patient requests hand mitts

Specialties Emergency

Published

Newbie here and i had a patient comes into the ER with pancreatic pain due to inflammation. patient suffers from anxiety and must IC every 4 hrs due to nerogentic bladder. While treating for pain, patient informed us that he has a tendency to pull out his foley and has requested that we place him in hand mitts. His reasoning was that while medicated he would be less likely to cause himself any undo pain or destress. What would you do with a request such as this. Never heard of anyone wanting to be placed in restraints

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Specializes in Emergency, Trauma, Critical Care.

We don't qualify hand mitts as restraints at my hospital. We can put them on without an order. That's unusual tho...but so are many ER encounters....

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Thank you for sharing, whew, my first post :)

I too at first thought the request was an odd one Inde3d.

after hearing from him, it made sense to me. The charge nurse warned that they may not be able to hit the call button, so I had to make notations every 20 minutes and ask the patient if he wanted me to take them off

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Specializes in OR, Nursing Professional Development.

Sounds like the patient is quite experienced at being a patient. Sometimes, the information they give us can help us improve the care the patient gets. Perhaps the patient has previously pulled out his foley and cause some damage. Makes sense that he would want to make sure it didn't happen again.

I once had a patient who pulled out a urologist-placed foley that had a 75cc balloon. It wasn't pretty. If that guy would ever see me again and ask for hand mitts, I would happily comply.

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Specializes in nursing education.

Patient autonomy, in an A&Ox4 pt with good insight. Like a PP said, mitts are not considered a restraint. Chart to CYA. Sounds like a win/win to me.

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Specializes in Emergency/Trauma/Critical Care Nursing.
Sounds like the patient is quite experienced at being a patient. Sometimes, the information they give us can help us improve the care the patient gets. Perhaps the patient has previously pulled out his foley and cause some damage. Makes sense that he would want to make sure it didn't happen again.

I once had a patient who pulled out a urologist-placed foley that had a 75cc balloon. It wasn't pretty. If that guy would ever see me again and ask for hand mitts, I would happily comply.

A 75cc balloon??? That's insane!

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Specializes in Surgical, quality,management.
A 75cc balloon??? That's insane!

Im guessing a bleeding prostate post TURP?

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Specializes in Emergency/Trauma/Critical Care Nursing.

Yeah could be. I just never see that working on an ER, honestly didn't know that existed. Thankfully I haven't encountered a situation of only deflating 10cc and trying to pull a foley out that was a 75cc balloon !

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Specializes in OR, Nursing Professional Development.
Im guessing a bleeding prostate post TURP?

Not sure why it was put in- I was the lucky OR nurse dealing with the aftermath of supra pubic tube insertion and urethral repair. I think the guy had to come back for at least one more planned surgery.

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Specializes in Gerontology, Med surg, Home Health.

In my world (SNF) hand mitts are definitely a restraint since they prevent full access to one's body. An abdominal binder used to keep a demented resident from pulling out their GTube is a restraint....an adult 'onesie' is a restraint...different places, different rules.

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Specializes in CT surgery, Cardiac, Critical Care.

As an aside, it's "neurogenic" :)

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Specializes in Cardio-Pulmonary; Med-Surg; Private Duty.
I once had a patient who pulled out a urologist-placed foley that had a 75cc balloon. It wasn't pretty.

Am I the only one who cringed, flinched, and crossed my legs upon reading that????? surprised-040.gif

thshocked.gif

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