Patients with sticky fingers!

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Specializes in ER.

Ha ha, last patient of the night was a young woman brought in by her stepmother at around 3 AM. Step Mom reeked of cigarettes and seemed a bit tweeky. Patient was 19, was "jumped" at 2 AM two nights ago and "beat up by a bunch of Mexican girls" because "I was wearing red". She was complaining of abd pain increasing where, supposedly they kicked her. No bruises anywhere. She got some Percs, a full work up, turns out she had a raging UTI.

So, I gave the DC instructions. They were packing up to go and the Doc glanced over (we have sliding glass doors) and mentioned to me that they seemed to be taking chux from the drawer in the room. I went in and point blank asked "Are you guys taking things from the cupboards?" I glanced over and saw a patient belonging bag filled with stuff. They admitted to taking a box of Kleenex because "I have a cold and need Kleenex" Step Mom said "We know they charge us for everything we get here after all" I laughed to myself, thinking that the only bill that woman ever paid on time was to her drug dealer.

I just told her to take the Kleenex and please leave. They left with a lot more than they came with, stuffed in their bag. Not worth making a scene and good for a laugh!

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Specializes in ED.

We have locking cabinets in all of our rooms. Some of our regulars know the codes to get in but otherwise we don't get many shoplifters. Our "big" rooms have additional locking carts; a trauma cart and a crash cart.

I did have a girl break into my crash cart and stole all the epi, atropine, adenosine, lido, etc. ::eyeroll:: What a pain in the orifice!

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I have people steal all the time. Everything. Towels/washclothes.

All the juice/boxed lunches/TV dinners/sugar. The corded phone in the room.

Peroxide, remove wipes 1 by 1 from the container.

It really used to bother me but I'd be spending most my shift yelling at thieves

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Specializes in ER, progressive care.

Our supply carts lock. Our cabinets keep things like extra linens, gowns and towels but that's about it.

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We had one regular pt, a minor, and whenever dad brought pt in we'd empty that room out before bringing pt back. Caught dad repeatedly emptying the tongue blades and cotton-tipped applicators many times, but drew the line at a BP cuff.

My FIL was in the hospital and MIL had some snacks in the community visitor fridge, all labeled and dated, and the snacks went missing. She knew she didn't eat both things but just shrugged it off. She had a leftover sub sandwich one evening, and the nurse woke her up around 9:30 and asked if she had that sub; MIL said yes, and nurse took off running. A pt who was on a restricted diet would sneak into the waiting room and steal visitor's snacks--and got caught with my MIL's sandwich!

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Specializes in ED.

We had a patient that that took socks, kleenex, and the suction canister from the wall. She filled it up with water before she left.

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Specializes in nurseline,med surg, PD.

I worked at a place where a patient got in his WC, laid a blanket over his legs, went to the gift shop, and hid expensive items under the blanket. He eventually got caught. He had a ton of booty in his room.

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Specializes in PeriOp, ICU, PICU, NICU.

I've caught patients taking the entire SCD machine, wall suction and one even stole the toilet seat cover. People are unbelievable!

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Many many years ago, in Philly, we had a gypsy queen as a patient, and lost a massive amount of linens in 2-3 days. This was before most places had an entire security dept. In those days, the supply rooms didn't lock like they do now.

When she died, the family wanted to put her body in a wheelchair and take it around to the other pt's rooms so everyone could pay their last respects! Didn't happen.

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They got charged?! Yeah right, maybe the hospital or taxpayer got charged. 100 bucks says they were on Medicaid or some state insurance. So many patients come in with a low-life attitude or disposition I don't even notice anymore.

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As home care nurse who has went plenty of times to the ER with pts,sadly,I will admit I "steal".

The families really do need the chux..the plastic ones anyway.

We can't bring our own equipment from home,and since most are trach/vent/gtube,I see no harm in taking the suction cups.

That's kind of gross to reuse the same suction cup for others anyway..

Its not like the other nurses come help us when I'm there.

I have to do all the diaper changes,suctioning,etc until pt gets admitted.

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Specializes in Med-Surg.

Oh goodness. Smartnurse, I really hope you have no identifying information on here. Because this is the second time I'm seeing you post stuff that is unethical and/or illegal.

If you and your patients really need those things, why not just ask? Personally, I'm glad to send my patients off with a 'care package' of sorts if they really need it. But for them to steal things? Makes me mad as hell.

If you feel you aren't getting help with your patients when you bring them in, address it with staff. Don't think that this gives you the green light to clear out the linens or chux pads.

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