We have a very needy patient on our unit. They have been there for over a week. They also happen to be in isolation. The issue our staff has been having is. The daughter who refuses to wear any isolation gown, nor will make her school age children wear isolation gowns when visiting granny.
So my co-worker approaches me, and asks do you have any ideas on how we can get the family to comply? So we talk about it for awhile, meanwhile the patient's call light goes go. I follow with the patient's nurse to go help her, as it takes two people to turn her or assist her into the bathroom.
As we are in the patient's room with our gowns and gloves on. In walks the daughter and grand daughters. I look up and matter of factly say. You need to have gowns and gloves on . Daughter say, no I won't do it .Meanwhile her children are whining they also do not want to put gowns on either. To which I reply reminding them of hospital policy etc. Her reply " My husband is head of Trauma Services here and I don't have to"
cool, and god knows this impresses me to no end.
I look her dead in the eye and say. " I have one at home just like him and I do not get to break the rules either. "
So for one day she complied, now she is back to no gowns no gloves. A part of me wanted to call her husband requesting him to talk with his wife,as none of us has seen him on the unit to discuss this with him. Then I thought heck, not my battleground.
my vent is,, who in the heck does she think she is.... I have seen this attitude with some of the older wives, I had hoped younger wives had some self esteem beyond what their husband's did for a living.
