What was the MOST ridiculous thing a patient came to the ER for?

Specialties Emergency Nursing Q/A

And did you have to treat them?

I am just curious. Your stories always seem to either crack me up or shake my head in amazement.

Thanks for sharing ?

    kids

    kids

    1 Article; 2,334 Posts

Gompers said:
...and I just kept pulling and pulling and pulling. Thought it was maybe a 2-3 inch little stent to keep the part where they pulled the stones from swelling. NOPE. Curled end in the bladder, curled end up in the kidney. Like maybe an 8 french soft tube, about 12 inches long. :uhoh21:

Anyone else feeling a little dizzy and queazy? I can't imagine having to do that to my self. Someone else no sweat, myself, I'd have passed out (and smacked my head and ended up with an ambulence ride to the ER).

Specializes in Public Health, DEI.
kids-r-fun said:
Dumb reason to bring a healthy child in.

And I swear this is not a hijack.

My grandson had open heard a 10(?11) days old to correct TVG. He is dong fine and only needs annual follow-up, however the Peds cardiologist says he remains at risk for MI. His parents have instructions to take him to the nearest ER for crying without cause >30 minutes.

You would obviously give this information to the triage nurse, though, and your grandson's ER visit wouldn't end up in a thread like this. My brother-in-law has a condition that can be caused by strep and the predisposition to develop this condition has a genetic component . Our son's pediatrician gave us a letter that if he ever has strep symptoms, and are traveling or in some other situation where we can't get to his office, our son needs to have a shot of gamma globulin. Going to the ER at home instead of waiting till morning to see the ped would be abusing the ER system. Going to the ER while on vacation, if I can't locate a peds office or urgent care, wouldn't be, IMO. I don't know if the hospital we showed up at would agree.

Specializes in Emergency room, med/surg, UR/CSR.
babynurselsa said:
Got a tetnus shot 2 days ago aand now her arm hurts.

I swear we had that same complaint over the weekend, and of course we were swamped! Flew several people out to bigger trauma center, but had a waiting room full of people with STUPID complaints. Oh well, like someone else said:

Stupid people = job security! ?

Pam

The number one reason our ERs are crowded is because most people lack insight...

Specializes in 5 yrs OR, ASU Pre-Op 2 yr. ER.
Ruby Vee said:
Half the world's population has a below average IQ!

Sometimes I think that we have more per capita in this area.

I'm tellin' ya, I worked ER as a corpsman 30 years ago, and it's like deja vu all over again hearing these stories--people using the ER as a convenience clinic, that is, because to call during the daytime and get an appointment in the appropriate clinic would disrupt their day.

But, hearing how you have to feed people nowadays--nope, I would never, ever do that. Ever. I don't care if they are homeless and hungry--there are other resources available. Especially when they manage to be able to afford cigarettes to go out in the ambulance bay area and smoke while hollering for their meal and snack trays and sodas. Hell with 'em, I'd say.

I feel like I am a burnt-out ER nurse just from READING these posts! I don't know how you folks put up with the nonsense! I'd go postal!

    kids

    kids

    1 Article; 2,334 Posts

Oh, and no offence, but maybe Hot Tamales aren't the greatest choice of foodstuffs with your recent medical history. But, that's really none of my business.
No offence taken, I could have been more specific...the vomiting stopped 6 weeks ago.
Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.
Stitchie said:
But did he find God? :rotfl: :rotfl:

I asked him that -- but I don't remember the answer. It's been 23 years!

coffeedrinker said:
Pt brought in tonite BY AMBULANCEfor head lice!

OK, that's just abusing the system...shouldn't there be a line drawn somewhere that says "If you are this lazy that you cannot figure this problem out for yourself, or least call before coming in to get RN advice for a dumb@$$ problem, you should pay full freight for the ambulance, the ER staff and the guy w/the tib/fib fx who drove himself here, waited in Triage and never once c/o pain!"

That's just wrong. That's all it is.

SWFlorida said:
These trivial complaints are generally not covered by any form of insurance and even medicaid is cracking down on non emergent visits. The patients are usually very angry when they receive a bill for $600.00 in the mail. More and more hospitals are becomming more and more aggressive at collecting on these bills also. The way to treat under educated consumers who utilize a resource for the wrong reasons is to hit them in the pocket book. Paying a huge bill will get them to think about visiting their primary care physician first or trying home treatments. People just dont want to think any more. They'd rather go crying to "Mommy" aka the "ER" than to try to take care of it themselves. We've created a very dependent society.

