Can nurses refuse to care for angry patient?

Nurses Relations

Published

Can a nurse refuse care to a patient if they feel threatened? Verbally abusive? Sexually harassed/touched? What if you are already 'enemy' with the patient from a personal experience outside of work?

Nurse Rachet you are right on the money. NEVER accept abuse from patient, family members, supervisor, or doctors. File report and press charges. It will not be appreciated and will lead to being shown the door at sometime most likely, but we are responsible for the behavior we tolerate. I have often been given a patient who has complaints against other nurse, doctor, and facility. I always gave them form to fill out and often asked for member of administration to visit them. What I did not do was comment on complaint. If I did not see abuse, neglect, or poor treatment, I never sat myself up as judge or jury of those being accused. Remember, we all have personality quirks, we don't want another professional judging us without the facts.

a nasty copd who refused his bipap, peed all over the floor, pulled his IV's and was yelling for help. When I entered the room, he was taking a swing at his nurse and promising he would track her down and kill her.

Now...why do these people come to the hospital? Just to fight with us?? The nurse was concerned and asked me what to do. I suggested she write an incident report and consider notifying the police, because this is not a confused old blowhard type patient. Just a mean abusive man.

She did nothing. And this scares me, because one call to the BON and this man will have her address.

I could go on and on about some of my LTC residents. It would be nice to refuse to care for them, but "This is thier home" and we only have 2 nurses. Now I'm not complaining about the demented residents who truely don't have a clue to what they are doing... Im talking about the A & O residents... and their families.... Well even the psychotic ones have rights too, but what about the other residents and our safety..... Too bad administration just wants to fill a bed and god forbid these people aren't appropriate for our level of care... I almost had to call the cops the other day to 302 a resident that adm refused to deal with...

Specializes in retired from healthcare.
Can a nurse refuse care to a patient if they feel threatened? Verbally abusive? Sexually harassed/touched? What if you are already 'enemy' with the patient from a personal experience outside of work?

- Page 4- Nursing for Nurses

"Can I take one of your patients for this one? No and I resent your asking."

Here is another thread. ;)

She did nothing. And this scares me, because one call to the BON and this man will have her address.

Or he can wait and follow her, or have a friend or relative follow her, and he will get away with anything he does to her.

+ Add a Comment