is it wrong to sit on a patients bed?

[LPNweezy]

My nursing instructor told me once to never ever sit on a patients bed. I work at a LTC facility and i see some nurses sitting on the side of the bed with alert and oriented patients when they are counseling them or trying to cheer them up. What do you think about this practice? please keep in mind that this is not a hospital setting. thanks :)

[anotherone, BSN, RN]

My nursing instructor told me once to never ever sit on a patients bed. I work at a LTC facility and i see some nurses sitting on the side of the bed with alert and oriented patients when they are counseling them or trying to cheer them up. What do you think about this practice? please keep in mind that this is not a hospital setting. thanks :)

Not sure how it would differ. I work in a hospital. A greater chance of spreading infectious organisms i suppose. I think sitting on a patient's bed is a trillion times more unprofessional than gum chewing.....

[Chin up]

Not sure how it would differ. I work in a hospital. A greater chance of spreading infectious organisms i suppose. I think sitting on a patient's bed is a trillion times more unprofessional than gum chewing.....

Now we agree! Lol! Peace!

[Illinurse2010]

I work in LTC, I sit on pts beds when gving TB skin tests, the angle of the needle is much easier to control and it works better..and sometimes when gving mouth care so I can see in my residents mouth, back to their throat. I think it is a judgement call.

[Poi Dog]

I won't sit on a patient's bed simply because I cannot stand when someone sits on MY own bed...

[ZippyGBR, BSN, RN]

it's an infection control risk ...

however i've regularly gone and got either a visitors chaor or one of the chairs from the station to sit down by the bed with a patient to go through paperwork, or when teaching or when reassuring the patient ...

[Esme12, ASN, BSN, RN]

I don't encourage sitting on the patients bed......especially in this day and age. With MRSA and VRE so prevalent I would not sit on a patients bed. Have I done it to start a particular IV or lab draw especially on children? Yes. I try to pull up a chair and sit closely at the bedside......but I also have a pet peeve about visitors using the patients bathroom.......

[Aeterna, BSN, RN]

I will try to sit on a chair or something else, but if there is none available, the bed looks clean, and they're not in isolation for any nasty bugs, then sure, I'll sit on the patient's bed as long as the patient is ok with it.

[RockinChick66]

I will try to sit on a chair or something else, but if there is none available, the bed looks clean, and they're not in isolation for any nasty bugs, then sure, I'll sit on the patient's bed as long as the patient is ok with it.

How do you know the pt is free of bugs? You can't tell By looking.

Bugs such as scabies are microscopic.

[Aeterna, BSN, RN]

How do you know the pt is free of bugs? You can't tell By looking.

Bugs such as scabies are microscopic.

Where I work, if there is any reason to suspect a person has a transmittable disease or bug, they're put into isolation until there is evidence to show otherwise.

I generally don't make it a habit to sit on patient's beds but at some point, you have to touch the patient, get up close to them, etc. (i.e. to bathe them, start an IV, change a brief) Never forget your standard universal precautions, but don't let paranoia keep you from forgetting the more human side of nursing.

[blondy2061h, MSN, RN]

No way do I sit on patients' beds. I pick up all kinds of germs and crap on my scrubs. I'm not getting that on my patient's clean sheets they're going to be sleeping on. It's against unit rules for a family member to sit on a bed. I sure as heck am not going to.

[JSlovex2]

i have been tempted to sit on a patient's bed, but i've never done it. most recently was last week when my shift was over and i went to tell a patient goodbye. we had really bonded and i was really tired after my 12+ hour shift - but for some reason it just felt wrong to sit on the bed. i did, however, sit down in the chair that's normally used by patient's family. i don't know that there's much of a difference. for one thing - it's usually just tooo busy to ever sit down. i feel like if someone walked by and saw me sitting down they would have an issue with that - but other than that, there's just something about sitting on the actual bed that seems a little too comfortable and not right.