ANY NURSES PLEASE - QUESTION

[curtainchops]

Hi,
A question to any nurses here please ?

Are you allowed to treat a family member at home ?
ie; they're ill with Covid and you put them on a nebuliser and a Sats reader.

Thanks

Are you related to either if these people,

OP you're not giving out any useful information to be honest. I'm sorry this happened, but we can't help unless you give details.

@curtainchops

I don't know if he should have been taken to hospital sooner, or whether it wouldn't have even made a difference.

I think it sounds like you're trying to place the blame on someone for someone elses death. You can never know the answer to those questions.

Well what was it oxygen or nebuliser? Anyone can buy a stats monitor and use it, stats of 90% aren't horrific with covid but where did she get the oxygen from? If he was already prescribed him oxygen from a previous condition then she's done nothing wrong. You need to explain properly not drip feed. Also unfortunately if he has died nothing can change that now as hard as it is to hear.

You need to be more specific and give the back story. Are you trying to blame someone for a death ?

A nurse's natural inclination and skill set will enable them to monitor at home and contact 111 or 999 if they think someone warrants it.

Also the fact he was in hospital ward for 7 days before going into itu I don't believe him getting to hospital sooner would have changed anything. Yes maybe if he'd have gone straight to itu from admission if he'd have gone in sooner something could have been different. But 7 days in hospital before itu unfortunately I don't think anything could have been done

It does sound like you are questionning a nurse and are asking us to decide if they were negligent or not. We know nothing about the patient, what treatment they were prescribed, what the medical plan was, if they agreed to going to hospital, where any of the equipment came from. If you think the nurse acted badly you can contact the NMC or speak to the patients g.p. have you discussed this with the nurse.

fair enough.

If you guys thinks that's ok.

Also depends when it was, if early days of the pandemic all we had was oxygen to support patients if required. None of the newly approved treatments.

Its not our place to judge either way, we know nothing about the nurse, patient or their circumstances, if you're concerned you can follow it up.

Also the fact he was in hospital ward for 7 days before going into itu I don't believe him getting to hospital sooner would have changed anything. Yes maybe if he'd have gone straight to itu from admission if he'd have gone in sooner something could have been different. But 7 days in hospital before itu unfortunately I don't think anything could have been done

He wasnt in a ward. She was looking after him in her house.

But as others have said, it’s unfair to ask people their professional opinions With only the scantest of information.

he went straight to icu, from ambulance to icu. to C pap machine.

Im not sure what else you need ?

I’m a nurse. Yes I would have used a sats monitor, but would also use other skills to assess breathing and decide if I needed help.

If I had a nebuliser at home, then it would have been prescribed by someone so I would follow their instructions for use which would probably include a caveat of something like making a call back to GP if sats were to be below a certain level or if there were signs of breathing difficulties.

I am confused, you say he was on a ward for 7 days then went to ITU but also went straight to ITU from the ambulance.

@BabbleBee

I’m a nurse. Yes I would have used a sats monitor, but would also use other skills to assess breathing and decide if I needed help.

If I had a nebuliser at home, then it would have been prescribed by someone so I would follow their instructions for use which would probably include a caveat of something like making a call back to GP if sats were to be below a certain level or if there were signs of breathing difficulties.

But we dont know if the patient had any of this. OP is being really vague.

Patients on ambulances do not go straight to ICU - unless it's a hospital transfer.

If patients are in a life threatening condition and need immediate treatment, they go into the EDs resus.

OP it's really impossible to give advice about this without all the details of the situation as there are so many variables.

People absolutely are monitored and treated at home with oxygen and nebulisers for a variety of respiratory conditions - these need to have been prescribed by a qualified clinician. For certain lung conditions normal SPO2 range is 88-92% so in that situation 90% would still be in range and not cause for concern unless person acutely unwell, struggling to maintain/requiring higher than normal concentration of O2 to maintain.

If someone who is a nurse was caring for a relative at home they weren't in their professional capacity or are you talking about the clinical team caring for someone not escalating the situation fast enough?

Sick patients can deteriorate very rapidly - the body can compensate for problems up to a point but not indefinitely. As you say an ambulance was called when SPO2 dropped to 90% on O2 that sounds appropriate?

If patient was on wardor 7 days before going to ICU he must have been fairly stable at the point of arriving in hospital (although obviously unwell)

For

The OP now says the patient went 'straight to ICU' from the ambulance (?!)

I'm sorry that you have been bereaved.

As other PP have said, it sounds like the nurse family member was trying to support the person at home. Oxygen and a nebuliser sounds like someone with a pre-existing condition, who may ordinarily have had low ish sats anyway.

Just to clarify he was treated at home for 7 days(By partner who happened to be a nurse), transferred by ambulance to hospital when sats dropped then admitted to itu, dying 4 days later? Was there already an underlying condition requiring a nebuliser? Presumably a decision was taken not to intubate.