Hospital Discourages Pressing Charges Against Assaultive Patients

[Meerkat]

A few of us nurses were assaulted last month by a patient who was in a rage. In a matter of minutes, the patient injured 4 people, including two other patients.

Administration subtlely discouraged pressing charges. Granted, I was only bruised, nothing broken, and my nurse manager was also. The manager is not pressing charges.

Why would the hospital discourage this? P.S. the aggressor is a 14 year old girl.

[vaughanmk]

I work in a childrens ED. A few months ago a pt sitting in the waiting room jumped the triage/security desk and assulted a security guard and a nurse. Both were sent to be checked out by a physician, given workmans comp time and handed the papers to file a police report. The police actually came to the hospital within 10 min so each could file a statement. Both people hurt filed charges upon this minor, with support of the hospital and management. At the next staff meeting the problem was address by the CEO of the hospital and approval was given to put up plexi glass in our triage area. Not that this has been done yet though.

[Antikigirl, ASN, RN]

I have and will press charges if I am assulted! That is my own self preservation! It is up to a court to determine if the assult was rational, unrational or what not...let them decide!

I am a nurse, not a lawyer or police officer...someone hits/attacks me..they get charges pressed like any other person and have the police or lawyers do their job! I don't make enough or have the education enough to do it for them!

Considering I can get in deep caca even defending myself if a patient was injured in the process of me trying to break free or control them...yeah right. Let the courts choose what is fair....is it fair to have me or my collegues beaten, or is it fair to let it slide????

I press charges..plain and simple! I am no good to anyone if I am injured or scared...and sorry, I would much rather treat the many that don't do that to the best of my abilities then having that all ruined by one....

[ortess1971]

The sad thing is that there is still the mentality of the "martyr" nurse who would never think of pressing charges against a patient. In nursing school, one of the instructors told a story about being inapproprietly touched by a patient. When we asked if she pressed charges, she got this horrified look on her face and said she would never press charges against a patient...and that we shouldn't think it was ok to do so>

[Midwest4me]

My husband works in maximum security at a state hospital, been there for 20 years. Within that setting, he also worked in geriatric and adolescent treatment programs. Before considering filing charges, one needs to look at the patient; i.e., is this pt truly ill and does not totally understand the magnitude of her behavior or is she just being unruly and physically aggressive? When he was first hired, it was understood that dealing with aggressive, abusive pts was part of the job. For many, many years the hospital superintendant discouraged, or would never allow, staff to file assault charges. Within the last few years the hospital has taken on a new superintendant who is "pro-staff" and now encourages staff to press assault charges. Recently the charges stuck and a few maximum pts were sent to prison to finish out their sentences.

I know my husband feels that it's a judgement call to file charges against a pt. In other words, "know your patient". Truly mentally ill? Or just a behavior problem? Until then bob and weave, bob and weave.

[msmellnhead]

I have no problem with having a pt charged with assult with or without the blessing of management. With the growing meth problem healthcare worker are increasingly subjected to violence. I think we need to get past all this P.R. crap and demand to be respected.