Undocumented Patients

Sour Lemon · Dec 27, 2016

What do you think about undocumented patients who abuse the hospital system? Anyone have undocumented patients who basically live at the hospital because their families can't take care of them, and they can't go to a facility because of their undocumented status?

In my mind, they're no better or worse than any other patient. I can only think of a few I've encountered and they were pretty sad cases. I had one from Europe who was some sort of high-earner before having a mental and physical breakdown. He'd had bank accounts with staggering amounts in them, but that eventually ran out and he had no family or close friends that could be located ...not an "abusive" patient, by any means ...just an extremely unfortunate older man.

heron, ASN, RN · Dec 27, 2016

Seems odd that being too sick to live independently is being labeled "abuse". Are you trying to oick a fight?

srercg6 · Dec 27, 2016

I have run across two undocumented patients now. Both in similar situations in that they can't leave the hospital because facilities won't take them due to their status. Both are the rudest patients I've ever met.

heron, ASN, RN · Dec 27, 2016

Seems like you're conflating undocumented status with being rude. After all, I've met rude Native Americans and truly vicious members of the DAR. What does immigration status have to do with being rude? It just doesn't make sense to me.

Nor does the implied assumption that being too sick to live independently constitutes abuse of the system.

You're talking about two different problems: rude patients and access to healthcare by undocumented immigrants.

Do you have a solution in mind for either problem?

Davey Do · Dec 27, 2016

Pardon my ignorance. I don't understand "undocumented patients".

poppycat, ADN, BSN · Dec 27, 2016

If you read the other post this person started, you'll see a disgruntled employee.

vanilla bean · Dec 27, 2016

Pardon my ignorance. I don't understand "undocumented patients".

Not on the census?

heron, ASN, RN · Dec 27, 2016

Pardon my ignorance. I don't understand "undocumented patients".

AKA by nativists as "illegal aliens". Although how a hospital staff nurse goes about discovering a patient's immigration status is beyond me.

Meriwhen, ASN, BSN, MSN, RN · Dec 27, 2016

Doesn't matter who they are--as long as they are here in the hospital and I'm assigned to them, they're my patient. They'd get the same level of care I give all my patients.

As far as notifying INS or other authorities, that's not my concern unless a Tarasoff or APS/CPS/DV report need to be filed. And even then, it's not about the fact that they're undocumented as it is about they fact they assaulted and/or threatened to harm someone else.

Davey Do · Dec 27, 2016

I don't understand "undocumented patients".

"illegal aliens"

Oh. Okay. Thanks.

We did have a patient on the geriatric psych unit, Thurston Howell, who was there for months and months. But he wasn't an undocumented patient.

Whenever a patient is now there for an extended amount of time, we often ask, "Will this patient be Thurston Howell II ?"

Avid reader · Dec 27, 2016

Quote from srercg6

What do you think about undocumented patients who abuse the hospital system?

Firstly, they cannot abuse the system G6 because of set protocols, secondly, they generally have little power because of their status and are probably scared and thirdly their rudeness is maybe as a reaction to you because your responses appears to imply a condescending attitude with maybe some xenophobic overtones! Maybe you need to review yourself because a person's status is not part of our purview! Maybe you have a preference of what wounds you treat or medications you administer? How about which Drs orders you follow?