Psych nursing under Covid-19

[penelopelp]

I’m curious what everyone’s psych units are looking like right now. Are you seeing fewer or more patients? Are your patients social distancing while on the unit? Are your patients still sharing rooms? Are any staff wearing masks? We are told that our patients are pre-screened, so we don’t need masks. We still have some double rooms on the unit. We are encouraging patients to stay 6 feet apart—which involves some creativity during mealtimes. We are keeping groups to 10.

[Safety Coach RN]

All ours are in private rooms which puts our two largest units at 13 a piece. Social distancing is encouraged. No masks. I'm currently doing Intake Coordinator position so every direct admit is pre-screened, along with ER but....I've heard as high as 89% of carriers can be asymptomatic and psych patients are notoriously poor historians for some of the questions.

Our phones are not ringing anywhere near as much for direct admits but our ER is steadily keeping the half units full.

We have an entire unit set aside for anyone febrile to be isolated until testing is done.

[ErinDel, ASN, BSN, RN]

we are a 30 bed unit still taking admissions, currently capped at 24. we have some private rooms and double rooms. staff is now wearing surgical masks all shift. they are prescreened in the ED but that can always change if they become symptomatic within 14 days on being on the unit. if someone shows signs of illness, we are keeping them in the seclusion room until they can be transferred to medicine. as far as groups, we are trying to keep them to no more than 8 patients per group. there really is no social distancing on the unit, that is impossible. people are still sitting next to each other eating, watching tv, and playing games.

good luck and stay safe!

[DoubleblessedRN, ADN, RN, EMT-B, EMT-P]

I work in a large psychiatric hospital, and when we take a report from the sending facility, we ask specific questions about symptoms in regards to COVID 19. I’m not aware of any patient has been turned away as a result of any yes answers as there are eight units. Vitals are taken on patients every morning (they always have been) but what has changed in regards to that is we call the nursing supervisor if a patient has a temp of 100 degrees or more, and this has occurred. A panel of labs are drawn, they are cultured for the flu, and they are quarantined until cleared to return to the regular unit. Some patients have had strep throat or ear infections, but so far, nobody has had COVID 19 nor has it been highly suspected.