microwave on psych unit

HM2VikingRN, RN · Aug 21, 2008

It's far better for you to heat the food than the patients. (You can assess behavioral control as well as the temp of the food.) In an acute psych ward I wouldn't have a microwave that is accessible to patient's on the unit. (I know of a case where a sex offender heated a cup of cooking oil to near boiling and threw it in a staff members face. Luckily he had a tray in his hand which deflected most of the oil away from his face or he could have been blinded. He ended up in the burn unit.)

scribblerpnp · Aug 21, 2008

I have worked in psych units in hospitals as well as a free-standing psychiatric hospital on units for children up to Alzheimers.

Not one of these places had a microwave that was available for the pt to use themselves. All microwaves were either in a locked kitchenette or in the staff's report room.

I too think this absolutely a safety issue. I can imagine many ways in which a pt could use this to harm others or themselves.

aprilr · Aug 21, 2008

I work at a psychiatric hospital as a float. Our PICU does have a microwave in the patient kitchen for them to use. In the year and a half that I have worked there we have not had any issues with it but I do see where it would be a concern. The patient kitchen does have a lock on the door and we have had to lock it inbetween meals for various reasons but not because of the microwave...yet.

nurseaboveboard · Aug 22, 2008

Yep, a patient accidently started a fire in the microwave by cooking a packaged vending machine hotdog too long. Smoke alarms went off, and mandatory fire department visit. The microwave was ruined. I always worried about the coffeepot too.