smoke free

weirdRN, RN · Sep 3, 2006

I remember when smokers were allowed to smoke on the front porch of the facility where I work. Then a man had a stroke and dropped his cigarette and was burned very badly. He died a few days later. The facility was sued for negligence b/c there was no monitor for the smoker on the porch. The facility immdeiately went to non-smoking for the residents. The staff still has a small smoking area in back of the building and there are a few smokers, but by and large, most of the staff does not smoke anymore.

I think it is cruel to ask someone who has smoked all their life to quit when they come into the nursing home. THat is just down right cruel!

HappyNurse2005, RN · Sep 3, 2006

Ours is smoke free, in theory. No employees can smoke on the hospital grounds, but the patients can still go to the smoking area and smoke!

There is a bridged road going infront of the hospital. employees now go under the bridge to smoke, completely visible from all windows on front of hospital, and from front door. i thinkthat looks worse than in the mostly hidden from view smoking block.

INnurse · Sep 3, 2006

My hospital went smoke free on July 1, for patients, visitors, and employees. Employees are not even allowed to smoke on breaks. You don't clock out for breaks, therefore you can not leave the premises. This is a legality. If you want to clock out for your 30 minute break and go off the premises and smoke you can. So technically a smoker can only smoke once during a 12 hour shift. I am a non-smoker so this hasn't affected me. But in the last couple of weeks the employees who are smokers have been taking "walks" (night shift) a few times a night and they come back smelling like smoke.

RGN1 · Sep 3, 2006

Both my last & current hospital are smoke free, in theory. In practice consultants smoke in the grounds & so do staff - hidden around the corner out the back of theatres!

Patients have to sign forms that are like a mini self discharge form & go off premises to smoke. They have to be dressed in suitable clothing - no nightwear & not have cannulas/drips etc. They are on their own & we are not liable for them.

Being a fervent anti-smoker I'm glad that I don't have to deal with other peoples smoke but I'm sure many don't agree with me.

butterflynurse · Sep 3, 2006

At the LTC facility where I work, we are not smoke free. Thank goodness because I am a smoker. Our patients are also allowed to smoke also. They have to have staff with them. We keep their cigarettes locked up in the med cart and thier lighters. We only have a few smokers. It just seems like on all of our breaks, we have to take the patients outside too, and this doesn't feel like much of a break when we have to do that. All in all, our smoking policy works out pretty good.

**nurse** · Sep 3, 2006

:smokin: I'd give care with one lit in the corner of my mouth if I could. Unfortunately for me, and fortunately for the rest of the world, no one lets me do that.

I've been through a max prison going smoke free and while it was uncomfortable, it was accomplished. At least, smoking is much less rampant, very expensive now for the inmates that have the money to pay for that contraband now. Staff can get one if they have the time to get all the way outside.

I don't like it, but I can accept that it's a huge health hazzard to our patients as well as staff, and for staff it's a time eater as well. I don't like it at all, but I can accept it's better for the health that we are supposed to promote and for productivity.

Now if we could just mandate people be NICE.

hospitalstaph · Sep 3, 2006

anyone else's facility going 100% smoke free? Here in MO I guess there will be a state law passed next spring which will mandate this, so area hospitals have all come together and implemented this early, as of Sept. 1. There is absolutely NO SMOKING anywhere on hospital grounds, not even the parking lot. For me this isn't a big deal, I quit smoking two years ago but some of our nurses are having a hard time, and patients too. We are a rehab facility so patients will not come knowing they can't smoke. Others are niccing pretty badly, even though theyare offered smoking cessation tools like patches. We had a whole program for staff members and their families to prepare for this, including FREE Cessation products. I don't think but two of maybe 15 actually quit.
I am neither for nor against. I feel more so for the patients but by the time they get to us they haven't smoked in a while anyway-
We had one nurse who drove around on her break just to smoke. I guess I may have done the same if it were me, I don't know.
Anyway, like I said, no real opinion here-what do you all think? Smokers and non smokers alike :)

I believe this is a federal law. I have heard that some of the hospitals in my area will not even hire you if you are a smoker.

T

MrsMommaRN · Sep 3, 2006

many of the facilities in my area have gone or are going smoke free. for the most part they are providing education and smoking cessation products at no charge to the employees. the local children's hospital went smoke free as of july 1st. i has been a challenge to enforce it for the visitors who may have a terminally ill or critcally ill child. some of them just need to do it out of frustration of their childs situation. i feel that in that situation how can you tell them no, they have lost control over thier child's situatuion or are in crisis and now someone is going to tell them they can't go smoke?

mom2michael, MSN, RN, NP · Sep 3, 2006

From what I understand this is a federally mandated thing and eventually all 50 states will be smoke free in healtcare facilities. Also from what I understand, LTC doesn't fall under that because a LTC facility is actually the person's "home" and it falls under different guidelines regarding this smoking issue.

Interesting enough - one LTC/rehab facility in our area made it smoke free for the staff but not the residents effective Sept 1st. You get 1 warning - next time you are caught on the property smoking you are fired. You must clock out and walk arcoss the 100+ spralling acres to smoke. Another facility has told the employees that anytime they come in smelling like smoke they will be asked to clock out and go home. This includes when they 1st start their shift - so no more smoking on the way to work I guess.

Lots and lots of grumbles where I work this last weekend but as with most things....this too will pass.......

CuriousMe · Sep 3, 2006

i'm just a student doing my pre-reqs....but from a patient perspective i think this is wonderful. i have severe asthma and cigarette smoke is my #1 trigger. if i'm already flared up, smelling cigarette smoke from someone that has smoked recently is enough to make my asthma quickly worse.

i used to go see my last pulmo in a clinic inside a hospital. i generally would go and see this doc when i was flared up and it would drive me batty that i would have to enter the hospital like i was running a gauntlet. there were staff all over the entrance to the hospital smoking.

i've also had a nurse, that smelled like smoke, approach me while i was in the er for an asthma episode. the friend that was with me, asked the nurse to step back from me (i wasn't speaking well at the time).

it just makes me crazy that when i'm at my worst asthma wise, that i need to be so vigilant about smoke in the bloody hospital. folks can't even smoke in restaurants in our area, that they can around a hospital amazes me.

so, while my heart does go out to smokers....ultimately they have a choice and i don't ...no matter how hard i try, i'll never be able to quit asthma.

peace,

cathie

Tweety, BSN, RN · Sep 3, 2006

We're a smoke free facility too. But it's a joke visitors and patients smoke in front of the hospital and employees find places to smoke on and off campus.