Is Home Health nursing dangerous??

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Specializes in future OB/L&D nurse(I hope) or hospice.

Hi everone. I am not yet a nurse but have been puting some thought into HH. Are any of you worried about safety? Just really curious since you are visiting private homes. Thanks

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It can be.

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Specializes in COS-C, Risk Management.

How long is a piece of string?

Getting out of bed in the morning can be dangerous, but most of us still do it.

Just like everything else, you minimize your risk as best you can and get on with it.

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Specializes in LTC, Memory loss, PDN.

What KateRN1 said is certainly true for me, however, a new nurse will have a harder time assessing, recognizing and acting upon safety issues. A new nurse may also lack assertiveness needed, because pt.s want to do/want you to do unsafe stuff, however, this is just as true for facilities. I do hear a lot more about staff being assaulted in facilities than in private homes and in HH you have the option to decline.

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Specializes in LTC, home health, critical care, pulmonary nursing.

The biggest danger is probably dogs. Though I have had a gun pulled on me.

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Specializes in LTC, home health, critical care, pulmonary nursing.

The biggest danger is probably dogs. Though I have had a gun pulled on me.

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Specializes in COS-C, Risk Management.

In a way, I think the bigger danger is that we have no witnesses to our care, so if a patient wants to make a complaint, it's our word against theirs. I was very fortunate over the weekend that I had a nurse with me for a ride-along to a shady ALF and then had to report to abuse hotline. I have a witness to everything that was done/said and it's not just he said/she said.

I've never been bitten by a dog (or a cat), approached by anyone with a gun (and I've been in some pretty rough areas at night), car jacked (in a BMW), assaulted (verbally or physically), or in any way threatened. I've had a lot of great experiences with patients, a lot of less-than-satisfactory experiences, and more forgettable experiences than I can remember. It's a job, just like any other. It has its stressful times, it has its relaxing times. It has its monotonous times, it has its challenging times. I've had great co-workers and lousy co-workers. I've had great bosses and lousy bosses.

Just like everything else, it is what you make of it and I wouldn't want to do anything else.

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Specializes in future OB/L&D nurse(I hope) or hospice.

Thank you all so much for your insight. I wonder if home health and hospice are similar. My mother passed away a little over 3 months ago and I was with her several times when the nurse came over. I would imagine there are similar concerns in both areas. Thanks again.:)

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