Do you ever correct people about medical stuff? - Page 3

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  1. Jan 27 by
    Quote from mmc51264
    I only get upset about the difference between Type 1 and 2 diabetes. I have a child with T1 and constantly have to explain. Also we had a pt this week, an older person who had T1 there whole life. I had to educate the whole facility about how to treat this pt.
    The fact that your co-workers do not understand the difference is unfortunate. While I don't expect laypeople to understand the difference I expect more of nurses.
    Not_A_Hat_Person, lorirn58, Hoozdo, and 4 others like this.
  2. Jan 27 by
    haha..I do when people call it a "respirator" haha oldskool
    sapphire18 likes this.
  3. Jan 28 by
    Quote from mappers
    I'm not talking about patient education, I'm just talking about general conversation. I hear people get things wrong medically all the time, but I rarely correct people. For example, a relative said the other day that she thought her mother just had a kidney infection but then "We found out it was E. Coli! " I didn't have the heart to tell her we all have E. coli in our guts and most kidney infections are E. coli.

    I have a patient who also goes to my church. He tells everyone he has bladder cancer. He really has prostate cancer with mets to the bladder. This happens a lot with "bone" and "liver" cancer as well. I hear people say "so and so" had breast cancer and now they have "bone" cancer. Well, they most likely have bone mets, not bone cancer.

    Normally, unless the person is seeking information from me or I'm in the clinical setting, I just keep my mouth shut. I figure I don't want to be an obnoxious know-it-all and, since I don't know the whole situation, I don't have all the facts.

    What about you?

    I would never correct someone about mets. they DO have bladder cancer and they do have bone cancer. its not necessary that they are perfect in pathophysiology . kwim? If someone ask me for advice then i will certainly support them but i generally just listen and don't correct if asked.
    Vespertinas, beckyboo1, canoehead, and 3 others like this.
  4. Asst. Admin
    Jan 28 by
    For the most part I would mind my own business. You should not be giving out medical advice. I do correct immediate family if necessary....but most of the time I mind my own business.

    Even when asked you will find that most people will defend their own MD/PCP to the very end. I will state medical information and add "In my experience" and advise that they can always seek a second opinion if they aren't comfortable.
    mariebailey, Altra, Mulan, and 3 others like this.
  5. Asst. Admin
    Jan 28 by
    No I never give advice, if asked and it is something simple I will educate. I do my very best to stay away from it, what I found in the beginning of my nursing life was that people ask you for advice then never take it so what is the point


    HOWEVER it drives me crazy when I watch TV and see all the mistakes made in a show or a film.
    I have been known to shout at the TV on occasions
    Vespertinas, Not_A_Hat_Person, KaroSnowQueen, and 3 others like this.
  6. Jan 28 by
    The fact that your co-workers do not understand the difference is unfortunate. While I don't expect laypeople to understand the difference I expect more of nurses.
    HA! I have yet to find a place that understands T1. Both personally as a parent and in my short career as a nurse. General hospitalists (MDs) don't know how to treat and the nurses follow blindly. With a child that has a pump, that is usually enough for me for them to let me treat my own child (again, pre-nurse). For adults, they just want to put them on sliding scales. The one I had recently at work ended up in DKA and had to be sent to a level 1 hosp to get proper care. VERY sad.
    I was such a PITA in school b/c I was constantly challenging instructors about T1 scenarios. THEY ARE NOT THE SAME.
    Off soapbox. Sorry!
  7. Jan 28 by
    Quote from madwife2002
    No I never give advice, if asked and it is something simple I will educate. I do my very best to stay away from it, what I found in the beginning of my nursing life was that people ask you for advice then never take it so what is the point

    HOWEVER it drives me crazy when I watch TV and see all the mistakes made in a show or a film.
    I have been known to shout at the TV on occasions
    Speaking of tv shows I recently saw one where a family member came in and disconnected the ET tube from the ventilator tubing in an attempt to kill the pt. the pt was still intubated but immediately "flat lined" and died. I started laughing hysterically and the person I was watching it with did not think that was funny at all.
    Vespertinas, Not_A_Hat_Person, KelRN215, and 7 others like this.
  8. Guide
    Jan 28 by
    Quote from limaRN

    Speaking of tv shows I recently saw one where a family member came in and disconnected the ET tube from the ventilator tubing in an attempt to kill the pt. the pt was still intubated but immediately "flat lined" and died. I started laughing hysterically and the person I was watching it with did not think that was funny at all.
    Hahahaha I just LOL'ed! How many times do the tubes become accidentally disconnected in real life...we'd have a lot more deaths if that was how it happened!

    I don't usually correct people except family, and they're usually asking me what something means anyway.
    Hygiene Queen and nursel56 like this.
  9. Guide
    Jan 28 by
    Except for the time I found out a coworker was taking 5-5.5g of Tylenol a day (non-nurse). :/
  10. Jan 28 by
    I try not to. My mom mispronounces H. Pylori and it erks me to no end. She says h. Pyluuuuraaa. If that made sense.

    My mom is also a hypochondriac and I demanded she stopped watching Dr. Oz.

    ~ No One Can Make You Feel Inferior Without Your Consent -Eleanor Roosevelt ~
    Not_A_Hat_Person and LalaJJB like this.