Would you report this?

[starzrn]

I set up a patient on Oxygen. There are 5 young adults who take care of the "grams" while the daughter works. When I went out there to set up a cpap last Monday, I instructed the family to smoke outside. On Friday when I went out to set up the patient on oxygen, I saw two people smoking inside then put it out quickly when I knocked on the door (saw them in window). The patient had a stroke and has difficulty speaking. She lives out in the family room where all of the young adults hang out. Some of them have children of their own and they are too exposed to the cigarette smoke. I started a similar topic on a different thread, but wondered how HH nurses would handle this. I am a DME nurse. If they do not follow instructions, would you file an APS report? i understand the patient lives with the daughter, but does she have any rights when she has obstructive sleep apnea and exposed to smoke?

[Not_A_Hat_Person, RN]

I'm a private duty nurse, and a lot of my clients' parents/primary caregivers smoke. Some only smoke outdoors, some smoke indoors too. It's their home, and while smoking inside is not a crime. You can educate them about why smoking is harmful to someone with respiratory problems, and you can hang signs, but it's not a matter for APS. If they were stealing Gram's money to buy cigarettes, that's a different story.

[caliotter3]

As a student, I visited a patient who smoked in front of me and was on oxygen. I was told by my preceptor at the agency to call and inform her doctor.

[RN1263]

At my HH company we educate patients/CG and then if they continue to smoke, we require them to not light up while we are there (I prefer to not blow up), but I have not ever called anyone regarding it, however if you are bothered by it, then call APS.

[starzrn]

I'm a private duty nurse, and a lot of my clients' parents/primary caregivers smoke. Some only smoke outdoors, some smoke indoors too. It's their home, and while smoking inside is not a crime. You can educate them about why smoking is harmful to someone with respiratory problems, and you can hang signs, but it's not a matter for APS. If they were stealing Gram's money to buy cigarettes, that's a different story.

Stealing a life seems just as important.