I worked in our resuscitation area today. Our highest acuity patients in a ratio of two patients to one nurse - and sometimes that is too much!
Normally speaking we get more turnover of patients in this area than I did today. I only had four patients in my assignment of two beds over twelve hours. Of those four patients three had drug dependency issues.
Certainly I've had my evenings of getting intimate with alcohol in my youth, and less often as an adult... I certainly tolerate the side effects less effectively these days (or maybe I just choose not to tolerate them!)
One of these patients did not admit his addiction until much later in the day - one he's had for years and didn't share with his wife. Of the other two, family members were eagerly seeking help from the hospital. Correction, they wanted to have their family member fixed.
The problem is, a person can be given all the support and help in the world. At the end of the day, no one else puts the toxin in a person's system except his or herself. So, if you have all the "free" help that you need, and you fail to commit to self-help, then were do you draw the line?
And when does that line extend to other "repeat" causes for medical assistance, smokers with COPD, over-eating diabetics with uncontrolled blood sugars, or even chronic RSI from sporting injuries?
Then again, perhaps we shouldn't draw a line and just treat everyone for everything going, therby levelling the playing field... including the alcholic who comes in yet again with ETOH induced chest pain..
3 comments:
I find your lack of professionalism, confidentiality, sensitivity and broad-mindedness astounding. Not to mention infuriating.If you don't like these people and loathe your position so much, perhaps it's up to you to change, rather than your patients
Dear Anonymous, you are entitled to your opinion, and so I've cleared if for un-edited moderation. It's too bad that you didn't leave an identity, because I'd love to have a discussion with you about perspectives in health care. Service providers and recipients often have very different experiences and points of view of an event. Likewise, I'd invite you to walk in the shoes of a high stress RN before passing judgement. For some casual reading try:
http://nursingschool.org/warning-hazards-of-being-an-er-nurse/
or the more clinical:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1268150/
And just a small point I am proud to share, last night a very pleasant couple thanked me for the work I did for them and the other patients in the department (whom, sadly were no so compliant with security or staff), stating that is is "rare to find someone who cares and who does the job well". Stress venting aside, if I didn't care, I wouldn't be in the job.
and thanks to Dr. Grumpy, I'll also leave this bit of reading material
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-kent-13528444
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