Suspect HH patient is using marijuana!

[Elektra6, ASN, BSN, RN]

Thought I smelled it on the patient before, but it's a big family with lots of the patient's friends coming in and out, it could have been brought by them. The nurses on the case for years have never mentioned it to me. Not sure what to do.

[Sabby_NC]

I have come across this in Hospice from time to time. A smell is just a smell eh?

I have never witnessed any actual smoking of Marijuana so I took it no further.

What can you do on just a smell or suspicion? Nothing huh?

Why don't you speak with the pts case manager if this is what you suspect.

Be careful though, without proof this could get sticky for you!

[henayneiCLNC]

we have a client who actually smoked marijuana in front of one of our aides.

we inquired as to what we needed to do through our legal department.

we were counselled that is was not necessary to report this to the police and in fact the police would not act on such a report because there is no way to prove such an allegation - it is just a he-said-she-said situation AND not an offense that the police are likely to spend much in the way of effort and manpower when they have much bigger fish to fry, as the saying goes.

we were also counselled to explain to the client that this activity is not to occur when the aide is in the home and that if it down the aide has been instructed to leave immediately and notify the office.

hope this helps

b'Shalom

Henaynei

[bgogal]

if agency wants to make an issue, can always prove it thru tox screen for THC or tetrahydrocannibinol, the active ingredient of marijuana.

be aware of your surroundings and avoid compromising situations that would only not put you at risk but also the agency you represent.

[azor]

I'll say,just let the sleeping dogs lie! Do your work,go jome and rest.You dont go looking for trouble even if you saw the pt but in this case,its just a smell.I'll say its like micheal vicks case of hiding marijuana were as after the whole thing,it wasnt marijuana.

[VivaLasViejas, ASN, RN]

A while back there was another thread on this same subject that got very heated. I hope everyone will be respectful and non-judgmental in their responses to the OP.

That said, I do not believe that what a patient does on his own turf is any of our business, unless it places us in some sort of immediate jeopardy (in which case I'd be out of there and on the phone to my agency in a heartbeat). A home health nurse is a GUEST in the patient's home. You can't act on a mere suspicion of illicit drug use, although you can certainly ask the patient about any meds he takes (legal or otherwise), his eating habits, alcohol use and the like; you can also counsel him to avoid such substances. But you can't turn him in to the police on the mere assumption that he 'may' be smoking marijuana.

[Elektra6, ASN, BSN, RN]

I wasn't thinking about turning him in to the police or anything, I am concerned about my license. I think I will ignore it for now, but will inform the agency and ask to leave this case if I come upon positive proof.

I just wanted to know if any other HH nurses came up against this problem before and what you did. Thanks for all your feedback and advice.

[CapeCodMermaid, RN]

I wasn't thinking about turning him in to the police or anything, I am concerned about my license. I think I will ignore it for now, but will inform the agency and ask to leave this case if I come upon positive proof.

I just wanted to know if any other HH nurses came up against this problem before and what you did. Thanks for all your feedback and advice.

I'm not sure why you think this would jeopardize your license. We are not our patients keepers of jailors. If the doctor told them to stay away from salt and they continued to use it or the doc told them to quit smoking and they continued...these wouldn't jeopardize your license. Yes, I realize those activities are legal and marajuana isn't, but the point is the same. I had a woman who doubled her pain meds -- she would be practically stuporous when I arrived at her house. She smoked and there were burn marks everywhere. I informed the doctor, reviewed with her again the prescribed dose, told my supervisor and documented the patient teaching I did about safe smoking (if there is such a thing !) This particular woman had a huge abdominal wound and would let the cat stick its nasty little nose in it any time we were doing wound care. BUT, it was HER house, HER cat, HER wound. I didn't feel my license was in danger at all because I did what I had to do.

By the way, despite everything her wound ended up healing beautifully.