to intervene or not to intervene

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Out of curiosity, to my beloved COB's. if you are say for example, visiting a friend, relative, etc at another hospital, snf or whatever and you notice a person in the lobby or public area of the hospital become unresponsive, what is our role and what are we allowed/not allowed to do? assuming you have no info regarding the hospitals P&P.

Specializes in Critical Care.
Speak for yourself -- as I already said, I would notify someone who is obligated to respond, and that's as far as I go. If I'm not obligated to respond because I'm on the clock at work, it's entirely my choice whether or even if I want to get involved.

Is getting paid the only way we are "obligated" to help someone else? The difference between someone who's in the worst situation possible; alive but with impaired neurological functioning and someone who survives with a good neurological outcome are those first few minutes of CPR. If you're not going to start CPR yourself then please just hide them behind a potted plant or something and don't tell anybody for at least an hour.

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Speak for yourself -- as I already said, I would notify someone who is obligated to respond, and that's as far as I go. If I'm not obligated to respond because I'm on the clock at work, it's entirely my choice whether or even if I want to get involved.

By you, I didn't mean you elkpark...

WOW, so much microaggretion here!!

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Is getting paid the only way we are "obligated" to help someone else? The difference between someone who's in the worst situation possible; alive but with impaired neurological functioning and someone who survives with a good neurological outcome are those first few minutes of CPR. If you're not going to start CPR yourself then please just hide them behind a potted plant or something and don't tell anybody for at least an hour.

THANK. YOU....You got my point!!

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By you, I didn't mean you elkpark...

WOW, so much microaggretion here!!

No "microaggretion" (sic) ... By "you," you clearly meant everyone here, including me, and I was just requesting that you only speak for yourself. It's not a given that we would all "code" someone we observed down in a public area just because we are nurses.

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Is getting paid the only way we are "obligated" to help someone else?

No, of course not, but, outside of work, we determine individually whether or not and how much we are obligated in any specific situation, and different people have different views about that. There's no one global, "right" position.

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No, of course not, but, outside of work, we determine individually whether or not and how much we are obligated in any specific situation, and different people have different views about that. There's no one global, "right" position.

Yes. I'm probably not going to start a code on a patient or visitor in the lobby of another hospital.

I will CALL the code, but I figure there's enough nurses and docs right there who can jump in. It's not about being paid.

It's not like the person is in a department store, where I may be the only medical person, they are in a hospital.

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Specializes in Psych, Addictions, SOL (Student of Life).
Out of curiosity, to my beloved COB's. if you are say for example, visiting a friend, relative, etc at another hospital, snf or whatever and you notice a person in the lobby or public area of the hospital become unresponsive, what is our role and what are we allowed/not allowed to do? assuming you have no info regarding the hospitals P&P.

The law says that you are required to act as a reasonably prudent person in the same of similar circumstances would act. For me And I did this a couple or years ago at Disneyland I would go to the persons side make sure the airway was clear and patent call for help and prepare to start CPR if necessary!

Hppy

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OP, this prompted me to look up my state's ACTUAL Good Samaritan Act. Thanks for the brush up!

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Specializes in Mental Health, Gerontology, Palliative.

I guess the reluctance to get involved is at least partially due to the fear of being sued should something go wrong?

Personally I'd do first aid, get the crash team there ASAP and let the experts deal with it. We standardly have AEDs in many public places and they have been used on more than one occasion with positive results.

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Specializes in Pediatrics.

I would respond as a visitor the same way I respond if there is a car accident, someone collapsing at the gym, etc. I would offer first responder CPR/first aid until more advanced help arrived (police/EMS outside the hospital; code team inside). When I'm not clocked in I function in my role as a BLS instructor/provider, not an RN. I wouldn't say start an IV on someone in a car wreck, but I would apply pressure to bleeding wounds, do chest compressions, etc. Same thing as a visitor in the hospital. Hope this helps!

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I guess the reluctance to get involved is at least partially due to the fear of being sued should something go wrong?

Personally, I'm not concerned about getting sued, I just don't feel any obligation to respond to any random stranger in a public place when I'm on my own time, living my own life.

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Personally, I'm not concerned about getting sued, I just don't feel any obligation to respond to any random stranger in a public place when I'm on my own time, living my own life.

I don't care about being sued either.

I will stop in a public place and/or if I'm the only medical person.

I just feel I'm "turfed out" in another hospital, and there are enough people there to handle it.

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