Are patients allowed to order food from outside places and have it delivered to their rooms if they are on anything but a regular diet?
Right now we have a morbidly obese pt. who is a raging diabetic. He's on a diabetic diet. He can not even move himself around in the bed independently. All of us have been stressing our backs lifting his legs, pannus, arms, etc. so that he can turn and reposition. Getting him to sitting position on the edge of the bed is a real back buster. Don't even get me started on the two hour long dressing changes.
Just about every night he orders large amounts of food from the local fast food delivery places.
I understand that food is an addiction and free will and all of that but he is not complying w/ his prescribed diet which is affecting his ability to heal.
We had a another situation w/ a diabetic dialysis pt. who the doctors allowed to be on a regular diet. He needed to have his gallbladder taken out but refused. He would order burgers and fries and nibble on them all night while at the same time getting Phenergan q6hr and Dilaudid q3hr for his nausea and stomach pain. He'd refuse his Carafate, Reglan and Pepcid. And dialysis for days at a time.
Both of these pt.s could be verbally abusive and demanding to the staff. It is so frustrating that the doctors don't put their foot down and tell them that they cannot have a regular diet. Why can't the docs discharge them for non-compliance? We are basically just boarding these folks
b/c they refuse everything that will make them better.
I've been a nurse for a long time and I know the answer...customer satisfaction. But it feels good to vent.
I'm still curious about the ordering food from outside places, though. And, do you all see any docs that will stand up to these pt.s and not allow them things that are hindering their healing? Or will discharge them if they are refusing all tx. that will make them better?
And once they've made it to 80, surely they get to skip the occasional vegetable and enjoy a tasty slab o' pie. Diabetic or not. What's the point of a long life if you can't enjoy the odd thing?
I've had the same situation. Obese very unhealthy man would order food every night. Chinese food night was my favourite as he would have explosive diarrhea the whole next day.
Seriously? I was just finishing my Panda Express! :/
ThePrincessBride, MSN, RN, NP
1 Article; 2,594 Posts
I give anyone 80 or above a "free pass."