I work at a clinic and we had a patient 2 days ago with a huge ulcer on his left lower extremity (possible elephantiasis?). It seems that his ulcer was oozing, because the stench was coming out from his lower extremity and spreading out towards the lobby. I'm usually ok with wounds, with the exception of this patient. Everytime that I was close to him I had to excuse myself, because I felt like gagging. As a matter of fact, I gagged four times whenever I was in close proximity:barf02:. I was the RN in charge and my staff asked me if we can have him sit out on the patio while he waited for a room to become available. I told them that I couldn't do that (I felt like it was obvious discrimination), unless the other patients complained. The patients did complain, some going outside because they couldn't tolerate the stench. I ended up having his MA screen him so the doctor could see him first even though there were other patients waiting before him. I felt that this was a way that the patient can leave the clinic faster without being way too obvious. However, the staff had all the doors open, fans ventilating around the hallway and a HEPA filter machine circulating inside his room making it seem that it was all geared towards him.
My question is, how would you have managed it differently without offending the patient? I don't know how I would have handled it if I had to care for that patient (or anybody with an offensive body odor) without the need to wear a mask. Should I be honest and say, "I'm sorry Mr. Smith, I need to wear a mask because my nose is very sensitive to unusual smells?" :imbar By the way, the doctor was wearing a mask.
My question is, how would you have managed it differently without offending the patient? I don't know how I would have handled it if I had to care for that patient (or anybody with an offensive body odor) without the need to wear a mask. Should I be honest and say, "I'm sorry Mr. Smith, I need to wear a mask because my nose is very sensitive to unusual smells?" :imbar
BJ
black jade, i appreciate your sensitivity to your pt, but honestly, you needn't apologize for anything.
you wear a mask as if it's a part of your uniform...
and just continue providing professional and compassionate care.
Specializes in Hospice, Palliative Care, OB/GYN, Peds,.
Oil of peppermint is very effective for bad odors, cancer and gangrene are the worst. When I change cancer wounds I use Vicks under the nose and it helps. A bottle of the oil with a diffuser or gauze strategically placed should do the trick.
The hospital where I work is a "no scent facility" (not meaning foul body odors!) and I wonder if there are ways to work within these limits? So far I have been able to manage the odors, but I bet there will be a day I will be challenged!
Take iodoform gauze out of the bottle and leave it in the room, pinned up like a streamer and it will absorb a lot of the smell.
I was going to post this but you beat me to it. This really works folks and it doesn't violate the "no scent" policy many hospitals are going to. I've used it in the ER with wounds, vagrants, dirty... uh... southern region odors (not mine). And before somebody beats me up, sometimes no matter how much you try to wash them they still stink.
Our unit used that peppermint oil stuff that really just makes whatever the smell was a MINTY-worst-smell-of-your-life...doesn't really "mask" it very well, just adds another element....
BARD makes a product called Medi-aire. It's a biological odor eliminator. It works great!!!...and leaves a baby powder like scent. It used to come in the ostomy starter kits for our patients. I still have a tiny spray pump bottle of it at home. It works great on those "bathroom odors".
Another odor blocker I've also used are those melt-in-your-mouth breath freshener strips. They are really strong and block most outside odors for me. (They cover my coffee breath too). Listerine makes these strips and there is another brand who's name I can't remember. I keep a packet of those in my locker and pull them out prn.
leslie :-D
11,191 Posts
black jade, i appreciate your sensitivity to your pt, but honestly, you needn't apologize for anything.
you wear a mask as if it's a part of your uniform...
and just continue providing professional and compassionate care.
leslie