Saying Hello To A Previous Patient

[oohappyday]

Scenario:

You had Mr. A for a patient on Tuesday. He was discharged. Later that week you go back to work and you see that Mr. A is admitted again to your unit. However, Mr. A is not assigned to you, but assigned to another nurse on the unit.

Is it wrong to drop in and say hello to this patient?

Do you only say hello if the patient says hello first?

Is it wrong to tell the nurse you had this patient a few days ago?

Just some thoughts. Thank you for any of your responses!

[ChristineN, BSN, RN]

I see nothing wrong with saying "hi." I have taken care of various pts that will be on and off the floor every couple of months and when they come in everyone has to say "hi" and see how he is doing.

[LMRN10]

I actually asked my instructor about this and she said it was fine, so if my patients from the previous week were still there, I'd drop in and say hello and see how they were doing. I see nothing wrong with it, but wanted to make sure I wasn't overstepping my boundaries, so that is why I asked my instructor.

[JettaDP]

I can't imagine why there would be anything wrong with that. As long as you keep it to small talk so his current nurse doesn't think you're trying to take over. And I think I would tell her that you had him before if you want. You could say something like, "I was Mr. A's nurse awhile ago. He's a nice guy." Or whatever. You're not sharing any medical information (which may make her feel like you're stepping in too much), but she may be glad to know you were his his nurse so if she has any questions about his health from awhile ago, you may be able to tell her more than his patient history will. Plus, I think if you awknowledge him, he will feel more comfortable as a patient because he'll feel like you're weren't just "doing your job." He'll like that you remember him and you don't shrug him off as just another patient.

[crazyNursingStudent1]

yes of course you could say hi and see how they are doing i do this all the time nothing wrong with it.

[Natingale, EdD, RN]

Nothing wrong at all, i think the patient would appreciate you taking the time to say hi. I like the way youre thinking though, is it that your worried about going against a certain policy? If it is, then dont worry about it.

[oohappyday]

Nothing wrong at all, i think the patient would appreciate you taking the time to say hi. I like the way youre thinking though, is it that your worried about going against a certain policy? If it is, then dont worry about it.

Hi Natingale! Well, I was in my NURSING ISSUES class when the subject came up. My teacher said there might be some controversy over this subject. Some nurses think it is wrong and against patient privacy to tell other nurses whether you took care of them in the past or not. Some nurses frown upon saying hi to previous patients unless they acknowledge you first. I guess it all depends on the situation.

Personally, I agree with all the above responses. I definitely think saying hello to a previous patient is beneficial for everyone.

Thanks again!

[missjennmb]

the only way I could imagine it being a problem would be to say hi to someone in a different setting... i.e. outside of the hospital/in another hospital/whatever Its not like you're giving away their confidentiality or anything if its the same hospital. If anything, I would feel better knowing that I was remembered, than not being aknowledged after having just been there... it would make me feel more like a person and less like a patient number, yk?

[rnmomtobe2010]

I don't see the harm in that...

[Natingale, EdD, RN]

Youre just saying hi though, thanks for clarifying oohappyday!

No one else knows you took care of the patient, he could be your neighbor or something. Justa hello. I would see a problem if they were discussing HOW she knew the patient, stuff like that.

This is a interesting topic though, thanks for posting.