Day Ten

30/5/14

A tale of woe today. Shift started out well, I performed a sterile wound wash and dressing on a midline incision that had dehisced. The patient was a diabetic (who often do not heal quickly due to circulatory and immune problems) and the wound had simply reopened after the sutures were removed. So I steri-stripped it back together and dressed it in its Sunday best.
Later I was in the patient's room about to perform a blood sugar level test when the patient decided to get up for the loo. She sat on the edge of the bed and tried to stand up, but the bed was too high (due to an extra mattress designed to prevent pressure areas) and the patient's legs were not strong enough to hold herself up as she started to slip down the side. I ran around the bed and tried to help her to stand or to sit back on the bed, but the bed was too high and the knees too weak. In now way could I lift this woman back to bed. I made the instant decision to help the patient to the floor. She ended up sitting on the floor by her bed, I had managed to help her lower herself down slowly without injury. It took two nurses and two doctors to get her back on her feet and back to bed. And bless, she was apologising the whole time.
Unfortunately due to the nature of hospital work the incident had to be reported and I felt my head was on the chopping block. Despite no-one being injured the facts remained that I, a student nurse, was alone in the room with a patient when she had a 'fall'. So down goes my name in the incident report. Happily the nurse I was working with was lovely and did not try to pin blame on me.
I was told that I may have to talk to the powers that be about the incident (which made me shrivel up inside). At course they told us never to sign anything during an incident as a previous student had misguidedly signed a report putting all liability for the accident on herself. So my pens were shoved deep into the recesses of my pockets. Luckily nothing came of the incident, I suspect due to the fact no-one was injured. The doctor assessed the patient and found her to be no worse for wear. I think it affected me much more than anyone else, I kept wondering what I could've done differently. But the facts remain that the patient had been independent prior to the incident, she was in her eighties and her legs just happened to be a  bit weaker at that time, and that there was no way I could've stopped her falling without doing damage to myself.
One of the things I remember the best from my first year placement is the charge nurse telling us to never try and stop people falling, but to help the fall gently, get them a pillow and a blanket, make them comfortable, get them a cup of tea, and then figure out how the hell to get them off the floor again.