The hospital where I work has started a new policy to keep all doors on the floor closed. The floor has 23 semi-private rooms. Doors are to be kept closed at all times, with only a few exceptions...basically only if the patient requests to keep the door open. Even if the patient is confused we are to keep the door closed, including those in observation rooms. Baker acts (involuntary psych holds), with sitters, are also to have closed doors, unless the patient is seen being combative. The nurses and PCAs do not feel comfortable closing the doors, but management and administration are very strict on this policy.
With a 5-6 patient assignment, doors closed, one of your confused patients looses their call light. How do you meet their needs if you can't hear their calls for help. You just finished your hourly rounds on that patient and closed their door. Does privacy compromise safety?
Privacy does not trump safety, but customer satisfaction scores do....
Working in psych, the pts can close the doors if they can be reasonably trusted... but there is no privacy in psych. I will open your door to do my rounds and I will make sure you are not hanging off the bathroom door.
We do our best to give the pts peace, but safety trumps out.
Also, we tend to leave the door open and pull the curtains when providing care in the room. What can happen in those rooms is a real threat and we want other staff to hear us when we yell and we want a clean exit out the door.
I don't like closed doors anywhere because of this job.
psu_213, BSN, RN
3,878 Posts
Privacy does not trump safety, but customer satisfaction scores do....