Well, that answered that question!

Well if gang related do you do anything different

Well if gang related do you do anything different

Make sure the patients are separated and unable to see each other and limit all visitors to family only (watch out for the ones who say they are their "brother")

And don't wear your "colors" when you take care of them...lol

No, not regarding pt care, but if it's gang related then we can prepare for retaliation. And when the pts are actually in the ER we increase security measures to make sure there won't be any retaliation at the time.

That gives me goose bumps. About 18 years ago when I was working in the ER a patient arrived with a GSW in his gut. The next thing I knew we were ducking for cover as a hail of bullet came overhead. Apparently it was a gang related shooting and the gang member who shot this guy came back to finish the job. The receptionist let him in because he said he was this patients brother. Now when we get a gang related shooting victim, we go into overdrive. Security is vamped up and noone gets in to see the patient unless they have the same name as the pt. or has some way to prove it (ie the patient says it is OK).

Our small rural hospital actually goes into lockdown

Our small rural hospital actually goes into lockdown

What do you mean "lockdown"?

What do you mean "lockdown"?

Lockdown means all doors are locked and guarded. No one comes in unless they are able to prove why they need to get in.

We lockdown too. Also when we have a pt that gets transferred out in bad shape we are usually able to check up on them and see how they are doing so we know if we did the right stuff to help them. Then we critique our work a little.

when we have a pt that gets transferred out in bad shape we are usually able to check up on them and see how they are doing so we know if we did the right stuff to help them. Then we critique our work a little.

We do the same thing but I wasn't able to get info on this one. Because it was gang-related I think he was admitted under a false name. When I called the dispatch center I was told, "Oh, here's his name, I'll transfer you to the unit." When I got the unit I was told there was no one by that name. That told me he was indeed there and still alive, but I couldn't actually get any info.

Lockdown means all doors are locked and guarded. No one comes in unless they are able to prove why they need to get in.

Wow, no way we would have the staff to do this, guess it hasn't really been an issue because the "gang-bangers" we have are usually all talk and no action.

I asked around and last time we had a gang related shooting victim was 4 yrs ago and the pt was in police custody so there was a cop parked outside the door.

Plus our dept is always locked and you have to check in with the desk to visit ANY patient let alone a police custody patient (usually has no visitors).

Wow, no way we would have the staff to do this, guess it hasn't really been an issue because the "gang-bangers" we have are usually all talk and no action.

Then you haven't had a gang-related problem. The lockdown would occur not just because you have a banger in the ER, but because something happened to him by a rival gang. The purpose is to keep bangers from the other side coming into the ER to finish him off, or to engage the pt's friends on hospital property.