Where does the liability end?

[JoeTheRN]

You have a patient who has had general anesthesia, they have a ride home but no one can stay with them at home. Where does the liability end? Can a patient who has had general anesthesia legally sign out AMA? Or would a hospital be required to admit them? Say their ride gets them home safely, but once they are inside they fall and hit their head. Was the hospital negligent by not ensuring the patient had supervision at home? Just some questions that run through my head.

[dianah, ASN]

Good questions, have you looked in your P & P or SOPs, asked your Nurse Manager or approached Risk Management about them?

I honestly don't have any answers for you...

[brownbook]

I agree with Dianah.

I work same day surgery and the hoops we make patients jump through to have same day surgery makes it hard for them. Sadly but honestly some patients don't have someone to drive them home after their procedure or stay the night with them.

Our discharge paperwork that the "ride home" signs actually states something to the effect that the patient will have someone staying with them that night.

I, we, have to wink wink sometimes or some of these people would never have their relatively minor surgical procedures done! (No, we never let them drive themselves home!)

The term general anesthesia can be misleading. It doesn't mean deep sedation with anesthetic gasses. We have patients requireing LMA's, but only IV sedation and they are still considered "general anesthesia" patients.