Im very sad, I made my patient fall

JRBLVN · Mar 15, 2006

As a nurse I can tell you that all the nurses don't hate your guts everybody has somebody fall on them at one time or another. You have to fill out incident/accident reports for these for that reason, because they are accidents. Don't beat your self up over it. While I was in nursing school, I had a patient pass out on me because of orthostatic hypotension. I was terrified but my nursing instructer explained to me that everyone has someone fall while they are responsible for them at some point in there career. No one will hold it against you so long as you don't try to cover it up. When you try covering incidents/accidents up that is when people get mad.

leslie :-D · Mar 15, 2006

the nurse didn't give you report on this pt?

i always give the nsg assts report on all my pts before we start our shift.

i can't imagine anyone caring for a pt w/o knowing why they're in the hospital.

i'm sorry too, this happened to this gentlemen. but all the responsibility shouldn't fall on your shoulders unless you did receive report, kwim?

at least you know it will never happen again. at least you have a deep conscience. there's something to be said for that. did he sustain any injuries?

leslie

whiskeygirl, LPN · Mar 15, 2006

Ugh! I have a somewhat similar story, that I really haven't shared with anyone before.

I had my license for all of about 2 weeks when a agency sent me to a Jewish nursing home (I mention that because my last name is VERY german). My first visit to this place, I had been there for about 2 hours when a family dropped off their mother who had ben out on leave. The family asked me if they should take her to her room, I said "ok". They put her in her room and let me know she was back, I thanked them for letting me know and they left. By the time I was making my way to visit with all the patients, I found the LOL on the floor. I recognized right away that her hip was most likely broken, I was right. I don't remember much else about that night. I was devestated. And I never went back to that facility. I have no idea what happened to the lady after my sending her to the hospital via EMS.

Chaya, ASN, RN · Mar 15, 2006

Hiya, Miss JKm-

Haven't seen your name in a while. Sounds like you are handling more and more in terms of school AND job. I know how bad you must feel about your guy who fell because I've been there, just wishing I could do things over. It sounds like you are very conscientious about patient care. It also sounds like you are developing that sixth sense about a patient that will make you extra watchful when needed and prevent accidents in the future. As long as your pt was OK, sometimes a good scare can make us better caregivers; we never quite forget how fast "stuff happens"!

Chaya

Pepper The Cat, BSN, RN · Mar 15, 2006

You did not "make your pt fell" - he fell while you were caring for him. Big differance.Unless you stuck your foot in front of him or pushed him over, you did not cause the fall. Could the fall have been prevented? Possibly - possibly not. Do you usually stand beside pts while they use the toilet? Did you tell the gentleman to wait for you to come back? Was he trying to stand to void and lost his balance? There are many factors.

The fact that you feel so bad is a good sign - you care about your pts. You'll learn from this and then move on.

ava'smomRN · Mar 15, 2006

thanks guys, i still feel like its all my fault. but hopefully being hard on myself will make me a better NA in the future and a better nurse. i am usually so careful, i never had anything like this happen. thank goodness the poor guy was ok, it really hurt my heart seeing him lie in the bed and trying to explain to him that he had to stay there becasue he fell.

turns out he was a little confused becasue he kept insurig that he could go to the bathroom, he didnt quite get the idea of bedrest.

as far as report, i didnt get a report i was just told that id be getting a guy from the er. it frustrates me alot when some nurses act like the NA doesnt deserve to know anything about the patient, except of course when to take their vitals, BS, and if the are incontinent. granted as a NA we dont need a full blown report, but i think its essential for us to know their dx, whether they are self care, partial, or complete, if they are on any drugs that would produce side effects such as othostatic hypotension.

i do believe this would have been prevented if i would have been told "something" about my patient

i know now even if the nurse gives me an attitude i am gonna ask whats going on with my patients, especially a brand spankin' new one from the er

thanks again guys for sharing and listening to me. i feel a lot better being open about my mistake and learning how to avoid future ones:)

spookygirl · Mar 15, 2006

I am also a NA and a studert RN due to graduate this summer. I feel exactly the same way you do. I think sometimes we don't get enough of a report on our patients before we take care of them. When someone new comes up to my floor it seems to take forever for me to find out what their diet and activity orders are let alone their DX. :banghead:

I also had a patient fall while I was taking care of them. I also felt like everyone was mad at me, but I know they weren't. I think there were a lot of good points made here. It wasn't YOUR fault that your patient fell. You were honest that he DID fall and that's what is gonna make you a GREAT nurse. All we can do is learn from these things and remember them as we get report and espically when we are RN's and we are giving report to our NA's in the future. :idea:

I hope this helps you feel a little bit better. I wish you the best of luck in the future!!

