Patient chasing nurse

[drmccoolsz]

I am an R.N. and work on the heart failure unit. Anyon many occasions we'll get a patient on our floor that has no heart issues or ones that do but havd either psych issues or other issues. Well, I was working Saturday night and went into a patient room to give him a shot and his meds. Once i walked into the room and he saw the needle he began to use obscene language and told me I wasn't going to get near him with that. He was a very large man, over 6 foot and pretty well built. So because of how he reacted I told him "that was fine, that he didn't have to take the short but he would have to take his medication". He calmed down a bit, then began to repeatedly call me baby doll. Because of a past experience i had with one of my patients not more than three months ago looking me up and showing up at my home twice I was a bit scared and told him my name wasn't baby doll it was N-----, after I said that he jumped out of the bed flipping the bed side table and chased me down the hall. I ran down the hallway, off my floor and into another unit of the hospital where one of the male nurses had helped me. They had to call security, and had gotten in touch with the coordinater. She told me i had to continue to take care of this patient, that because of a lawsuit they had brought against them for discrimination. I was fearful. I spent the rest of my night in the back of a supply room shaken, scared and crying most of the night. The following day my manager called me in her office and told me I can not choose who I want to take care of. She made it as though It was my fault and made me feel as though I did something wrong.
With the other situation I had with another patient basically stalking me, the hospital did nothing about it. I did have to go make a police report after this guy trying to contact me the fourth time.
I am now scared to go to work. I shouldn't feel this way when I go to my job! What can be done? Do I have to do this? Who do I call? Please help...

 

[cbg]

What do you think the hospital should have done that they didn't do?

 

[mightymoose]

Why not just call security to assist you whenever you go to that patients room?

 

[Elle]

Every hospital I have ever known has a "Patient Relations" department or something similar specifically to deal with these kinds of patients. I suggest you contact them. Withholding care is simply not an option as even the emotionally disturbed deserve medical treatment.

There isn't anything the hospital can do about the patient who stalked you. That is a police matter. I would also suggest counseling as this was clearly a very upsetting event for you. If nothing else, you may learn some better techniques for dealing with difficult patients. Correcting someone who is already upset and agitated is never a good idea. There are ways to convey the same message that are less likely to set someone off.