Hi, everyone...I've really enjoyed lurking here, now have a question I'm hoping someone can help with.
Anyone willing to comment on the risk-management/legalities of allowing patients to loiter in the waiting room for hours and hours after being discharged from ER? Our community hospital is having an issue with this and I'm concerned that it is a legal risk. For example, a patient who is VERY well-known to our department, comes by EMS and never has a way home - has abused every option available and burned most all bridges, so it is by sheer luck that he EVER gets a ride home. This patient always presents with the same potentially-serious complaint which (thus far) has never panned out to be anything. After being adequately evaluated and eventually d/c'd from ER, he ends up out in the waiting room and is more than happy to sleep there all night. Occasionally bothers other patients/visitors and staff by pandhandling for money or food or rides.
I think it is unwise legally to allow loitering on our premises - seems like a nightmare waiting to happen if the patient has some sort of 'event' while spending hours on OUR cameras just mere feet from our department (i.e. stops breathing while sleeping in one of our chairs and no one notices it -on camera- immediately). Most recently I have been told by management that I could make notes in the chart (post-discharge) with regard to the patient's activities ("sleeping", "reading magazine", etc.) which I think is even MORE dangerous for me to accept that level of responsibility. If I'm going to do that, I might as well keep the pt on tele until a ride can be found.
I think mgmt is leery of taking a 'hard stance' with anyone given that we are a community hospital, lest we appear un-compassionate. Also, there is a fear that if we call the cops, for example, the pt will just make the same original complaint again and end up needing to be re-seen in the ER even sooner than he otherwise would!
Thoughts? Especially comments related to the nurse's responsibility to discharged patients who don't leave the premises....and feel free to let me know if I'm blowing the issue out of proportion.
Thanks in advance.....:)
JKL