Many of us are unaware that there are significant differences between post acute care/snf hospitals and acute care hospitals in terms of staffing, especially during the evening hours. SNFs do not have a receptionist after 6pm, which means the responsibility for buzzing visitors in and out falls on the nurse or CNA while they are still engaged in their primary duties. SNFs don't have a unit secretary in the evening so the phones may not be answered if the nurses and CNAs are tending to patients and not currently at the nurses' station.
I work the evening shift at a skilled nursing facility, and yesterday morning my patient was taken to the emergency room, and he was discharged last night. I noticed a PIV in the patient's left forearm while doing my assessment and told him that I would be removing it once med pass is completed.
Two police officers show up about an hour later at the facility to do a welfare check on my patient at the request of someone from the ER.
When I try to obtain details from the officers, they are also confused, but they do believe it has something to do with the PIV, but they do not have specific information. They leave without ever seeing my patient. As a result, I contact the hospital's emergency department.
This is what the charge nurse said to me.
During shift change, the ER nurse assigned to my patient realized she had not removed his PIV. Several attempts were made by her to speak to someone at the facility for no other reason than to inform them that she forgot to remove the PIV. When she was unsuccessful in reaching someone, a colleague of hers suggested she contact the police and request a welfare check be done. She took their advice and the rest is history.
I'm still trying to wrap my heard around this one.