Antikigirl, ASN, RN · Mar 15, 2006

Oh man...I beat myself up over a fall once (thankfully my only one). Of course I felt it was all my fault and cried and cried at home...but you tell me...was this my fault???

So I had a patient who was in her 40's, thin little thing...maybe 100 lbs soaking wet. She had had a stroke, and was very loved by all the hospital staff (she actually was a therapist at that hospital treating stroke victims...sad irony).

She needed to go to the bathroom and I placed the BSC perfectly for a short transfer. Knowing she was so light, I did this on my own (I never do transfers alone because of this!), which is normal. Well...during that millisecond from bed to commode...grand mal seizure (after the dangle rest period...BOOM!). SO here I am in the milisecond wrong place! She and I both fell, but I was was on the floor and she continued seizure activity right on top of me!

After she was done, I (from behind) maintained her airway and cried out for help (couldn't reach the call light). Then was able to carefully get out from under her. She was fine..guess I was a great cushion for her...LOL! Not a bruise on her, me on the other hand! LOL!

I wound up in the ED with a displaced hip...resolved quickly with some ibuprofen in a few days...but I was so upset at myself....Now that I think of it all...I did everything correctly, but I was a victim of fate there for that one millisecond in the universe! LOL~! Now I can actually laugh about it and say "well...that just goes to show my luck!"...LOL!

But I was so upset for the patient that I couldn't sleep for a few days wondering if she was okay...thinking of what I could do better..and basically beating myself up!

This will pass...and be a learning experience for you in the future (and others too...heck you just told us...believe me we learn from all experiences we see on here!). Just try not to spend too much time beating yourself up over it...I can't get those days I tortured myself back...I could have done something more productive I am sure during that 'pitty party' I threw! LOL!

Huggles and don't fret...it happens to us all...

Ruby Vee, BSN · Mar 15, 2006

i know you feel bad, but the others are right. you didn't make your patient fall -- he just fell. it happens to all of us.

years ago, when i was a brand new nurse, i had a patient fall on me. i don't remember the exact circumstances -- it's been nearly 3 decades. but i'll never forget my preceptor telling me that it could have happened to anyone, and if someone tells you it's never happened to them, either they're lying or it just hasn't happened yet! and then she went on to tell me about a patient she was taking care of who went beserk on her and threw a chair at her. emily dodged the chair, and it went right on going -- right through the window and into the parking lot six floors below. before her horrified eyes, the patient went charging past her, toward the gaping hole -- and emily tripped him. he fell and broke a couple of bones, but he lived. if emily hadn't tripped him, he wouldn't have.

so tell yourself this:

it's not my fault.
it could have happened to anyone.
it eventually does happen to everyone.
it could have been worse!

ruby -- who could tell you stories about worse!

bethin · Mar 15, 2006

as far as report, i didnt get a report i was just told that id be getting a guy from the er. it frustrates me alot when some nurses act like the NA doesnt deserve to know anything about the patient, except of course when to take their vitals, BS, and if the are incontinent. granted as a NA we dont need a full blown report, but i think its essential for us to know their dx, whether they are self care, partial, or complete, if they are on any drugs that would produce side effects such as othostatic hypotension.
i do believe this would have been prevented if i would have been told "something" about my patient
i know now even if the nurse gives me an attitude i am gonna ask whats going on with my patients, especially a brand spankin' new one from the er

I agree what you're saying about not being told about patients fall risks. I'm a CNA and when we get a pt. from ER I'm told NOTHING. I have to practically beat it out of the nurses to find out dx, diet orders, etc. We are computerized so I could look it up but aides are told not to do that because we don't know what we're doing.

I had a pt. fall on me once. Luckily he was ok but for weeks I was a mess. I felt that I would get fired.

SharonH, RN · Mar 15, 2006

Listen to the experienced nurses on this thread. If this is the worst thing that every happens in your nursing career then I salute you in advance. I have had patients fall while in my care, sometimes it was due to poor judgment on my part, sometimes it was due to circumstances out of my control. Bottom line: it happens, don't beat yourself up. I admire your conscientiousness but you are going to need to be more philosophical about this or else you will go home with nightmares for the rest of your career. Just remember to learn from it and move on.