Sitter to escort patient during smoke breaks.

Nurses General Nursing

Published

Hi all. Just curious about opinions on this topic. A patient safety attendant being assigned to sit with a patient for the sole purpose of escorting them off the unit whenever they please to smoke in the parking lot. This patient has high blood pressure and is receiving IV medication to treat it, but pressures remain very high. The sitter is to walk with the patient, make sure they smoke safely, escort them back to the unit, and sit in the hallway outside their room until the next time they would like to go smoke. Curious on what people think about a sitter being used for this purpose!

Since you are asking what people think........

I think it is a horrible waste of resources. Unless you are overstaffed with ancillary staff being paid to surf the web, that person's time could be used to somebody's benefit.

I also think that most alert and oriented patients committed to killing themselves should be allowed. Smoking while on IV anti hypertensives is a hell of a lot more suicidal than most people who are put on suicide watch in an ER. I would be in favor of discharge to my fantasy facility- unlimited cigarettes, booze, Mcdonalds and morphine PCA.

At least he died doing what he loved.........

6 Votes
Specializes in EMS, ED, Trauma, CEN, CPEN, TCRN.
2 hours ago, hherrn said:

Since you are asking what people think........

I think it is a horrible waste of resources. Unless you are overstaffed with ancillary staff being paid to surf the web, that person's time could be used to somebody's benefit.

I also think that most alert and oriented patients committed to killing themselves should be allowed. Smoking while on IV anti hypertensives is a hell of a lot more suicidal than most people who are put on suicide watch in an ER. I would be in favor of discharge to my fantasy facility- unlimited cigarettes, booze, Mcdonalds and morphine PCA.

At least he died doing what he loved.........

I love it. ?

One place where I worked, leaving the floor to smoke meant you were leaving AMA, BYEEEEEEE! You have to draw the line somewhere. I am not in favor of passively promoting behaviors that are harmful when patients are ADMITTED in the name of satisfaction scores. Now granted, the hospital cafeteria provides many fried options for suicide a la STEMI, but when you're admitted? Sorry. Play along or go home.

6 Votes

So why did this patient have a sitter?

4 Votes
9 minutes ago, JKL33 said:

So why did this patient have a sitter?

Literally just to make sure they didn’t have a stroke in the parking lot while they were smoking. No other reason. Patient was alert, oriented, entirely independent. Didn’t need or want a wheelchair ride down to the parking lot. The sitter sat in the hallway most of the day, staring at the wall, while the patient was sleeping, just waiting for them to wake up with the desire to go out for a smoke.

0 Votes
7 hours ago, hherrn said:

Since you are asking what people think........

I think it is a horrible waste of resources. Unless you are overstaffed with ancillary staff being paid to surf the web, that person's time could be used to somebody's benefit.

The best part was, the unit was understaffed at the time. There was no unit clerk and all the nurses and cnas were maxed out with more admits coming.

0 Votes
Specializes in EMS, ED, Trauma, CEN, CPEN, TCRN.
29 minutes ago, JKL33 said:

So why did this patient have a sitter?

To ensure safe smoking. ?

2 Votes
Specializes in Neuro ICU and Med Surg.

That is a waste of resources for sure. This is ridiculous. If they are alert and oriented, you can't stop them from leaving to smoke. Either it is AMA, or document and educate them and let them leave.

2 Votes
2 hours ago, cna1234 said:

Literally just to make sure they didn’t have a stroke in the parking lot while they were smoking. No other reason. Patient was alert, oriented, entirely independent. Didn’t need or want a wheelchair ride down to the parking lot. The sitter sat in the hallway most of the day, staring at the wall, while the patient was sleeping, just waiting for them to wake up with the desire to go out for a smoke.

Oh boy. I was imagining maybe the pt required a safety attendant for something legit and also just happened to be a smoker.

What a terrible waste of resources. I'd suggest a different plan, I think.

0 Votes
Specializes in NICU/Mother-Baby/Peds/Mgmt.
2 hours ago, cna1234 said:

Literally just to make sure they didn’t have a stroke in the parking lot while they were smoking. No other reason. Patient was alert, oriented, entirely independent. Didn’t need or want a wheelchair ride down to the parking lot. The sitter sat in the hallway most of the day, staring at the wall, while the patient was sleeping, just waiting for them to wake up with the desire to go out for a smoke.

That doctor who wrote the order is an idiot. I hope when he comes in the floor you don't jump to help him, if he complains just say you're short-staffed cuz HE has a sitter for a totally alert and oriented patient. If people want to kill themselves by doing dangerous things then you should let them.

4 Votes

Why should the sitter have to be exposed to their carcinogenic smoke?

4 Votes
Specializes in retired.

all the sitter we have used in the skilled facility was there for the perpose of keeping the patient safe from falls getting out of bed and trying to leave facility I know some family paid for a sitter more like a companion

0 Votes
Specializes in Critical Care; Cardiac; Professional Development.

If our patient is 1:1 obs, they cannot leave their room. 1:1 obs for the sake of getting to go smoke is blatant abuse of the system and absolutely ridiculous. Refuse the nicotine patch? No problem, but if you go down to smoke, you have left AMA.

Frankly, my biggest issue with this is that some unit is likely without a tech because they got pulled for this nonsense.

1 Votes
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