A woman died in a rest home after a nurse that worked there refused to give her CPR because it was against company policy.
Before too much longer, it's probably going to be against hospitals' and clinics' policies, as well, thanks to mandatory Medicaid not paying overhead costs much less enough to make payroll.
If CPR is against company policy at a retirement home, then the person who owns and runs it should be placed in their own business after they retire, and have to abide by the policies they set. And I hope they choke on a chicken bone, and are refused the Heimlich maneuver.
20 minutes ago
What blows me away is that the nurse did nothing ("Just following orders" I guess). If it had been me, dammit, I'd have done the CPR, and to hell with the ramifications if I lost my job. THERE ARE THINGS MORE IMPORTANT THAN KEEPING A JOB, EVEN IN THIS ECONOMY.
ReplyDeleteIt would be one thing if the patient in question had a DNR order - I know many nursing home patients choose to sign those - but I have heard nothing suggesting she did.
The DNR order wasn't mentioned in the story, and would have made a difference in my response to the story.
DeleteI don't wish to be crude but if you think attaching jumper cables to my scrotum will keep me alive, then by all means give it a whirl. What the hell is wrong with these people.
ReplyDeleteOh, Lordy, I needed that giggle.
DeleteNot to defend the nursing home or the nurse (because damn the policy, it's a human being), but the policy exists because nursing homes have been sues repeatedly by families when the inevitable happens as well as when 95 year old aunt Bessie's sternum and all her runs are busted because her fragile bones can't take CPR. nursing home abide does happen (thankfully less than is portrayed), and we need to make sure we only dog pile them when warranted.
ReplyDeleteRibs. Not runs. That's what I get for typing a comment on an iPhone with early morning blurry eyes.
DeleteI think you meant "abuse" instead of "abide"--and I'm well aware it does. The home in my home town has been busted several times for it. The only reason it hasn't been closed is that it's the only one in the county, and it's state-run.
DeleteYes, (holding a gun on the iPhone and whispering "programmable toaster") I meant "abuse".
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