THUMBS UP to hospitals banning smoking!!

[AnnieOaklyRN]

Hi,

Just wanted to voice my oppinion, not that anyone will truly care, but anyway.

My step father, who was basically my father died in October of 2005 from Lung Cancer. He smoked for 30 years and I truly feel this obviously played a big part in his cancer which caused a lot of suffering before his death, and for us after his death as well. For three months he sat in a lazy boy chair and could do nothing more than get up with help to go to the bathroom, and even then he fell many times. He spent countless hours receiving chemo, hydration, and blood transfusion as well as experiencing painful procedures and the uncomfortable side effects that come with chemo and cancer.

He was 56 years old when he died.

I am not looking for sympathy, I just want people who think they should be allowed to smoke wherever they want, why they shouldn't be allowed to do so. Its ok if you want to kill yourself, but YOU ARE harming others with your smoking, and not just physically.

I won't pretend that I know how hard it is to stop because, thankfully I never started. I just want people to think about the consequences of smoking and how those consequences effect themselves, their families, and the strangers that are exposed to second hand smoke.

Ok I am off the SOAP box now... AND A BIG THUMBS UP TO THOSE THAT HAVE QUIT.

Swtooth EMT-P, RN

[SDALPN]

I'm a non-smoker (never even smoked 1 puff of a cig., pipe, cigar, etc. in my life)....BUT...I think non-smoking hospitals are rediculous. Smokers and non-smokers need to respect each other. Smokers shouldn't blow smoke in others faces or smoke at an entrance where people are forced to breathe it in when going inside. But I think its taking away rights of others to control when they smoke. I worked at one hospital where smokers could only smoke in their car...including patients. Some of those people didn't even have a car. I do agree that with some patients if they are well enough to go out to smoke they probably don't belong in the hospital.

What about someone dying of lung cancer? If they consider smoking quality of life and choose their perception of quality over quantity of life I think they should have that option. It may be all that person has control over in their life at that time. I have a family member with emphysema who cont. to smoke and says its his quality of life. My father passed away very young with a MI. He refused to quit smoking and it bothered me. But I accepted that it was his life and not mine. It was his choice what to do with his life, not mine or anyone elses. If someone really cares about someone who smokes they should respect the smokers wishes.

I do think there should be a place that is separate to smoke in should be available or they should go outside away from entrances. There should be comprimise to keep everyone happy. Controlling smokers is no different than changing cafeteria food to low carb, low fat, low sugar, low salt and nothing fried. Its control freaks who want to control everyone else. Forcing others to change how they live their life is wrong. Whats next? Telling families with children they can't own a tv because their kids might see violence on tv? I know a few people in their 80's who still smoke a pack or 2 a day and don't have cancer or lung problems. Let people live their life the way they want and stop trying to control them! They know the consequences.

[cardiacRN2006, ADN, RN]

Be assured your hospital did not go smoke free for some altruistic ideal. .

I really don't care 'why' they are going smoke free. I just care that it's happening. I'm all for it! I don't want to have to walk through the gauntlet of smoke just to enter the hospital, and it looks highly unprofessional to see nurses smoking as well.

[AnnieOaklyRN, BSN, RN, EMT-P]

Smoking is a whole different issue than being overweight or having HTN.. I one wants to be overweight thats fine they are only hurting themselves (with the exception of family of course), but my point is SMOKERS ENDANGER THE HEALTH OF OTHER PEOPLE on a regular basis!!! That is why I am all for SMOKE FREE EVERYWHERE!! Why should I have to breath in someones dirty cig. smoke.. No thanks, if they want to endanger their own health thats fine, but smoke in your car with all your windows closed or in your own home.

Cigarrette smoke is hazardess and it STINKS!!! Even if you allow people to smoke outside you still get stuck walking through a nasty cloud of smoke and then to have your clothes stink of it on top of it.

Sweetooth

[EmmaG, RN]

I don't agree with that sweeping statement.

However I do agree, in principle, that if you are well enough to go outside to smoke, you are probably well enough for discharge.

The hospital I worked last year would have patients sign an AMA form before allowing them off the floor to smoke.

[traumamomtx]

We went non-smoking in Jan. of this year and it is a joke. People both employees, pt's, and visitors are still smoking, they are just finding better places to hide. I work on a very crazy trauma floor and we have many pt's that if they don't get their smoke on they are crazier then if they do get to smoke. I for one say let them smoke just corral them better. For some people literaly smoking makes them sane and the floor I work the happier they are the happier I am.

