Minors staying with patient during hospitalization...

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Specializes in Telemetry, ER.

Any hospitals out there have a policy regarding an individual being hospitalized and a minor child staying with them alone in the hospital room? Our hospital does not have a policy on this, but I feel uneasy about letting this child stay alone in the room with the patient here in the hospital, especially when she is requesting narcotic pain medicine. I do not feel right about giving her the narcs with the child there in her care, and her speech is already slurred and she is very drowsy from narcs she received in ER pta.

Any input? Thanks in advance!

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Specializes in Pediatrics.

Mine does, but mine is a pediatric hospital, but I have had families try to use us as babysitters and try and leave their child the patient plus a minor sibling overnight! Our visitor policy unless you are a parent/guardian/family member over the age of 18 they can not stay the night, visiting hours are over at 9pm.

Have you contacted your hospital social worker? The patient needs to heel not parent the child, it is not appropriate, it is not good for the child either. If there is no relative to take the child home then social services needs to get involved.

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Specializes in Telemetry, ER.

Hmmm....well we are a small rural hospital...no social worker, no case manager either. We have administrators only from 8-5 M-F. :(

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Even being a small rural hospital you should have an administrator on call. I would start with o

Your house supervisor and go up from there. It's not safe to leave a minor alone depending on the age of the child.

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Specializes in Leadership, Psych, HomeCare, Amb. Care.

Who is going to be responsible for the child's safety?

The patient is recovering from surgery and is not in position to supervise the child, and the staff cannot do so either.

If something happens to the child, it will fall on the hospital.

It is the parents' responsibility to make arrangements prior to surgery.

Seems harsh, but necessary

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Specializes in ER, progressive care.

If the child is under 18, they cannot stay overnight. Hospital policy. And our visiting hours are over at 2100. If something were to happen to that child it would totally fall on the hospital.

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Specializes in Pediatrics.

If there is no relative to take the child then CPS should be called, the parent is in no position to parent the child. And to see your parent in the hospital for long periods of time can be trumatizing to the child.

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Specializes in Medical Oncology, Alzheimer/dementia.

About a month ago I was covering my coworkers patients while she took a break. Her patient called for some pain meds. I got her pain meds and went to administer them. I was surprised when I went in there and saw her daughter of about 14 on a cot in her room. So I asked my coworker why she was still there, she kind of blew it off "it's 3am I'm not gonna send her away now" (true but still against hospital policy). I said yeah, but we picked these patients up at 1900. Coworker said "her english isn't very good so she's actually been quite helpful" (that's what interpreter phones are for). This nurse has worked here for 10 years, she knows better. I made a mental note of it, left it alone, and prayed that nothing would happen that I'd have to write a statement for. The patient was still there the next noc but the daughter wasn't.

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