well, one day about 3 years ago one of them escaped during shift change. We called the cops and gave a description but they never found the patient. It's a crappy feeling when that happens. At least she was a&ox3 and not a dementia patient. I'm positive that she purposely waited til shift change when she knew it was going to be the busiest and everyone would be distracted. There's no better time really.
Specializes in Certified Med/Surg tele, and other stuff.
I also had a patients family member lose a small child while visiting. We found the kid later hiding behind a door in a room down another wing! Little brat. She was old enough to know better. That only took an hour out of our day, scouring the hospital. The patient was confused so the child walked right in the room and hid. Nobody thought to look behind the doors during the first round of searching.
Specializes in Professional Development Specialist.
Happened to me too. I had a pt who had a central line in that decided to go home for a shower and change of clothes. She lived around the block and thought that it was no problem. I was freaking out but thankfully security did a good job of canvassing the area. We found her in the cafeteria about 2hrs later where she stopped to get a treat before going back to the room. Her family was with her and no one could understand the problem. What a mess, not to mention her antibiotics were late.
What is the story with patients lately? I have plenty who can't for the life of them understand why they can't just go out to dinner, drinks, or home for a little while the last few weeks. Why do I need to know where they are, they want to know?
What is the story with patients lately? I have plenty who can't for the life of them understand why they can't just go out to dinner, drinks, or home for a little while the last few weeks. Why do I need to know where they are, they want to know?
It's the customer service model. The hospitals dress them up like hotels people think they can act like they are in a hotel.
We had one go out his window...a&o, just need a fix. Security and charge nurse met him at the bus stop with AMA papers and to pull his IV and get our tele monitor back. What I don't understand is why the stupid window opens that far in the first place.
Well I had a psych patient go out through the window once (of the critical care unit, not a psych unit). She was gone a few merciful hours. Unfortunately security found her wandering the campus and brought her back.
I also had a patient go to the barber once. He walked himself across the street, in his gown, with his IV pole, got a haircut and a shave, and came back. His name was Calvin, and of the thousands of patients I took care of over 25 years, he is one of the very few I remember. He was quite a character.
I also had a patient go to the barber once. He walked himself across the street, in his gown, with his IV pole, got a haircut and a shave, and came back. His name was Calvin, and of the thousands of patients I took care of over 25 years, he is one of the very few I remember. He was quite a character.
Gown and IV pole in tow? Across the unit, down the elevator, through a couple hallways, and out the lobby door? Or, did he sneak out the back way?
If the former, I have to ask...was no one working that day, except on your unit?
Never has happened to me but happens to a friend quite often where she works. They usually disappear and then are brought back to the ER later on in the shift, drunk. They're A&O so more of just an extreme annoyance than anything.
Gown and IV pole in tow? Across the unit, down the elevator, through a couple hallways, and out the lobby door? Or, did he sneak out the back way?
If the former, I have to ask...was no one working that day, except on your unit?
Hundreds of people. This was a 1100 bed University hospital system. They were used to patients in gowns and various states of dress all over the place. As in most instances, if you appear confident, and like you know what you are doing, few people will question you. He walked across a major highway to a shopping center where the barber was located, then had them call hospital security to come get him for a ride back. He was a good guy. This was back in about 1988-89 I think. He had HIV and back then having HIV made you a pariah, so he was in isolation. He just got lonely in there, lol. The door was always closed so no "AIDS germs" could infect the nice people. :roll eyes: Security brought him back before I even knew he was gone. He just laughed and gave me a hug and said he was glad to see me. He looked great too. The guy practically lived there, in his little dank isolation room, so he probably just needed to see the sun for crying out loud! He's lucky it wasn't 1984 or we probably would have chained him in the basement.
One time I was caring for a patient with MS. And you know MS patients always try to maintain their independence at all costs. It was shift change and I was just coming on for the evening shift. The patient wanted to walk around so I told her to stay on the unit but she could walk around. I didn't see her for about an hour. I didn't immediately notice she had been gone so long. Finally when I saw her, I asked her where she had been. She told me she had been walking around the medical center in Houston. She had went by the zoo and walked some other places. She wasn't from here so she didn't know that you DO NOT walk around the medical center after dark. I didn't want to alarm her but I told her that it's dangerous at night and that she shouldn't do it again. All I could do was thank God that she got back safely.
Many years ago, I was walking to work and this woman appeared in a gown with 4-point leathers still on. Barefooted, as well. We were around the corner from a big hospital ER. The woman asked me for a cigarette. I told her that I didn't smoke (true). When I got to my job, I called the police!
Oh, the days before cell phones! This was in the Jurassic Age, about 1979.
That only took an hour out of our day, scouring the hospital. The patient was confused so the child walked right in the room and hid. Nobody thought to look behind the doors during the first round of searching.
sweet~revenge
30 Posts
Yup, I work med tele with a lot of patients on legal holds. Well, one day about 3 years ago one of them escaped during shift change. We called the cops and gave a description but they never found the patient. It's a crappy feeling when that happens. At least she was a&ox3 and not a dementia patient. I'm positive that she purposely waited til shift change when she knew it was going to be the busiest and everyone would be distracted. There's no better time really.