Well, there's a lot of truth to what you say, but the really sad thing is that an awful lot of these people just don't have a primary physician, and this is their only entry into the health care system. We have all these ridiculous things being brought to the ER, and we also have the people coming in who should have had medical treatment long ago, but have no MD and no insurance and no $ for health care.. Pretty sad state of affairs.

Savvy

JWaldron said:
Well, there's a lot of truth to what you say, but the really sad thing is that an awful lot of these people just don't have a primary physician, and this is their only entry into the health care system. We have all these ridiculous things being brought to the ER, and we also have the people coming in who should have had medical treatment long ago, but have no MD and no insurance and no $ for health care.. Pretty sad state of affairs.

Savvy

Well, I don't disagree with what you say, but I think it is more than not having access to a primary care provider. I live in a very rural area in the deep south, and even here we have a Public Health Department, a federally funded clinic for the indigent and working poor as well as a community mental health center.

Unfortunately, I think many folks come to the ER for other reasons:

- Convenience (no need to make an appointment, and where else can you get your kids' runny noses checked out, your vag bleeding evaluated and your mom's migraine treated all at the same time and place? I mean, what ER nurse hasn't heard "While I'm here....")

- Ignorance

- Entertainment

- Avoidence (you can't hardly go back to your pcp for more Lorcet when you just got your 'script filled yesterday)

- The system: some people must have that dreaded doctor's excuse to go back to work after only one sick day and if you live in an area with no urgent care, what can they do? Also, I think we've taught people over the past few generations to rely on the system instead of thinking for themselves (so of course you bring you kids to the doc if they vomit once).

- Lack of funds (like we're not going to ask them to pay and then follow-up on it)

I think the answer is going to depend on a change in the whole health care system, and pardon my cynical attitude, but that ain't gonna happen any time soon.

RainbowSkye said:
Well, I don't disagree with what you say, but I think it is more than not having access to a primary care provider. I live in a very rural area in the deep south, and even here we have a Public Health Department, a federally funded clinic for the indigent and working poor as well as a community mental health center.

Unfortunately, I think many folks come to the ER for other reasons:

- Convenience (no need to make an appointment, and where else can you get your kids' runny noses checked out, your vag bleeding evaluated and your mom's migraine treated all at the same time and place? I mean, what ER nurse hasn't heard "While I'm here....")

- Ignorance

- Entertainment

- Avoidence (you can't hardly go back to your pcp for more Lorcet when you just got your 'script filled yesterday)

-the system: some people must have that dreaded doctor's excuse to go back to work after only one sick day and if you live in an area with no urgent care, what can they do? Also, I think we've taught people over the past few generations to rely on the system instead of thinking for themselves (so of course you bring you kids to the doc if they vomit once).

- Lack of funds (like we're not going to ask them to pay and then follow-up on it)

I think the answer is going to depend on a change in the whole health care system, and pardon my cynical attitude, but that ain't gonna happen any time soon.

Hi Rainbow,

I don't think that it's a cynical attitude at all, but a realistic one. Yes we have created a dependent society w/no personal responsiblity encourage. Really, calling 911 for head lice is such an abuse of the system and such a downright stupid reason that the paramedics should have the right to refuse something if it isn't truly life threatening. Phone calls to the ER's are still free and any nurse would rather answer a nurse advice call rather than putting up with a head lice 'emergency'. Part of the problem, IMO, is this McDonald's mentality that TV shows, etc., have created. I want what I want when I want it, and I want it all now. It isn't fair to the kid who got hit by a car or the grandmother of 12 who's having a silent MI or that person who walked in to Triage and gasped "I think I'm having a heart attack". And codes on the ER cart faster than you can say "EKG".

And it's really not fair to the Triage nurse, who has to listen to these people who c/o 'waiting' too long for their head lice emergency in the Triage area. That's why security is there in front -- since the fine folks who utilize our McER have been known to be violent when 'precious' is c/o vomiting once yet running around in bare feet eating chips and drinking coke.

There's a running joke in our ER about the sickest people being the most considerate. The ones who are well enough to complain about every little thing are too healthy to be in the hospital in the first place and must be there to serve some other purpose, whether it's entertainment or a mental health issue or drug-seeking.

I'm not talking about those who have become among the many w/o health care. I'm talking about healthy people who aren't sick in the first place. It doesn't appear to be a regional problem but truly an issue that has a large impact on all of us, since our tax money is paying for this nonsense. We have our own collection of FF and just plain abuse the system folks here in Chicago, too.

OK, back to your regularly scheduled post. Didn't mean to hijack, just vent a little.

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