My boyfriend was a patient in the hospital where he works recently and we both had a terrible experience. Besides giving him coffee with curdled milk in it and refusing to make more because "that's just the way cream settles" and "we're out of coffee" and "we only have one CA". And no, they would not let me make a pot either. We were mistreated in a dozen ways, including holding back meds assuming he was a drug seeker, employees telling us we were "a big issue on the floor," refusing to page the doctor and requesting that I do it from my cell phone, not returning when they said they would, asking him if he was "refusing treatment" when he said he didn't want IV Depakote for what they thought was a migraine because he had taken it PO before and it didn't agree with him, etc... ARGH! He ended up trying the IV Depacon at their request and he broke out in a whole body rash and they kept him another day. He returned to the ER 2 days later with complications from the rash and the doctor said "I'm not giving you prednisone." I told her, "the doctor who was just here just gave him a dose." She said, "OK I'll give you prednisone but only if you promise to follow up." I don't understand the "care" at all!! IT was awful! When we asked for the charge nurse, she was awful to us too, saying people had more important things to do because there was a code.
After he was discharged and went back to work, his manager said she received an email from that unit saying he had questionable behavior during his hospital stay. It was totally exaggerated. For example, I had brought his badge to the hospital so I could park in the garage, and he put it on as a joke while laying in bed. It stayed on maybe 10 minutes. They complained about this saying he was misrepresenting himself. They said he tried to get into the medicine room, which isn't true (he was admitted with altered mental status so how could they judge his behavior anyway!)
Is this ILLEGAL that they told his manager he was in the hospital? And talked about his behavior? I would think that is a breach of HIPPA and that they are also damaging his reputation without cause!
If a patient's loved one asked for coffee for the patient, I direct them to the local coffee shop a block over where we all get our coffee after the cafeteria is closed.
Specializes in Trauma Surgery, Nursing Management.
"my boyfriend was a patient in the hospital where he works recently and we both had a terrible experience. besides giving him coffee with curdled milk in it and refusing to make more because "that's just the way cream settles" and "we're out of coffee" and "we only have one ca". and no, they would not let me make a pot either."
ok, curdled milk is just gross. if they wouldn't let you make a pot then i would have gone out for some if your bf truly wanted to use it as 'medication' for the caffeine... but only if he was not npo status.
"we were mistreated in a dozen ways, including holding back meds assuming he was a drug seeker"
what kind of nonsense is this?!?! where did you hear that, or are you assuming?
employees telling us we were "a big issue on the floor,"
did the employees state specifically what the big issues were? what did they say to you in this regard?
refusing to page the doctor and requesting that i do it from my cell phone
this is part of their job. why did they request that you page the doc from your own personal phone? did they give you a reason? did they give you the pager number?
not returning when they said they would,
how long did you have to wait for them to return? did you press the call bell/go to the desk to inquire about when they would return?
asking him if he was "refusing treatment" when he said he didn't want iv depakote for what they thought was a migraine because he had taken it po before and it didn't agree with him, etc... argh!
when he told them that the iv depakote 'didn't agree with him', did he state exactly what his s/s were when he had it in the past?
he ended up trying the iv depacon at their request and he broke out in a whole body rash and they kept him another day. he returned to the er 2 days later with complications from the rash and the doctor said "i'm not giving you prednisone." i told her, "the doctor who was just here just gave him a dose." she said, "ok i'll give you prednisone but only if you promise to follow up."
i don't understand what the big fat hairy deal with giving him prednisone was all about. did she explain her rationale for not wanting to give it?
i don't understand the "care" at all!! it was awful! when we asked for the charge nurse, she was awful to us too, saying people had more important things to do because there was a code.
there seems to be a whole lot in this paragraph that is missing. what issue did you approach her about? you couldn't possibly have known that there was a code going on; she was probably just stressing over the code and didn't want to/couldn't address your request at the time.
after he was discharged and went back to work, his manager said she received an email from that unit saying he had questionable behavior during his hospital stay. it was totally exaggerated.
and here is where you have a very valid complaint that you can actually do something about. this is horrid behavior, and is absolutely a hipaa violation. i strongly encourage your bf to follow up on this.
for example, i had brought his badge to the hospital so i could park in the garage, and he put it on as a joke while laying in bed. it stayed on maybe 10 minutes. they complained about this saying he was misrepresenting himself.
how was he misrepresenting himself? it was his badge, wasn't it? i don't think it was the most mature thing to do, but it certainly wasn't a misrepresentation of himself. he wasn't offering to take care of other pt's on the unit, was he?
they said he tried to get into the medicine room, which isn't true (he was admitted with altered mental status so how could they judge his behavior anyway!)
what in the world would make them say that he was trying to get in the medicine room? were you there the entire time that he was in the hospital? did he ever go out of his room? this is a very serious allegation.
is this illegal that they told his manager he was in the hospital? and talked about his behavior? yes. i would think that is a breach of hippa and that they are also damaging his reputation without cause!
