Night Shift Neglect.

[Magsulfate]

The other day I was floated to med/surg to help out with charging. I ended up having a couple of patients, which was okay with me. At just before 8am I went in to assess one of my patients and realized he was laying in his own urine and feces. There was so much of it that it had migrated to his pillow and was on his head. The man had a diaper on, and was clueless as to his situation. This doesn't make it any better, but thank god he didn't realize the neglect that he experienced all night.

At that moment, I could absolutely not believe what I was seeing. I could not believe that this could happen in a place that I work. IT WAS SO DISGUSTING, it was outrageous. I was just speechless. I cleaned him up and during the process almost started crying. This cute little old man was smiling at me, and I almost cried. He was laying in his own waste all night. How could this be happening?

Then a little bit later, the day shift CNA came to me and said 5 other patients were very messy with BM's this morning. Some of them had dried feces on them. ALL OF THESE PT's belonged to the same night shift CNA.

At this point, I never want to see that night shift CNA again. I wrote her up, using facts, and left my emotions out... err.. I tried to. But I couldn't help to add a final sentence at the end of the page about how NO HUMAN should be treated like these patients were treated here in this hospital, and how I feel so angry that this happened to our patients.

I hope that something happens to this CNA. If nothing happens, I will not stop until something is done, hopefully she is severely disciplined or fired. She needs to know her job, and if she doesn't want to do it, she needs to leave and work somewhere so she can't harm these poor old people.

I'm sorry, I just had to vent. I had to get on here and tell my story. I am still in a state of disbelief.

Let me just add one thing... I spoke with the night shift charge and she said that this certain CNA was lazy and hardly worked at all. I just don't understand how it could get this bad, how could they let her be lazy and not say anything until something like this happened???

[Christie RN2006]

Easttexasnurse31: I saw your reply previously to trauma and I was replying to the post that I quoted by fuzzywuzzy. I totally agree with how you feel though, I have found patients like that before and I was furious, but nothing was ever done about it. What happened with my situation was that a patient had been given lasix and she was having trouble making it on the bedpan in time, so the previous nurse had put a peri pad on her and told her it was ok to just go and it would catch it. The poor lady was soaked and reeked of urine. The pt felt so bad and kept apologizing for making a mess. She had urine all the way up to her pillow!?!

[SweetOldWorld, BSN, RN]

Looking on the bright side, at least your med/surg patients are pooping. Constipation can be such a problem on my med/surg unit. If that many patients pooped on one shift on my unit, it would be quite something! 6 of this CNA's patients all pooped on her shift? What do you all use for bowel care at your facility?

[Magsulfate, BSN, RN]

Looking on the bright side, at least your med/surg patients are pooping. Constipation can be such a problem on my med/surg unit. If that many patients pooped on one shift on my unit, it would be quite something! 6 of this CNA's patients all pooped on her shift? What do you all use for bowel care at your facility?

hahaaa :) Thanks for the funny. Actually, the doctors are whacks about using LACTULOSE.. it is sooo strong. Sometimes the nurses will give it even if the patient is having massive diarrhea from it!! That gets on my nerves too. I usually work in ICU and it just seems with two patients, you are better able to realize when to hold the lactulose and when not to. Or maybe some nurses just don't think about it and give it. Either way, that is a strong drug!

[Magsulfate, BSN, RN]

Easttexasnurse31: I saw your reply previously to trauma and I was replying to the post that I quoted by fuzzywuzzy. I totally agree with how you feel though, I have found patients like that before and I was furious, but nothing was ever done about it. What happened with my situation was that a patient had been given lasix and she was having trouble making it on the bedpan in time, so the previous nurse had put a peri pad on her and told her it was ok to just go and it would catch it. The poor lady was soaked and reeked of urine. The pt felt so bad and kept apologizing for making a mess. She had urine all the way up to her pillow!?!

Oops, okay I see now. I apologize.

Yes, up to the pillow! grrrrr!! And he wasn't even on lasix.

[kellykelly]

I wouldn't write them up, I would speak to them directly--let them know what I found, and that it is unacceptable.

[Chixie]

We have the same situation with two night nurses. Everytime these two are on shift, especially when they are on shift together, we come in on the morning shift to find patients reeking of urine,dried on poo,dirty inco pads/nappies just covered up with new ones, filthy roomsr, catheter bags bursting full as they hadnt changed or emptied them.

One patient made me feel ill. As we went into bath him the smell hit us, we bathed him and found that the nurse had just simply placed a new inco pad ontop of the dirty one rather than cleaning the patient and removing the soiled one. The sheet was covered in faeces and stained with urine.This patient had been laying in this mess for heavens knows how long

we had one gentleman who liked to paint with his faeces and nearly every time that these two 'nurses' were on we,the morning shift, would come in and find him caked in faeces,from top to toe and it would be dried on.

These two also gave a lady an enema but did not leave a comode next to her so the poor lady tried to walk to the nearest toilet and well im sure you can imagine the mess

Makes me sick.

[rngolfer53]

Doesn't surprise me.

I worked in a nursing home as a teenager before I went to nursing school. On 3-11 there were three aides, unless someone called in, which was often, and then there were two of us......for FORTY patients. I'd tear around like a chicken on steroids while the other aides sat in the nurse's station from 7 pm until 11 pm. Her patients weren't turned, or changed, or even looked at. There were no repercussions that I ever saw. It used to boggle my mind.

How could you live with yourself knowing that you left a helpless old person to lie in their own waste?

That is all too common. I was at a hospital-connected nursing facility the other night. I was there for a bit over two hours for a hospice Pt. Three CNAs never moved in that time, and there were clearly residents who needed changing.

There are many excellent, caring, and hard-working CNAs, but the slackers give them a bad name.

Not sure why little or nothing ever seems to be done. Perhaps employment laws make it tough to fire people. Perhaps managment doesn't want the hassle, or perhaps the pool of potential replacements is no better.

It would likely help some if the accreditors and state surveyors would show up during the night, but we all know the chances of them doing that...........................................Same thing goes for managers. They should periodically make unannounced audits of care at about 0230.

[TigerGalLE, BSN, RN]

Your hospital should implement walking reports. At change of shift the CNAs go into every patients room together and make sure they are clean and dry. If they are not then they either change the patient together or the previous shift cleans the patient before they leave.

[Magsulfate, BSN, RN]

Thanks everyone for all of your responses. I changed the title because it seemed that some people were getting out of shape about it (not you trauma :) you were nice) lol

Anyway, I'm headed out today to see if they've learned something and cleaned the patients. I am dreading this.

[Magsulfate, BSN, RN]

Well, I thought I changed it, but out in the forum it is showing the old title. Once you click on it it shows the new one. WELL, Dang.,...