Nurse/patient relationships after discharge

[herculean]

Hello I have been an LPN for almost 2 years and have come across something I havent experienced before. I am a nurse in a LTC facility in northern Cali. I recently had a patient, an elderly man in his 70's, who is completely alert, who I became very fond of. He was a patient at our facility for a little over 3 months and was recently discharged. To make a long story short, on his last day at the facility, his daughter gave me their phone number and told me I should call sometime to say hi, or to drop by and visit because they live only a couple miles from me, and I was his "favorite nurse". I sometimes want to call, but haven't. If it is just to check how he is doing, is this ok? Will I get in trouble if I visit him if he is no longer my patient? I mean there is nothing romantic or sexual going on nor will there ever be but i am wondering if this is still ok. Can somebody give me some insight? Thanks very much for your time & comments in advance.

[brandyrn03]

Based on what you've said so far I dont' see any reason you couldn't go visit. If we meet someone and they become our friend, we spend time with them. If that friend happens to be hospitalized and we take care of them, we wouldn't suddenly stop being their friend afterward just because we had taken care of them as a patient. You just happened to meet this gentleman while he was under your care. As long as you don't give him preferential treatment if he comes back to your facility... I don't see any reason you can't be a friend to him and his family.

[RescueNinja]

I don't know...I certainly haven't been a nurse long enough to know everything, but this just seems like a situation that is begging for a bad outcome. I might call and check in on him, but I'd never go visit.

We were always told that if you are assigned to care for someone that you know outside of work you should try your best to switch assignments to keep personal & professional lives separate. IMHO, it should be the same in reverse.

[nursie_pants]

I agree with RescueNinja on this one. There's just a lot of gray area... if you did decide to develop a social relationship w/a former patient I would assume you would *not* care for them in a readmission situation.

I have actually seen a couple nurses on my floor "friends" with former patients on Facebook - even tagged in photos the patient took while on our floor - which to me certainly crosses the line and looks like a HIPAA violation.

[Mrs. Sparkle Pants]

With any relationship you run the risk of things going wrong. What would happen if you became good friends, got in a fight, and he decided to call the hospital and complain about you. Just a thought.

[Horseshoe, BSN, RN]

I agree with RescueNinja on this one. There's just a lot of gray area... if you did decide to develop a social relationship w/a former patient I would assume you would *not* care for them in a readmission situation.

I have actually seen a couple nurses on my floor "friends" with former patients on Facebook - even tagged in photos the patient took while on our floor - which to me certainly crosses the line and looks like a HIPAA violation.

How is this a HIPAA violation? Did the patient post the photos and tag the nurse? or vice versa? If the nurse posted the photo and/or identified the patient:eek: I would agree with you.

[elkpark]

I agree it is always safest and most professional to not blend personal and work life. I would not pursue any kind of relationship, or even contact, outside of work. And, as noted, if a friend is hospitalized, the usual response is to arrange to not provide direct care to that person yourself. That is usually the administration's preference/policy in those situations and they usually assist in making those arrangements.

[LTV950rn]

I've heard that if you question whether you something is a boundary violation or not, it probably is. A better suggestion may be to encourage them to stop by and visit you during working hours. This is a good compromise- the patient can see you, and the visiting is at your workplace during work hours, making the situation much less questionable.