[danh3190]

The hospital system around here just went non-smoking. It's pretty funny to drive by the urban hospitals in the system and see all the people in hospital scrubs standing on the public sidewalks around the hospitals smoking away. I haven't noticed patients on the sidewalk, but I wasn't really looking for them so they may be there. It's a bit scary at one rural hospital we frequent because there the staff stand by the guard rail of the road in front of the hospital at night smoking. Always afraid we'll hit someone in the dark. I don't know if these folks are on their lunch breaks or what. It must take them quite a while to get down to their smoking places, so they must be off the floor for quite a while.

[Tweety, BSN, RN]

We went non-smoking in Jan. of this year and it is a joke. People both employees, pt's, and visitors are still smoking, they are just finding better places to hide. I work on a very crazy trauma floor and we have many pt's that if they don't get their smoke on they are crazier then if they do get to smoke. I for one say let them smoke just corral them better. For some people literaly smoking makes them sane and the floor I work the happier they are the happier I am.

I work trauma as well and sometimes a ciggarette makes all the difference in how they feel. Plus it's a great motivator to get them out of the bed. I usually go into broken record routine "we're a non-smoking facility, no smoking anywhere, anytime" and offer a nictotine patch. Although in ortho injuries we can't use nicotine patches here. For those that say they are going to smoke anyway, I usually say "I can't hold you prisoner as it's a free country. But I can't give you permission." although the while wishing they'd go out and smoke already.

[JessicRN]

We went non-smoking in Jan. of this year and it is a joke. People both employees, pt's, and visitors are still smoking, they are just finding better places to hide. I work on a very crazy trauma floor and we have many pt's that if they don't get their smoke on they are crazier then if they do get to smoke. I for one say let them smoke just corral them better. For some people literaly smoking makes them sane and the floor I work the happier they are the happier I am.

We went non smoking for patients the staff can still smoke in designated areas which makes no sense. If I were a smoking patient, told I cannot smoke then a nurse comes in reeking of cigarette smoke I would be livid. Seems to me if the patient can't smoke, the staff should not be able to either. We also have alot of pt who sign out AMA or elope then go to the ED and sign back in.

[teeituptom, BSN, RN]

non smoking is the way to go.

People should even be banned from smoking in public and should be fined for it.

[TheCommuter, BSN, RN]

I am not looking for sympathy, I just want people who think they should be allowed to smoke wherever they want, why they shouldn't be allowed to do so. Its ok if you want to kill yourself, but YOU ARE harming others with your smoking, and not just physically.

I totally agree. Cigarette smoking is damaging.

Both parents smoked in the home and car during my growing-up years; as a result, I was always sick with colds 4 times yearly, ear infections, fevers, and other little ailments. Also, I probably reeked of smoke before going to school daily. It was no coincidence that I suddenly stopped becoming sick once I moved out of their home as a young adult. It just disturbs me when parents would smoke in an enclosed space, knowing that the nicotine metabolites turn up in their child's urine and blood.

In my honest opinion, the most caring and unselfish thing a smoking parent can do is step outside the home or car to smoke. My post might sound 'judgmental' to some, but I am merely stating my personal opinion that has been shaped my by past experiences as the child of smokers.

[country mom]

You're correct in that families with critical loved ones are not in a position to break their addiction at that moment- I've heard of several hospitals here in Michigan where families can get nicotine gum from the nurses' station or the gift shop. I think that if a hospital is considering going smoke-free that the first order of business is to address the underlying addiction to nicotine by offering support groups, gum, quit meds or whatever employees need to beat the addiction first. If we simply outlaw smoking, but do not address the addiction that drives it, what have we accomplished? Most people who smoke desparately want to quit. Our local health department outlawed smoking on their property, so now the employees go out to their vehicles to smoke in a confined space where they can get an even more concentrated exposure to the smoke. I'm all for going smoke free on hospital property, I'd just like to see the nic addicts better supported in their efforts to quit.

[country mom]

Why should we not also allow people to drink alcohol on hospital property? It's a legal substance and it's their choice. So what if there are beer cans and liquor bottles all over the ground- they can go with the little cigarette butts littering the doorways.