Patient is a sex offender with a tracker on his ankle

Nurses General Nursing

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When I received shift report for my very ill, bed-bound patient, the RN giving report pointed out the tracker affixed to his anklet. She had admitted him a few hours earlier and did not know the details and there was nothing noted in his chart. Before she left, she looked online and he is a convicted sex offender (lewd and lascivious with a minor under the age of 14).

Is it appropriate to add this new information (pedophilia) to your shift report? To his chart?

The patient still has a right to quality care by medical staff. Searching the internet for this mans personal background is the same as you opening a medical record that is none of your business. It's a ankle monitor and parole office will contact the hospital if they feel it's necessary. Let the hospital management determine what information should be placed in his chart if they are contacted by parole. Years ago I worked at a doctors office and we found out through a news paper article that one of our patients was a sex offender. He had recently had surgery with our doctor and required follow up care. Our doctor stated that regardless of our feelings about the man, we could not let it impact the care he received for his medical issue. The doctor stated however that when the man came in for his appointments we were to immediately place him in a exam room instead of having him sit in the waiting room just in case any children came into our office with their parents.

Specializes in Pediatric Critical Care.
Yes, that is relevant information. I am glad she looked the person up. Not all the times are we informed of exactly what type of person we are dealing with. You need the information to keep YOURSELF/STAFF safe and visitors. Some nurses talk about their children and show pictures to patients. You don't want to set this person off on a sexual fantasy. I would document the tracker for sure.

If this is a valid concern, then nurses should be cautious talking about and showing photos of their children to all patients (basically strangers to you). In fact, that DOES sound like a good idea. But not because of an ankle bracelet.

If this is a valid concern, then nurses should be cautious talking about and showing photos of their children to all patients (basically strangers to you). In fact, that DOES sound like a good idea. But not because of an ankle bracelet.

No kidding!! What in the world.

Specializes in TBI and SCI.

How can some of you say it's not important in shift report to mention that? So when a pt comes with a brace on their arm

, we will just avoid it? No, we need to know what is going on with our pt. The ankle can cause skin break down right? Is it water proof? Will it make sound if someone attempts to take it off? If he ever needed to go to the hospital, the facility would need to notify someone because an alarm would go off part of his violation. How could you say it's not important? If it's 3am and he needs to go to ear and there is no admin or unit manager there, we send him out, no one would know to call his parole officer that he needs to get sent out for tx if it isn't communicated. Pts history is important. Is

To not being nosey, it's being efficient.

We have 2 sex offenders in my facility and everyone knows it, and we take care of them the same way, it explains to us things like why this person has what they have.

Specializes in TBI and SCI.
This thread reminds me of when I was on the floor the first time in nursing school and I was shadowing a CNA on day shift. Part of the night shift CNA's report to the day shift CNA was that the patient was gay. I thought "So?????"

Well that's just silly lol.

The nurse googled the pt. not because she was interested in his background but they couldn't find the reason for the ankle tracker. I would think that this should be passed along in the report for safety issues. Not only in the report but to the manager and security staff. This is not only for his safety but for other patients, visitors and staff safety. This is not to defame him but for the safety issues. If I have a patient who is violent and who is known offender I will be more vigilant in his room and will have an exit strategy before even I enter the room. It doesn't cost much to prevent than to treat something. This is no way will affect his medical care.

The thing is, though, IF it is determined by policy that it is important, for legitimate reasons, to know why someone is wearing a tracker, the policy can state exactly how to proceed - - which would involve something more official than Google. It shouldn't be incumbent on each individual staff nurse to make these decisions about how to get the information and how to disseminate it.

This is not to even mention the idea that there are people in trouble with the law who aren't violent, and violent people who aren't in trouble with the law. I'm being sincere when I say that your concerns are alarmist rather than thought through all the way.

Please talk to your manager for ideas about how to proceed.

Specializes in New Grad 2020.

I'd be careful about spitting out the labels of pediphile or rape or whatever.

Yes he broke the law but if you relay that info in the wrong way your opening yourselves and your hospital to possible lawsuit regarding liable/slander. It most likely not going to happen but people sue for a lot less.

im just saying. I'm not trying to judge you I believe your heart is in the right place. Also it's counter productive to tell the world. Opening your mouth without thinking can get you in the butt. Leave it to security (it's their job to keep the facility safe not "yours") and charge/management. Management most likely does have a policy in place for this type of thing: and an army of lawyers with the know how to deal with it.

Specializes in CCU, surgical acute, subacute.

You are a million percent correct! Totally inappropriate!!!!

This reminds me of a situation we had about a month ago. A patient had just been released from jail 3 weeks ago and was admitted on our unit. We didn't ever look up what she did, but she did loudly brag to every nurse about her attempted murder charge (it was a knife fight and she seriously injured someone) with a warning that she would do the same if we weren't prompt with her dilaudid. She also shared stories of being banned from a nearby hospital because she attempted to strangle a nurse with a stethoscope. She shared these stories as a "so be on time with my dilaudid or this could happen to you!" warning.

We did pass on this information verbally in report, and included it in her chart in the form of direct quotations. For example, "pt states, 'I've strangled a nurse for being 20 minutes late!' while pointing finger at RN"

I know this is different for several reasons--we never verified any of this information in any database, legally or otherwise, and the information we did pass on or chart came directly from the patient, in the form of direct quotes. But the point is, I've been in situations where a patient's criminal record was charted and passed on verbally at each shift.

Specializes in CCU, surgical acute, subacute.
Some of these responses just boggle my mind. Like do you read the stuff you're saying and really think it's appropriate and OK?? Have you learned nothing in school and in policy's and patient rights. We have a van full of Scooby Doo detectives thinking that being a nurse means solving crimes and putting our own opinions into legal patient charts and somehow justifying it. We have someone else that thinks that Googling someone is a HIPAA not HIPPA violation. *PS it's not, although it doesn't mean it's appropriate on company computers and time either* So much cringe worthy stuff said in some of these posts by people with no clear idea of what their scope of practice and role entails. I am very thankful the majority of the people seem to see the clear lines here that are not to be crossed, gives me a little faith.

I wish I could love this comment instead of simply liking it!! While I'm heartened that most people agree that googling the patient was a zillion percent inappropriate there are enough people justifying it to make me a little uneasy.

This reminds me of a situation we had about a month ago. A patient had just been released from jail 3 weeks ago and was admitted on our unit. We didn't ever look up what she did, but she did loudly brag to every nurse about her attempted murder charge (it was a knife fight and she seriously injured someone) with a warning that she would do the same if we weren't prompt with her dilaudid. She also shared stories of being banned from a nearby hospital because she attempted to strangle a nurse with a stethoscope. She shared these stories as a "so be on time with my dilaudid or this could happen to you!" warning.

We did pass on this information verbally in report, and included it in her chart in the form of direct quotations. For example, "pt states, 'I've strangled a nurse for being 20 minutes late!' while pointing finger at RN"

I know this is different for several reasons--we never verified any of this information in any database, legally or otherwise, and the information we did pass on or chart came directly from the patient, in the form of direct quotes. But the point is, I've been in situations where a patient's criminal record was charted and passed on verbally at each shift.

Your point is well-taken but your example is interesting in that I certainly would've done more with that then write it down and tell the next nurse. I do not accept direct threats. Something is going to be done in response. I would use every proper channel to put a stop to it and to make sure the threats did not progress to behavior. No employer gets a pass on that.

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