Pt having a "friend" over for "special nursing care"

Published

You know what I mean. . .a patient having someone of the opposite sex (or the same sex! that's happened too) that they are romantically involved with, spend the night (thankfully in a private room) and performing overt sex acts, to the horror of the poor CNA who has to come in and fix her tele leads, which have obviously come loose from all the activity.

I was horrified to know that not only does my hospital not have a policy against this, but the house supervisor told me I was not allowed to tell them to stop! These are sick people here! I understand people say they have "physical needs," but can we draw a line somewhere?!

Eww!! But I would fix the leads and leave them be.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Family Nurse Practitioner.
[quote=Lev

Who are we to hold people's behavior in a private hospital room to our standard? As long as what they are doing is not illegal and private I stand by my previous comment. I do not get easily offended or uncomfortable. It's like telling homosexuals to keep it in private and avoid PDA. I would never ask that from a straight couple, why should I ask that of any group?

PDA vs sex are two different conversations.

It would be one thing if the patient in a private room said "I need alone time with my wife, do not disturb for 1/2 an hour" Vs you going to the room to make sure everything's ok and walking in on them. I would be uncomfortable, as would many people. Personally, If I was changing bed linens, I would want to know if something transpired on top of them. Just my $0.02.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in EDUCATION;HOMECARE;MATERNAL-CHILD; PSYCH.

Nursing is about holistic care and that includes meeting physical needs of the patient. In this case, the patient is meeting his/her physical need.

Having sex is NORMAL. Having sex in a hospital room is very interesting and confusing. I guess it depends on preferences and turn-ons.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in LTC, med/surg, hospice.

I'm far from being against sex but it is usually not necessary to partake while in the hospital.

I work at night so I don't knock on the door to a patient's room before entering (when doing rounds) especially after 11pm when they may be asleep.

I've worked in long term care and walked in a patient self pleasuring and kindly walked back out. No big deal. I'm sure some residents were sexually active but that is their home so it is different.

I'm sure some may get a thrill from the possibility of being caught.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in L&D, Women's Health.

Different spin on this . . . My ex was extremely abusive. He did not care that I was in the hospital for injuries from major MVA. He had to have sex; I had no choice. I would have LOVED a policy that said no sex and a nurse that would've thrown his ass out.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

U

MissyRN

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Med/Surg, Academics.

This thread is a riot! Lots and lots of misunderstandings among posters.

OMG Sex!!! The world is ending!!! I'm so offended!!!! Please people, grow up and mind your own business!!!, if you want to believe like sex is a dirty thing, go ahead but don't hold everyone else to your Stone Age, goat herder's beliefs.... Vent over lol

A'right. No one said sex is a dirty thing. There is a time and place for everything, and it's my belief that in acute care is neither the time nor the place.

Who are we to hold people's behavior in a private hospital room to our standard? As long as what they are doing is not illegal and private I stand by my previous comment. I do not get easily offended or uncomfortable. It's like telling homosexuals to keep it in private and avoid PDA. I would never ask that from a straight couple, why should I ask that of any group?

Seeing people mauling each other's mucous membranes in public is either 1) a turn off, especially if they are ugly and 2) a turn on, especially if they are really, really good looking. I would rather not leave it up to the maulers to decide which category of attractiveness they fit into, so it's just better to not do it, ya know?

Say's who?! So you're saying that one can't have sex in a private apartment if you have a roommate? As long as they are quiet and curtains are closed, I don't see a problem

I have a problem with it, being the unsuspecting roommate multiple times in college. Not fun to be studying and have to put earphones on to drown out the "quiet" smacking and board-screeching above me. (Had bunks in school where the floor portion was a little living room of sorts.)

'knock, knock knock… you're ok right? cuz the monitor says you're flat lining… please answer if you're dead and I'll come in and resuscitate you. '

Thank you for that! Yes, I knock on doors to let people know I'm coming in, but it would be impractical and dangerous to always wait for reply.

And of course sexual urges absolutely MUST be acted upon immediately, every single time you have one.....

And that's the bottom line, folks.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.
You know what? I may be old fashioned, but I think it is another sign that visiting policies, and society, have become way too lax. In a word, it's disrespectful and, actually, ridiculous.

And people wag their fingers at that bad, judgmental nurse for feeling like it's not right, and maybe there should be policies forbidding it?

How low have we sunk? And, how much more garbage are we nurses supposed to put up with until we say "Enough is enough!"?

I can't help but think the "Customer Service" pendulem is going to swing the other way sooner or later (hopefully sooner). We nurses are supposed to put up with all the garbage anyone is willing to dish out lest our customer satisfaction scores dip. Visiting policies are way too lax . . . someone who requires monitoring probably ought not to be "satisfying those physical needs" until they're healthy enough to be off the monitor.

If monitor leads are off, I'm going in to check, with or without knocking and recieving an invitation to enter. A patient who is off the monitor is in danger.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.
Say's who?! So you're saying that one can't have sex in a private apartment if you have a roommate? As long as they are quiet and curtains are closed, I don't see a problem

If I were the roommate, I'd be mighty uncomfortable with that going on. They're either going to be by the door, meaning I wouldn't want to walk past them to get out of the room, or they're going to be closer to the bathroom, which would keep me from using the bathroom. It would be much nicer to the roommate for them to wait until they go home, or at least get a private room.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.
So you think there's only one type of apartment in a roommate situation... Interesting

If you're living in an apartment where the bedroom is shared, you've made a decision to live in that situation. Sexual activity by either roommate with someone else should be negotiated so one doesn't subject one's roommate to something that makes him or her uncomfortable. A double hospital room isn't something that one chooses . . . it's usually just where they happen to have an empty bed and the staff to cover it. One doesn't subject one's roommate to things that might make them uncomfortable in that situation. At least, a kind person doesn't.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.
Knocking on the door and waiting for permission to enter THE ROOM is proper etiquette and would negate the entire thread .

Not if there are monitor leads involved.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Is it inappropriate? Yeah, probably...but can a hospital actually have a policy stating that sexual activity isn't allowed? Probably not.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Join the Discussion