OP made it our business when she posted the thread. And I guess it would be the nurse's discretion but I would be holding stimulants for this patient until he was discharged home, or close to it. Like a tele patient.
Even with no orders to hold stimulants? :) Just sayin' there are different things done for different folks. I've been on tele numerous times- never had caffeine withheld....
The way I see it, you rubbed them wrong at the coffee. No excuse, but that set the tone. When I had my daughter at a hospital in the system I worked in, I got no special treatment. After being NPO for Id on't know, 36 hours, breakfast came at 10 AM and it was GROSS. I banged the french toast against the table and it broke. So what did I do? I didn't bother the nurse, she was busy (well not really) but I called my exH and said asked him when he came in to please pick me up a bagel and a Starbucks coffee! The coffee was not Dr ordered, go to the ******* coffee shop and get a nice good tasting cup of coffee for him.
Yup, this might have set me off too. And I am easy-going. But I am also a nurse and as a nurse, priorities need to be set and if someone doesn't understand priorities..... I have no time for that.
Also, the calling of the Dr. If I find no reason as the patients nurse to page the MD, (no orders, no change in status, no test results or labs to report) I will give the number to the office for the patient of POA to call on their own time, for the MD to respond to them and listen to their concerns.
None of this is an excuse for a HIPPA violation of course. Also not an excuse to give a lesser level of NURSING care.
Sorry if I sound harsh, but I think I get where these nurses might have been a little annoyed.
Sounds like a major malfunction in the communication department, all the way around.
You may have "lost them" over the coffee and had it go downhill from there. Not saying you were wrong in what you were requesting. Only that, judging by some of the responses in this thread, they may have heard the word, "coffee," and assumed you were asking for waitress service. They may have stopped listening before you explained the hope that the caffeine would actually help your bf with the pain.
Had you known you were stepping into a pile at that point, you might have decided to find vending machines for coffee or soda. But hindsight is always better for scraping the doo-doo off your shoe.
I can see how one thing led to another and another and another on both sides. But, one would hope that someone could have gotten past the friction and connected in a positive manner.
This is why when I hear that a patient is a real beast, I file it away and try to give them a fresh start. Some folks are dedicated to being prickly, but many, many more just want to feel like they can drop the tug of war rope because someone is listening. I let them complain and fuss (and sometimes it takes a while), and then I ask if we can work together on getting them comfortable and happy.
This works about 90% of the time. I don't want to carry someone else's grudge into the room. Nor do I want to be held accountable for previous flak.
I wish someone could have done that with you guys. Sadly, it sounds like things just continued to deteriorate.
Here are my suggestions:
Have your bf get you appointed as his Healthcare Power of Attorney for those times when he is mentally altered and can't make his wishes known. With any further admissions, if he is at all able to sign a release of information consent for you, he should do so. This will eliminate any fuss over whether you have any standing in the situation.
If caffeine helps him, stop for coffee or soda on the way to the hospital. Or, as someone else mentioned, bring a Thermos.
Don't use his badge for parking. It rubs people the wrong way.
Have Depakote and Depacon listed as intolerances on your bf's medical profile. He should not be given these meds again.
If he has a regular doc, they should probably look at coming up with a protocol for your bf. If there are meds he/she wants tried in a certain order, this should offer some protection from the "drug seeking" label. People who are in pain are drug seeking. This is an appropriate time to want pain meds. Many practices now have the electronic capability for the primary doc to leave what amounts to standing orders in a patient's file. That way, they remember and an on-call doc can find it, as well.
Finally, and this is the most serious of the complaints, I can't think of a legal or sensible reason on God's green earth why his manager should have been sent an email about his inpatient admission. So what if he's acting goofy. That's part of AMS, and it should be kept between him and his doctor and the staff taking care of him. His manager shouldn't even have known he was hospitalized unless HE told her. This gossipy sounding email has the potential to tarnish his professional reputation. I wouldn't take this lying down.
I'm usually not one to jump on the bandwagon, saying, "Get a lawyer." Lots of times that phrase gets thrown around to make noise and it's a bunch of hooey. In this case, however, it might not be a bad idea to contact an attorney who is familiar with HIPAA issues and have them draft a simple letter to the hospital administration, explaining what happened in assertive, but non-emotional, terms. Don't you or your bf rant and rave. Just be calm and matter-of-fact and let the attorney communicate your great dissatisfaction with the breach of confidentiality. I wouldn't look for any kind of settlement. Just a reassurance that the powers that be will take your complaint seriously and discipline those involved.
Even if you don't go that route, keep any complaints you make free of emotion and drama. Stick to the facts.
I'm sorry you had a bad experience. No one needs this, especially when they don't feel well. On their side, you don't know if the code was upsetting--someone young, an unexpected thing, a patient they had gotten to know well. That doesn't excuse what happened, but it might make it seem less personal.
