FYI--Drinks at the Nurses Station---NOT a JOINT COMMISSION MANDATE

Ever felt Dehydrated saving your patients lives? Felt like you are dying of thirst and may need a leg bag because you do not have time to urinate either? This is after you have spent hours on your feet keeping one or many critical patients safe from the four horsemen? And now you are told that even cups and bottles with those refreshing, invigorating liquids, and even just the fluids that keep you going and keep your patient alive and HAVE SECURE lids are NOT allowed. AT the NURSES Station which is NOT where you treat patients. I am not saying I am going to dribble my coffee that I NEED so much onto my patient while I change his dressing. But, yes I do NEED to be able have a beverage for hydration or energy within a reasonable range. Too many nights I can barely leave the actual bedside of the very critical patient, much less go to a completely different area where I cannot monitor or get to my patient in the often continuous life-threatening situations that occur in a 12-hour period. The nurses station is that spot and ad nauseum a Place where my patients are not being treated.  I also should be able to get to the bathroom as needed, but that is also frequently very difficult. Maybe they can mandate that I have to go to the bathroom on another floor also, just to make life and the work situation even easier...
And they often blame these rules on JCAHO...
Hope they know they are getting all the blame...
SO: For the record...

From the Joint Commission Website

http://www.jointcommission.org/mobile/standards_information/jcfaqdetails.aspx?StandardsFAQId=87&StandardsFAQChapterId=69

Q:  Are food and drinks for staff members allowed in patient care areas?

A:  The Joint Commission standards do not specifically address this issue.

 

However several other points apply:

• Standard LD.04.01.01 requires compliance with applicable law and regulation. The OSHA Bloodborne Pathogen Standard prohibits food and drink in areas where contamination is likely. For example, if lab specimens are handled in a work area, the OSHA standard would prohibit food and drinks if contamination might occur.
• Under the same LD.04.01.01 standard, many states prohibit food and drink in clinical areas, requiring that they be consumed in break areas.
• Many organizations have policies that prohibit this for infection control, risk management or even public appearance purposes. These are often established after conducting a risk assessment, as required in standard IC.01.03.01. Organizations must be in compliance with their own policies.
• An Environment of Care risk assessment should be performed to address potential patient safety issues, per EC.02.01.01

BY policy at my facility: Food and Drinks are not allowed in clinical (by definition an area where patients are cared for) or patient care areas. The Nurses Station is not where I provide care for or treat my patients and I bag their body fluids in the room, not where I eat or drink. Lab bags in the Room...OH MY...What a thought....