Home Health Nurse Tragedy: A Systemic Failure | pt.3

[@sweetchaos613]

I work for that company in a different state. I heard about this but not the details. I have been home health nurse for several years. I won’t stay at a home if it makes me feel unsafe. Just discovered you today. I was looking for fellow adhd nurses.

[@katherinerodger5556]

Hey Nurse Allie, Nurse Katherine here. Been following since I started Hospice. No longer in Hospice, and am back to Home Care. Thank you SO much for keeping us informed about Joyce's case, because that shook me to my core. I had to fight my company because of a similar situation just a couple weeks after her murder, because I felt so unsafe. Both husband and wife were my patients (both with drug issues and criminal backgrounds) and husband who was a convicted sex offender assaulted wife to the point she was hospitalized. I was still expected to visit the couple after wife was discharged from the hospital. Question: Is there a screening tool available to assess risk when I do an Admission? We don't have marketers or SW's at my Home Care company. I'm the first on scene. Any help would be very appreciated.

[@HospiceNurseAllie]

Thank you for following along! I’m so sorry to hear that your company isn’t taking safety concerns seriously. My first thought is to look up company policy to see if they have to do any sort of safety risk screening prior to accepting a patient. Secondly, you could look into your states protocols (if any) regarding homehealth screening for staff safety. The states BON may also have some suggestions. As far as I can tell there isn’t a screening tool that I can readily findX although companies I’ve worked for do ask about guns in the home etc. I wish social workers were available to you, they have so many resources.