I hope something good can come out of all of this.
my boyfriend was a patient in the hospital where he works recently and we both had a terrible experience. besides giving him coffee with curdled milk in it and refusing to make more because "that's just the way cream settles" and "we're out of coffee" and "we only have one ca". and no, they would not let me make a pot either.
i don't know what to say about this, other than maybe something was going on. at my facility only staff is supposed to make coffee r/t infection control issues.
we were mistreated in a dozen ways, including holding back meds assuming he was a drug seeker,
in ams certain meds are routinely held. also, certain meds are contraindicated in migraines.
employees telling us we were "a big issue on the floor," refusing to page the doctor and requesting that i do it from my cell phone, not returning when they said they would, asking him if he was "refusing treatment" when he said he didn't want iv depakote for what they thought was a migraine because he had taken it po before and it didn't agree with him, etc... argh!
exactly how did you state depakote did not agree with him. did you state it was a "true allergy", as in he broke out in a rash with it, or did it upset his stomach. stating a med does not agree does not give medical providers indication that a patient has a true allergy. a patient can have a disagreeable side effect to a medication one time, and then take the medication later and still get relief from whatever condition he needs the medication for. iv depacon is often given for migraine headache, and is very effective. it is considered a standard treatment now.
he ended up trying the iv depacon at their request and he broke out in a whole body rash and they kept him another day. he returned to the er 2 days later with complications from the rash and the doctor said "i'm not giving you prednisone."i told her, "the doctor who was just here just gave him a dose." she said, "ok i'll give you prednisone but only if you promise to follow up."well then that sounds like a true allergy...but about not giving prednisone. did you try benadryl first? prednisone is not a benign medication. often it is better to treat with antihistamines, and then if the rash doesn't go away with conservative treatment, then use steroids.
i don't understand the "care" at all!! it was awful! when we asked for the charge nurse, she was awful to us too, saying people had more important things to do because there was a code.
the charge nurse could have shown more compassion, i am sure.
after he was discharged and went back to work, his manager said she received an email from that unit saying he had questionable behavior during his hospital stay. it was totally exaggerated. for example, i had brought his badge to the hospital so i could park in the garage, and he put it on as a joke while laying in bed. it stayed on maybe 10 minutes. they complained about this saying he was misrepresenting himself.
he was misrepresenting himself. i'm sorry if i sound cold, but he should not have put the badge on, even if he was joking. i've taken care of many coworker's, whether they have been phlebotomists, janitors, nurses, hospitalists, surgeons, and even a chief of staff, and none have blatantly put it in my face that they were an employee in such a way as that.
they said he tried to get into the medicine room, which isn't true (he was admitted with altered mental status so how could they judge his behavior anyway!)
is this illegal that they told his manager he was in the hospital? and talked about his behavior? i would think that is a breach of hippa and that they are also damaging his reputation without cause!
it's half a dozen of one, and 6 of the other. i think there is more to this story. like why were you wanting the md paged and when. frankly, if a patient wants me to call the doctor for something that i have no valid reason for after a time frame when i know that he has left, i will tell them that it is too late in the day. however i will leave a note for the md to call you at your cell number so that you can be sure to be in the room when they are rounding tomorrow. if it is for something that i do have a reason for, i will call, such as pain meds/concerns, etc.
if however, a patient or family becomes so irate and insistent, i will call the md, explain the situation to the md, and ask if they will speak to the patient and/or family.
He was wearing his hospital ID badge....so why is it a violation of HIPAA if his NM found out he was a patient?
FYI This was must definitely a HIPPA violation! You are never to talk about anyone, especially a coworker, then call or email there manager about their stay! That is such a definite HIPPA violation that person should fear for their job! We've had people fired for looking up their family members medical status when hospitalized. HIPPA violations are taken very seriously!
It doesn't matter if he's an employee, he still has a right to confidentiality! You don't lose those rights by being forced to go to the hospital you work for. That you would not know that and think that is optional is pretty scary!
I never said anyone talked about him, only the NM found out he was there. What if he was being taken in a w/c to a test. While on the way, what is a coworker passed him in a public hallway? The coworker does not look in his chart, does not do anything to investigate why he is there...when the coworker gets to their unit, says to the NM, "oh I happened to see John Smith earlier." -or- perhaps that coworker was his NM. Perhaps the pt. did not even see the NM. Now, if they NM followed up on it, looked in to why he was there, or otherwise accessed personal information, then, yes, this is a HIPAA violation. Just knowing he is there...pretty conceivable this is not a violation. As for an email from that floor to his NM about his behavior...yes, definitely a violation.
As a sidebar, where are the HIPAA (HIPPA?) police?
blondy2061h, MSN, RN
1 Article; 4,094 Posts
If a patient's loved one asked for coffee for the patient, I direct them to the local coffee shop a block over where we all get our coffee after the cafeteria is closed.