Nursing scrubs worn by visitors in the unit

[Skippingtowork]

Just wondering about the policies in various hospitals about nursing scrubs being worn on hospital units by non-employees. Specifically, what are the thoughts on visitors wearing scrubs on a mother-baby unit?

[carolinapooh, BSN, RN]

I could eat your hospital alive in court, I would just call it my religious freedom and say it was part of my religion to wear scrubs.

I don't know about the religion part, but my guess is that this wouldn't hold up in court as enforceable (forcing a private citizen to change clothes). Sort of like a security guard thinking he's getting his hands on someone's phone - legally - without a warrant. Uh, no.

[carolinapooh, BSN, RN]

Obviously it's not 'just by wearing scrubs'. And many rural hospitals and critical access hospitals lack funding for sophisticated anti-abduction systems.

Isn't having a restricted access to L&D required for JCAHO accreditation? Badging in and out would qualify.

[Skippingtowork]

If they informed you that they were just coming from a shift in another hospital on adult unit, would you do anything different for you NICU patients? Just curious. So many different approaches. A lot of us remove our clothes at the garage door.

[Not_A_Hat_Person, RN]

When I worked in Corrections, visitors weren't allowed to wear anything that looked like a uniform. Since the nurses wore scrubs, I assume that meant visitors weren't allowed to wear scrubs.

The hospital where I had my twins let me borrow a pair of scrubs to visit. My daughter has a congenital heart defect. She was taken to a different hospital as soon as she was born, and had open-heart surgery at 2 days old. I'd arrived via helicopter, and the only clothes I had were the ones I wore to my local hospital, which were covered in amnionic fluid. I had no clothes aside from my hospital gown and a bathrobe. My father died right after cardiac surgery, so I was out of my mind with worry, plus recovering from a C-section and narcotics. Someone found me a pair of hospital scrubs so I could see my daughter before she went for surgery. I had 3 wristbands (1 for me, 1 for each baby), but no hospital ID badge.

[KRVRN, BSN, RN]

If they informed you that they were just coming from a shift in another hospital on adult unit, would you do anything different for you NICU patients? Just curious. So many different approaches. A lot of us remove our clothes at the garage door.

I see your point. It tends to be a non issue since Mom usually isn't working and Dad will be off work awhile and then when he gos back, he will generally come along with Mom to visit baby...which seems to be after he gets off from work. So I'm guessing he goes home, changes and then brings Mom to the NICU.

[Skippingtowork]

Thank you all for your excellent comments. Lots to think about.

[JadedCPN, BSN, RN]

True story, my husband was a regional security director for one of the largest adult healthcare networks in Ohio a few years ago. One of his biggest pet peeves involved security concerns and lack of security on the mother-baby units. He was in charge of revamping the entire code adam/code pink system in that hospital, and the first part of his revamping involved testing the current system while at the same time showing the employees that a change was needed because they didn't want to believe it. He did this by essentially having me steal a "baby" (a fake baby). I was not a nurse at his hospital but did have the same colored scrubs as the hospital. So on day one I was able to talk myself into getting a vendor badge from the desk by saying I was a surgical supply company vendor - no questions asked, sign the paper, done. The next night we went to the hospital to stage the stealing. Keep in mind the CEO, DON, and all of the management on the mother-baby unit were aware of what was happening. So I go to the hospital with my scrubs and my now legit vendor badge (it didn't have my face on it, but did have the hospital security logo and said vendor on it). I then called the mother-baby unit from the lobby asking if I could borrow some extra supplies for an OR case that was more involved than expected - I gave them a generic list of supplies that an OR should already have like foley caths, gauze, etc. They said sure no problem come on up! So I go to the unit, which is locked, I had my badge on and was promptly buzzed into the unit by the HUC without even asking who I was prior to buzzing me in. They showed me the supply room and let me be. I then snuck out of the supply room, met my husband in the designed empty patient room where he and the charge nurse were. There was a fake baby with the tag on which is supposed to alarm if tampered and prevent the doors from being opened. So, we cut the tag so that it would alarm at the station (which it did and was ignored) and then my husband (who was dressed in street clothes and a hat and wasn't recognized) proceeded to take the actual fake baby down the back stairwell, while I had placed rolled up blankets that looked like a baby in the cart I was pushing and proceeded to walk out the unit doors. The doors did not lock as they should, and the staff did not stop me even though there was a tag alarm as they should. I then walked down the stairwell and literally walked right out the front door, where my husband was waiting with the real actual baby.

It was one of the craziest, scariest things I have ever experienced because it was just way too easy to do. It was also one of the most fun things to experience too lol.

[OscarTheOwl]

Sleepy new mom + person in scrubs/ badge turned backwards = abduction potential

Nearly every abducted newborn from a hospital was abducted by a person wearing scrubs.

With my last baby, I had a traumatic c-section and was snowed for at least a day, I wouldn't have made a fuss if a scrub wearing baby stealer tried to take the baby (as much as I hate to admit it). No scrubs in peds/l&d is a great policy.

[MunoRN, RN]

Obviously it's not 'just by wearing scrubs'. And many rural hospitals and critical access hospitals lack funding for sophisticated anti-abduction systems.

It doesn't make sense to use scrubs as any part of the security process. Scrubs are easily obtained, can be worn beneath clothes, carried in, etc. As a general rule, exits to newborn units should be alarmed or staffed, with people exiting only through a staff monitored exit, that staff person should be only looking at actual credentials of someone leaving with an infant. Even the suggestion that scrubs are a partial indicator that someone is 'official' by prohibiting visitors in scrubs is dangerous.

[Horseshoe, BSN, RN]

I could eat your hospital alive in court, I would just call it my religious freedom and say it was part of my religion to wear scrubs.

Nah, the judge would react to that just like most of us here react to your nonsense. With a yawn, and "Next."

[NicuGal, MSN, RN]

In NICU we have a lot of our kids parents who work at our hospital. They have to put on an isolation gown and they have a visitor sticker visible. We especially stress this to parents and visitors who work in adult areas.

Everyone has to stop at the desk to be let in, if you are in scrubs you have to show your ID...we had a hand washing monitor who once told our secretary that it wasn't her business to know who she was and let her in. At the time no one knew her and as she refused 3 times to comply, security was called. And she was fired.

Everyone who works maternal child has a different badge than the rest of the hospital also.

[meanmaryjean, DNP, RN]

In NICU we have a lot of our kids parents who work at our hospital. They have to put on an isolation gown and they have a visitor sticker visible. We especially stress this to parents and visitors who work in adult areas.

Everyone has to stop at the desk to be let in, if you are in scrubs you have to show your ID...we had a hand washing monitor who once told our secretary that it wasn't her business to know who she was and let her in. At the time no one knew her and as she refused 3 times to comply, security was called. And she was fired.

Everyone who works maternal child has a different badge than the rest of the hospital also.

Please tell me that it was the handwashing monitor who was fired, not the secretary....