Whatever happened to rules likes these?

[cpkRN]

I was searching around out of boredom and found pictures from an abandoned hospital. One was of the visitors' hours and RULES posted on a wall! Too bad rules like these don't still exist today. I remember rules like these as a kid and I'm only 30 (we couldn't go visit grandpa because we weren't 13 yet - that was the age at my local hospital!)! How quickly times have changed.

http://www.abandonedonline.net/content/20/photos/041504_24.jpg

It is a bit small, however, I was able to click it to zoom in in Internet Explorer to read.

[Okami_CCRN, BSN, RN]

We have a very well enforced visiting hours rules at my ICU.

Family must enter through visitors waiting area and beep the ICU and ask permission to visit.

Visiting hours are 11AM to 2PM and 4PM to 10PM. We have strictly enforced quiet time and two visitors at a time. I LOVE IT

[catlvr]

When I worked at a psych hopsital, we had patients who refused to engage in anthing..until the pet therapists arrived. It was amazing to see how some people responded to the kittens and dogs - and it gave staff a bit of common ground to connect with the patients.

Heck, I don't know who benefited more from the animals - patients or staff! I LOVED pet therapy day, and the sweet ladies who brought the animals in always made a point of involving the staff because "you have a hard job and need a little bit of loving, too". True that!

e

it's too bad they don't allow pets, i agree.

and still, i've met many-an-animal on the floor.

leslie

[Batman24]

What happened to the rules is hospitals started caring more about the "customers" and less about the patients. The focus should always be on patient care and getting them well but instead it's often about getting ice water fast enough and being sure twelve family members have a place to sit. To hell with the patient who is in agony from just coming out of surgery. Got to keep the families happy!! Barf.

I do agree with letting animals visit. It's proven to be great therapy and very uplifting.

[miko014]

I want those rules printed on a t-shirt.

[hikernurse]

"Remember the patients need rest and care."

I really think patients did better when that was the guideline. Sigh...

I agree with animals being allowed--they tend to be much better behaved than human visitors .

[time4meRN]

Yeh, the good old days prior to Pres ganey. We can only dream of the days gone by.

[Sterren, BSN, RN]

I wish that a reminder about patients needing time to rest and recover was printed on every entrance to the hospital and stated with every single phone call greeting. I had a patient the other day whose phone rang All. Day. Long. Pt was ticked at the constant phone calls from 250 aquaintances who just had to be involved in the hospitalization. Finally we unplugged the phone per the pt and told the unit secretary to please let anyone who called for the pt know that the pt had requested all phone calls be refused so the pt could rest. It shouldn't be that hard to get peace and quiet in the hospital!

[miko014]

I want those rules printed on a t-shirt.

I forgot to say "except for the animal one" - I love pet therapy!

[FireStarterRN, BSN, RN]

You guys have your rose-colored glasses on about the 'good ol' days'

There were a few negatives too...

http://www.futurenursebi.org/index.cfm/fuseaction/page.display/page_id/57/

In 1934, a concerted effort defined rules and regulations governing the duties of nurses in various situations. Nursing students worked six days a week and the issue of curfews was considered so important that it was taken up at a meeting of the medical board. Pupil nurses were disciplined for being out of the building overnight.

House mother Hatti Hecht watched over students and strictly enforced the rules. Nurses were not permitted to marry while in training and subsequent marriage was considered grounds for instant dismissal. Students wore black stockings, long sleeves, bibs, aprons, ankle length blue-check dresses, tight cuffs and a bishop's collar. During senior year, what was black became white; socks, stockings and dresses became the uniform of the professional nurse. Emily Post was consulted, and hats and gloves were de rigueur on field trips. Students wore no caps until senior year, when the celebrated capping exercise took place. Their pin, which displayed the Mogen David and was initially ordered in 1923 from Tiffany & Co. for $10.50, is the same pin awarded today. It currently reads, "The Phillips Beth Israel School of Nursing."

[cpkRN]

What happened to the rules is hospitals started caring more about the "customers" and less about the patients. The focus should always be on patient care and getting them well but instead it's often about getting ice water fast enough and being sure twelve family members have a place to sit. To hell with the patient who is in agony from just coming out of surgery. Got to keep the families happy!! Barf.

LOL! Although I'm not a nurse yet, this site has given me the brutal insight of what it can be like working with some hospital managment and "customer" service rules. I remember being in the hospital at 13 and feeling bad for "breaking the rules" when a 3rd friend snuck into my room (2 max were allowed). Then again, my last stay 4 years ago, I had a trashy roommate who had at least 6-10 family members in the room at all times who were loud, obnoxious, and cussing up a storm about everything. Nobody could do anything about it because of the management crap. The nurses were very kind, though and I fully understood it was out of their immediate control. We actually shared a few laughs about it once the roommate was transferred to ICU.

My favorite rule (as a patient) is "Please visit quietly!" Cooperating with the nursing staff is also a favorite; however, I have always viewed nurses as professionals and I believe they should be treated with courtesy and respect.

I know I'm in for a rude awakening when I graduate, but, I see it as all "part of the deal" for lack of a better phrase.

[Nightcrawler, BSN, RN]

I forgot to say "except for the animal one" - I love pet therapy!

We have one housekeeper that is deathly allergic to dogs- she has been a patient on our floor more than once, and has a history of intubation secondary to her severe asthma. It is very important for her health that there be no dogs on the floor when she is working. We had one family that was in several times last year that absolutely insisted upon being allowed to bring in their little dachshund in to visit the patient. They claimed that the dog was a service animal, and said that they would sue under the American's with Disability's Act if they were even questioned about bringing the animal in. They offered no paperwork showing that this was a service animal, yet the hospital administration insisted that we allow the family to bring in the animal whenever they wanted. This is after the family became verbally abusive and acted in a manner that was physically intimidating to staff.

Now even if the animal was a certified service animal for the patient, the animal was providing no services for the patient during his "visits" I would have felt better about the situation had they shown paperwork showing that this animal was certified, but the family would not even do that- and I was not allowed to ask.

Sorry for hijacking the thread......

[ktwlpn, LPN]

The thing that really strikes me about that list of rules is this-They are not really rules at all! It's all just farking common sense and courtesy.Something that we don't see much of anywhere.Our society is sick with the "all me all the time" syndrome.