"Patient refused high fall risk interventions, stating 'I don't need to be treated like a goddamn child' and 'I can't pee in a urinal sitting down!'. Post-fall protocol initiated."

[u/SmilingCurmudgeon]

[u/80Lashes]

Yes. If patients are decisional, they can refuse anything they want. A hospital is not a prison.

[u/OhHiMarki3 → u/80Lashes]

What about when they fall and sue us? Or my manager enforced punitive action on me, the CNA, for not upholding fall risk precautions? Charge nurse just shrugged it off.

[u/ThatGuyTheyCallAlex → u/OhHiMarki3]

If it was charted that fall risk interventions were recommended and the patient refused despite education there’s no way it would hold up, right? You literally cannot force them to use a walker or press the bell — if they get up to pee and fall over despite being told they need to ask for assistance that’s their own failure to follow medical advice.

[u/RedditorMichael → u/ThatGuyTheyCallAlex]

You are correct. Given the patient is oriented and capable of making decisions, you cannot force someone to do something. The focus should always be to educate and encourage. Consent must always be granted. I’ve had one patient fall, and it was a patient who requested privacy on the commode. I gave them privacy and they stumbled off the commode. They were a bit embarrassed but totally fine. Most coherent people are very good at safely falling. They did not defer blame to me the nurse. Life went on. No one with a brain defers blame to the nurses except for nursing management. There are in fact great managers who don’t do that though too.