The nurse call button - Yikes!

[Brian, ASN, RN]

We all realize that the call button is the conduit from the pt to us. And...sometimes that conduit becomes a super highway, busy and congested. Most of the time, the requests are genuine and necessary: need for medication, need for food/water or some other care issue. However, some pts get on the call button constantly for trivial matters. What are some of the more unnecessary reasons your pts have called you?

[elemenRN]

My patient who everyone knew was a repeat call light offender said this on blast at the nurses station in earshot of everyone:

"Oh, hey. Can you just find Jane for me and see if she can bring me some cream for my crotch rot?"

One of those moments when everyone just looked at each other and absolutely nothing had to be said. Did I find him cream for said crotch rot? Yes. Did I request a different assignment the next night? Yes.

[mouseynurse]

My favorite was when a patient called and in a very panicked voice begged for the nurse to "come quick!"

She wanted a pillow...

[nursefrances, BSN, RN]

My all time favorite actually did not involve the call light at all. It was when the patient was calling the charge nurse and unit manager for broth or hot chocolate (2 separate stays). Oh no, she didn't want to bother me with such trivial things. After all, I was probably getting her dilaudid ready.

[CelticGoddess, BSN, RN]

Not a patient, a doc did this. He called up to the desk so that a nurse would come in and turn off the television. He can hit the bloody call light but can't hit the TV button. He has also called so we can turn on the lights for him.

I did have a patient who thought the call light was a telephone. She kept hitting it and would just chat away. we finally had to take it away from her so she would sleep.

[imintrouble, BSN, RN]

I don't know about the rest of you, and I'm admittedly three inches from burn out, but I rarely get a call that isn't unnecessary.

With hourly rounding most patient needs are met.

I have discovered, the longer a person is a patient, the more frivolous the requests become.

As far as the original question, the are so many unnecessary requests, it's hard to know which to pick. I'm rarely suprised by what O x 3 patients ask me to do, but I was outraged by a 30 yr old able bodied patient. They had me close the blinds, straighten their bed, turn the light off/on, and clean off their bedside table. Those are not unreasonable from an acutely ill patient who can't get out of bed.

The patient who requested maid service from me went off the floor to smoke.

[meanmaryjean, DNP, RN]

(From a peds ICU patient at 0300) "My mom just fell asleep on the couch. Could you wake her up for me?"

Me: Do you need something? Can I help you instead?

Patient: No, I just don't like it when she sleeps.

[LadyFree28, BSN, LPN, RN]

(From a peds ICU patient at 0300) "My mom just fell asleep on the couch. Could you wake her up for me?"

Me: Do you need something? Can I help you instead?

Patient: No, I just don't like it when she sleeps.

[Lola Lou, BSN]

I recently walked by a patient's room and his IV pump was beeping because his infusion was done. I turned the pump off so he would not have to listen to the beeping until his assigned nurse came in to flush and disconnect the line. I explained to the patient that I would notify his nurse that his infusion was complete. I barely took two steps outside of his room and he rang the call bell to notify his nurse that his infusion was done. Some days I wonder if I'm speaking a different language...

[sweetdreame, BSN, RN]

I had a trach/vent-dependent patient who would frequently pop-off. She couldn't reconnect herself yet, but could press the call light for help. I say that because that meant that I had to get my buns in the room pretty quick every time she rang that stinking bell. The problem was that she called for literally EVERYTHING else also. Including:

"I'm Bored."

:no: :no:

[mrgershom]

lol that's hilarious