I am currently suspended for having a conversation regarding body odor with a patient and 2 daughters. I had asked if she had any other deodorant because the one she had wasn't effective. We had what I thought was as delicate as possible conversation. Does that ever go well?
Well the daughters were offended that I had asked for a different deodorant and the mom was embarrassed and they complained to a couple of people that they had been offended.
Needless to say I was pissed (at my work) and felt they over reacted. Yes they (pt and family) could call state on me but I am confident in my abilities as a nurse and I am not afraid of that. I believe this was a little retaliation from a conversation I had with the administrator about a few things an hour or so before she was brought into this.
Also the part that really, really bothers me is after the administrator made that decision she left. So my boss called me and said she was getting "beard" to come in with us. I said absolutely not, I will not have "beard" in any of my business. I was very adament about my dislike of person and that I did not trust this person and wanted no part in my business. I told her she is more than welcome to have a conference call if she was that adament about not being alone. She said in like a defeated type voice "come on" I followed her thinking she was going to do that. BUT nope she had this person there. I was livid. She completely disregarded my feelings about the situation and made me VERY uncomfortable. This person is a charge nurse and a poor one at that, I have a lot of history with this person and not much of it good in regards to work.
How would you react?
I could have pulled one daughter aside and spoke with her privately but I honestly feel it would not have mattered. They would have been offended anyway. The minute I was told they were offended I went and spoke with the patient, spouse and one of the daughter (before being suspended) and sincerely apologized if I offended them I teared up because I felt horrible that I hurt my patient's feelings. I pride myself on giving good care and would never offend someone on purpose. The spouse and daughter both accepted my apology and the spouse shook my hand and thank me for apologizing. The daughter mentioned she had brought in 2 different types of deodorant and asked me to let her know if they didn't work.
Now the patient's BO that day was off the charts, I had her showered and sprayed with her deodorant. Later I was giving her something for pain and happened to see the deodorant bottle and the daughters were there, I knew they brought things in for her which is why I mentioned at that time.
Check out # 53 by Linda Hartford. Yes, we are supposed to educate our patients. Just be understanding and sensitive about the subject. Odors are very important clues to an illness.
Check out # 53 by Linda Hartford. Yes, we are supposed to educate our patients. Just be understanding and sensitive about the subject. Odors are very important clues to an illness.
Would you want to be told that you were smelly in front of guests or in private after they leave?
This. It was rude the way she approached it. If this is how she communicates... and by her posts I feel that is the case... I can see why she would rub her coworkers the wrong way and end up with a suspension over something like this.
There are special creams and cleansers you could have tried, keeping air freshener in the room.changing the linens and gown more frequently or even picked up a deoderant for her.
I agreed to go to the cafeteria and get him some desserts if he agreed to bathe. He was a big guy and not one you could "force/persuade" to do anything. This was a win-win for us all!
There have been a few posts that have suggested that the nurse should provide deodorant or other hygiene products for their patients. No, I disagree. I am happy to give a patient as many of the hospital/LTC supplied soaps as they want, but no way am I obligated to stop by CVS and get them some Degree Clinical Strength Deodorant to help combat their body odor. The family is welcome to provide products like that, but it isn't my duty to buy it for them or to bribe my patient into showering by buying them dessert with my personal funds. Doing that is going beyond my duties out of kindness...it shouldn't be considered my obligation.
By the way, I wonder if the suspension was related to this: If the family were to report the facility for their mother's poor hygiene, maybe the facility wanted to say that they had already dealt with the "negligent" nurse that wasn't attending to the patient's needs, rather than being accused of the facility itself being the problem?
***Not saying you actually ARE negligent, just that the facility may want you use you as a scapegoat.
Specializes in Emergency Dept. Trauma. Pediatrics.
I wasn't suggesting nurses should feel obligated to spend their money on patients. I don't think the nurse should be providing the hygiene stuff for the patient, the hospital or LTC facility should have stuff. In the particular situation I spoke of I didn't use my own money. The patient was 367 lb. 6'8" and having an acute psychotic episode. There was a lot of him and he had just been on the street for a week. We had to board him in the ER for days and the smell was so rancid and it was effecting other people and patients. Although he was very nice, he had moments that he could turn violent quick without much warning. His last admission this had happened. He liked me, I had a rapport with him. He was talking about these desserts that we have down in the cafeteria that he loves and I saw an opportunity and took it. He got his desserts (that was just put on his meal thing for his room since he was technically considered admitted and not an ED patient) and we all got him to shower and clean good WITHOUT having to force it or endure it or set him off. I would do it again in a heart beat.
I would never in a million years criticize a patient or family member for their personal hygiene. Believe me, working in the ER I'm exposed to some very ripe folk.
If people don't know about bathing and deodorant by now, they are extremely socially challenged. There are ads on TV up the yin-yang. My kids became shower obsessed in middle school without any prompting from me, social pressure was totally sufficient.
You made a serious faux-pas there. If you were a school nurse helping a clueless student, that would be a different story.
In Skilled Rehab and in long term care, if State inspectors come in, smell offensive odors, or notice a Resident that has bad body odor, the facility could be tagged on dignity and in providing adequate care to the Resident. I've known some who try to slap a neglect tag on as well. Unless the you have adequate documentation and multiple care plans and interventions put in place to show that the "problem" is being addressed.
OP: I don't think you did anything wrong, and I think suspension is a little extreme for the situation. I would certainly watch my step with that particular family from now on, and make sure I have a two-person approach when I go in there, either with another Nurse or with my CNA. I would also think about asking for a rationale on why you were suspended, rather than "re-educated", unless there is some other things that are going on that you are not fully aware of.
I wasn't suggesting nurses should feel obligated to spend their money on patients.
Honestly, I didn't really think you meant they should be obligated, and I can see scenarios where what you describe would be a great plan. I don't know why I picked your quote out of the multiple posts that I saw. What I really disagree with is the idea that it is the nurses obligation to fix a patients BO by going and buying them products at the drug store. I think I saw your quote and lumped it in as the nurse spending her own money to buy them food because they didn't like what was on their tray and because it is the nurses duty to placate them somehow. I think what you actually described was different and I painted it with too broad a brush.
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CelticGoddess, BSN, RN
896 Posts
Perfume only masks the odor, and can be detrimental to ones health. A little understanding goes a long way.