Is it the hospitals responsibility to educate the public!!

wooh, BSN, RN · Oct 3, 2009

Welcome to the current healthcare world where customer service will always trump patient care and patient safety.

flightnurse2b, LPN · Oct 3, 2009

i agree, i don't think the amount of visitors is necessary sometimes, especially when people are walking in sneezing and hacking. i have more than once reminded a patient's visitor to cover their mouth and sneeze in their sleeve, just because they aren't lying in the hospital bed doesn't mean i want their germs.

the hospital where my mom works has a sign on the front door and the pink ladies/security guards at the front desk are provided with a box of masks and hand sanitizers for visitors who walk in the door sniffling, sneezing, coughing, etc. the sign clearly says something along the lines of "if you are experiencing any of these symptoms: runny nose, sneezing, coughing, sore throat, GI upset, etc, etc, you will be required to wear a mask while in our facility to protect our staff and patients".... my mom's unit alone had 3 nurses contract the H1N1 virus.

LLLLiiiFFEsaveer · Oct 3, 2009

So far, 5 of my pts have definetively had H1N1 with paperwork in hand as comformation when I got to them. All of them were mildly sick. It did not look nothing like the normal yearly flu at all... It was sick for sure, but not out for the count sick!

High very close to uncontrolable fever, diarrhea, very sore throat, persistant cough, and the inability to keep down anything other than water. The strange thing was that they all could easily carry on a conversation, walk, smile, laugh somewhat, and none of them complained about those severe body aches that often accompany the normal yearly flu. They did have aches, but just a different all around presentation.

Hospitals should tell the public that they suck sometimes. The non-clinical personel who are running the show should step up to the plate, and they should explain to the public that which is their bottom line, and then ask them all to fill out a customer satisfaction survey in relation to their (The BigWigs) part in it all. And smile! Thats what they should educate the public about.

CathyLew · Oct 3, 2009

yes, the hospital is responisible, and as nurses you are responsible for education. Joe public is dumb. On almost every level.

we have a no visitors under 12, and limit 2 visitors per room sign posted on our floor....and you will still go into an isloation room, and find 10 family members, with a 1 year old infant crawling on the floor under the patients bed!

or the loving family member that brings a big tub of Ben & Jerry's to the diabetic patient who is a kazillion lbs overwt to begin with.

face it, the public is dumb. and it is part of our job to try to educate them.

catshowlady · Oct 4, 2009

Our ICU is supposed to be two at a time, no kids under 12 too. Recently, I had a pt that was suspected of (ultimately didn't have) H1N1 as part of my pt load. I go into the next room, and here was a guy who had brought his daughter, who looked to be about 4 and was cute as a bug's ear, in to visit grandma. I explained the "no kids" policy to him. Without actually saying that we had a possible H1N1 pt in the next room, I told him as clearly as I could that he was exposing that darling little girl to H1N1 and God knows what else. He refused to take her out, stating that he wouldn't keep her from Grandma - who was mostly out of it anyway.

*Sigh* I tried, I really did. Why won't people listen??? :banghead:

:paw:

CathyLew · Oct 4, 2009

I work at a real small hospital... my father was the only Pharmacyst at that hospital when I was a kid... My mom had a hyster at the hosp when I was young. We could not go in and see her. Policy on age limit since OB was a clean unit.... My dad took us to the window outside her room and let us stand on a box to talk to her thrugh the window. and you would think a pharmacist would have clout.... not. those were strict times. now, patients go outside to smoke, and all sorts of visitors come in. Its a germ free for all!

catshowlady · Oct 4, 2009

Yes, I remember those days too. I remember being very little (about 4) and then being a little older (8) and my dad was in the hospital. I wasn't allowed to visit, and when he was discharged, I had to wait in the lobby for my Mom to go up and bring him down. (Back then, it was safe to leave me alone there for a few minutes. There were toys there for kids, and the pink ladies kept an eye on me.)

Those days are certainly gone now.

:paw:

CapeCodMermaid, RN · Oct 4, 2009

People in general have no clue. I work in long term care and we're not allowed to have visiting hours. I have, however, had a sign posted at the front desk since May that states "If you are coughing or sneezing, please do NOT come to visit." I've had to ask people to leave who were obviously ill. I've had to ask them to pick up the crawling kids from the floor...unbelievable.

As an aside about visiting in the hospital....I was in the hospital a lot when I was a little kid....at one point in time everyone was unsure as to my recovery. My dad snuck my dog in one night under his coat to cheer me up. I'm not talking Pomeranian...we had a huge Boxer. The dog's legs were sticking out so everyone really knew what was happening but no one said anything and I was over the top to be able to see my dog.

diane227, LPN, RN · Oct 4, 2009

The first thing that I believe is important to understand is that most people are stupid. And as Bill Engvall says that if we hang a "stupid" sign around their neck then we just won't expect much from them. I have people coming up to my floor with herds of kids, no shoes, running all over the place like it is a play ground, in and out of isolation rooms. These mothers bringing up newborn babies to see someone who is in isolation. I went back there and told this woman that she was really placing her infant at risk by taking that baby into an isolation room and she just flat ignored me. You can't arrest them for being stupid. I finally had to tell one family that they were just going to have to take all these kids off the floor. I have too many old people on my floor and these kids yelling and screaming, waking up these old people.

I remember working in the ED one night and a kid was brought in with head lice. It was the kid, the mother and the grand mother. The doc wrote the Rx and I went in to discharge them and explain to them everything they had to do to get rid of these lice and to keep others from getting them. They just sat there. I tried to keep it as simple as possible. I finally figured out what part of the problem was. They did not know what a pharmacy was. I had to explain what a pharmacy was and how to give the slip of paper to the person there and they would give them the medicine. I swear to God, I though I had seen it all.

We think that everyone is on line, has a cell phone and an Ipod, but we are WRONG. I am here to tell you that out in the woods in some places, well you just don't want to go out there. Ever seen the movie Deliverance? Get a copy and watch it. You will see what I mean.

tewdles, RN · Oct 4, 2009

Short answer, yes the hospital is responsible for providing health education to the general public. Yes, if there is an outbreak of a contagious disease in the community, the hospitals should work with the local, state, and regional health departments to disseminate information and to control exposure. We are part of that process. As nurses, our response to these sort of situations (H1N1 vs seasonal flu vaccine) we must be informed, and responsible. The public is typically not well informed and depends upon us to be rational and intelligent in our discussion of these topics.

CapeCodMermaid, RN · Oct 4, 2009

If I let the hospital be responsible for ME and my health, I would have been dead at least 3 times...wrong IV once and dumb nurses trying to give me antihypertensives when my BP was less than 80/40 (I had to explain that HCTZ and Diovan were both for lowering BP). So if all y'all don't mind, I'll be responsible for myself. Education yes...but you can't make people learn.