Robinette

This is a joke, right? Please tell me you're joking. How can someone honestly not know this?

Your story is almost the same as mine except my child was 5 at the time and my husband died. Be grateful yours lived!

"Here is another case of a nurse being held responsible for the actions of another- I have an RN relative who works at an inpt lock-down psych unit. An LPN there was passing meds. One pt refused his meds, so the LPN mixed them in w/ the pt's food, which he then ate. Afterwards, the LPN told the pt what she's done. The pt got a lawyer and is suing for violation of his rights. The charge RN on duty that day (who did not even know what the LPN had done) is being held accountable by the hospital for the actions of the LPN. Totally unfair." This just totally staggers me!

It seems clear to me that the LPN is subject to the State LPN Practice Act, and therefore is the one and only responsible. State Nurse Practice Acts don't say that an RN has automatic supervisory and practice responsibility for an LPN. I mean, think about that. That would be a logistical and practical nightmare.

Okay, you win. This is the nightmare patient of all time - that I've ever heard about!

"Don't take your organs to Heaven. Heaven knows we need them here." I understand what your concerns are. Organ donation can be a hot and often misunderstood topic. Personally, I like Italy's method and wish it were so in the U.S.

Does this apply to the docs too? I thought not.

Nutrition - Physicians generally know zippo about different diets, what foods have what nutrients, etc. They know the buzz words like "no fat", "no sugar", but ask them specifics and they don't know. Addiction - Physicians have very little education about addictions. They don't understand alcoholism, food addictions, or drug addictions. "Addiction" should be a sub-specialty, in my humble opinion. Medications - Yes, it's true - they have no idea how medications can interact with each other. The most knowledgeable about meds is of course the pharmacist, but nurses generally have more knowledge about interactions than the physician. Look closely at every aspect of "whole" patient care, down to toenail care, and you'll see how very little the physician actually knows.

LOL! This is a good topic. I remember when I worked in a CCU and had a Head Nurse whose rule it was that nobody sits down to do their charting until every nurse is done with their patient care for the morning. Well, there was ONE nurse who took aaalllll day long just to bathe her patient (yes, just one patient) so the rest of us ended up having to help her finish up so we could chart!

Are you suggesting mandatory HIV testing? No can do. A patient has the right to refuse any and all medical intervention and/or tests, provided it's not an emergency situation. Can't mandate a blood test. Against the law. And, I don't think mandating the test is going to make a significant difference in the spread of AIDS. There is so much public information and outreach materials about AIDS and HIV testing that one would have to be living in a cave in Siberia not to be aware of all the associated issues.

Are you suggesting mandatory HIV testing? No can do. A patient has the right to refuse any and all medical intervention and/or tests, provided it's not an emergency situation. Can't mandate a blood test. Against the law. And, I don't think mandating the test is going to make a significant difference in the spread of AIDS. There is so much public information and outreach materials about AIDS and HIV testing that one would have to be living in a cave in Siberia not to be aware of all the associated issues.

I wouldn't go to Iraq for a million dollars. Not at this time.

I wouldn't go to Iraq for a million dollars. Not at this time.

Interesting case study. And interesting diversity of responses/theories. This entire thread is good fodder for an article in some Nursing Magazine. If this woman's husbands had life insurance policies which didn't exclude payment for suicide then I'd really wonder!

I thought part of the assessment was taking the vital signs. For me, personally, I like to take the vitals myself. I have had bad experiences with inaccurate vital signs taking from techs or aides, and it's my license on the line.

I love this. Thanks!

Not really. It is in fact true.

HIPAA - Health Insurance Portability and Accountablity Act of 1996. I keep hearing about "Hippa" and decided to find out what the heck it is. The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act was passed in 1996, and covers different aspects of health care portability and privacy. Title I protects health insurance coverage for workers and their families when they change or lose their jobs. This portability helps eliminate "job lock." Provisions guarantee availability and renewability of health insurance , and employers or carriers cannot discriminate based on health status. Title II requirements include national standards for electronic health care transactions and national identifiers for providers, clearinghouses, health plans and employers. . It also addresses the security and privacy of health data. Providers and employers are now scrambling to meet deadlines on the relatively new privacy requirements. One of the requirements is that a patient chart cannot be left anywhere where someone other than a health professional can see it. This includes stacks of charts sitting at the Nurses Station rather than in their appropriate filing slots. It also includes not having a patient's name on their hospital door, or writing a patients name down in your cheat-sheet that you use to keep track of what patient is in what room and what they all need for your shift. There can be NO way a patient's name or health data can be seen by anyone but you. Eenteresting!

This is pretty funny! I'm wondering if this patient didn't have some connections in high places that caused the supervisor to "hop and fetch". Bizarre, eh?

Nurses fought hard to get rid of these chores, so they could spend time doing clinical work. And now it seems it's coming back around. Sorry, but I don't see it as a nurse's job. Let the CEO come down and pull the trash, or the nurse manager, or the department head. The more you do, the more management will just heap upon you. Yes! I agree! We need to change our mindsets!

Addendum: You didn't mention a pile of stinking garbage so I assume it wasn't that drastic a situation :)

I've never worked in a facility where Housekeeping didn't stop in every patient's room at least twice a shift. That said, I would have done as you did. I would have let the patient rest and not disturb him/her. If for some reason Housekeeping wasn't stopping in a patient's room timely I would have tried to keep the room cleaned up myself, but I do agree with you that it doesn't fall within our job description per se, nor the Nurse Practice Act. I'd also ask my manager what was happening to Housekeeping.