Which types of patients should I not take care of while pregnant?

bagladyrn, RN · Apr 22, 2008

There are a few chemo drugs that a pregnant nurse shouldn't be handling. If you work where patients are receiving any kind of treatments involving radioactive products, of course you should avoid those. As others said check with your own healthcare provider to be sure of your titers for MMR, varicella,etc. If you are rubella non immune I'd not only avoid those patients, but also try to avoid being exposed to any children with symptoms such as rash,fever until it is known what their diagnosis is, since with more parents deciding against vaccinations there have been some rubella outbreaks lately and the consequences can be serious.

Your best bet for cooperation from your coworkers is to volunteer to take patients who are equally "heavy" in other ways to trade off for these. (Maybe the incontinent pt. or the demanding one that everyone is burned out on, or the one with 56 different meds and treatments...). If your coworkers don't see it as you trying to slack off they are much more likely to be supportive.

bethin · Apr 29, 2008

Here is a list that the CDC put out that my employer displays. This is word for word:

"According to the CDC (Center for Disease Control) pregnant health care workers should be restricted from caring for patients with the following diseases. These patients should also be isolated."

Syphilis

Rubella

Mumps

Measles

Chickenpox (if mother not immune)

Mycobacterium tuberculosis (TB)

Cytomegalovirus

Ebola

Parvovirus B19 (Fifth's Disease)

Listereosis

BlearnRN · May 2, 2008

Pt with implantable radiation, chemo pt ( unless you get someone else to administer the chemo ( I am not sure if it is excreted in urine or bowel) , don't administer anti-rejection drugs and don't administer avodart, stay away from pt with airborne or droplet precautions. I would be careful of combative pts also (don't go running into a room to help restrain a pt that is punching or kicking) As far as lifting, that is up to the doctor and how YOU are coping with the pregnancy. The further you get along with the pregnancy, you will become more short of breath until you "drop". So don't be a muscle woman, try to lift/turn someone without help and end up passing out.

NicuGal, MSN, RN · May 2, 2008

The list from the CDC for infectious diseases is pretty much on the money! As for the Group B strep, you do know that it isn't contagious don't you? You could be colonized right now and not know it, but you can't spread it. And I can pretty much bet no one has ever caught it from a baby!

queenjean · May 2, 2008

That's gonna be a big strain on your coworkers, if you refuse to take care of all those Ebola pts....

BSNmom2013 · Sep 11, 2012

This isn't the case if you review certain CORE Measures and TJC- pregnant women need to avoid patients that carry diseases that are detrimental to baby... Such as:patients with radiation implants, or receiving radiation, chemotherapy patients, yphilis