What type of writing utensil do you provide for your patients? Pens or pencils? Do you have any specific reasons for this decision?
Davey Do 1 Article; 10,290 Posts Specializes in Psych (25 years), Medical (15 years). Has 44 years experience. Jul 3, 2016 Short, little Golf pencils- more difficult to use as a weapon.
RatchedAfterMidnight, MSN, APRN 84 Posts Specializes in PMHNP/Adjunct Faculty. Has 9 years experience. Jul 4, 2016 Same as above, short golf pencils. I will add to the conversation eraser-less specifically because patients can use erasers to self harm by creating eraser burns on their skin.
elkpark 14,633 Posts Jul 4, 2016 I've seen the short, eraserless "golf" pencils, also. Years ago, I worked on a psych unit that only offered felt tip pens because they were considered the safest option. And I've worked on units on which it wasn't considered an issue, and staff would just hand people ballpoint pens.
oceanblue52 462 Posts Jul 4, 2016 We use floppy pens and felt tip markers for acute patients. No golf pencils because we've had several injuries with them at a facility I worked at.
MagnumRN, BSN 13 Posts Specializes in PMH. Has 30 years experience. Jul 17, 2016 Once on my inpatient unit an individual straightened out the spring in a bic pen and worked the whole thing under the skin of his arm.
EKUGRAD, BSN, MSN, RN, CNS 70 Posts Specializes in Psychiatric / Forensic Nursing. Has 48 years experience. Jul 22, 2016 Highly recommend felt tip markers and good ol' crayons.That said, in reference to Magnum's post:We had a 24-year-old borderline personality female at the state hospital that started by opening her antecubital fossa with a staple she got from a magazine. Long story short - after 6-7 months she had reached the point where she could put three highlighters, several crayons, 4 or 5 Band-Aids (wrapper and all), roll of 1" tape, a spoon, a plastic knife, parts of a Styrofoam coffee cup and some toilet paper into her upper arm via the antecubitus, between the dermis and fascia. She had so many trips to the E.R. to fish things out, the hospital was reported to A.P.S. ! She went through MRSA and two rounds of Vancomycin; 1:1 staffing, room with mattress only, separately staffed unit on another floor (I kid you not...). The facility closed before she was discharged and she was transferred to another state unit. Always wondered how that turned out.Psych Nurse Humor - after a while whenever anything was missing on the unit, regardless of size, including people, somebody would say, "Have you checked so-and-so's arm lately?"
MagnumRN, BSN 13 Posts Specializes in PMH. Has 30 years experience. Jul 23, 2016 Drop that mike, EKUGRAD! Wow, I've been doing this for 30 years (although always acute inpt, never state hosp) and that's one of the most impressive efforts I've heard.
