Do you ever correct people about medical stuff?

Nurses General Nursing

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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! :nailbiting:" 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?

Oh lordy, I heard a guy tell someone that they would go into anaphylactic shock if they let their blood sugar get over 400 again.

I also end up getting asked all the time if I can get someone a few antibiotics for their tooth abcess...um, no! When I explain what happens from taking 3-4 random antibiotics all the time, they think I'M the idiot! I give up!

Specializes in Pediatric Private Duty; Camp Nursing.

An Atlanta news affiliate did a story about my sister with a systemic group-A strep infection which caused multiple organ shutdown. After the interview with my sister and her husband, who NEVER mentioned anything other than the facts, somebody in the newsroom Googled group A strep (I assume) while writing the story and learned that also caused Scarlet Fever. So the story said that she nearly died and was in a coma for 11 days from Scarlet Fever. I wrote to the reporter and asked him to retract that, people will start thinking that Scarlet Fever is something completely different than what it is. He wrote back some lame answer that he'd look into it, but I never saw the online story change.

It only got worse a few days later when another news affiliate wanted to top that story; they started alarming people with "Local woman nearly dies from flesh-eating bacteria". :banghead:

Specializes in Pediatric Private Duty; Camp Nursing.

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

On Scrubs, I see gloves removed improperly. Drives me crazy! That was the FIRST thing I learned in nursing school You'd think they'd have consultants on the set!

I try not to correct people about it.

Specializes in Adult Internal Medicine.

Sometimes with family members I will interject, otherwise no.

You need to be very careful with curb-side consults (I often bump into patients in the grocery store that have a million questions). As a student you really shouldn't give anyone advice outside of the mediated clinical setting. As a LPN/RN/APRN, you need to think able your license and be very cautious about your scope of practice.

Specializes in ICU/CCU/CVICU.
I have a family member that says her kids are allergic to just about everything Benadryl, cold meds, Tylenol etc, etc because, they make them sleepy or hyper or upsets their stomachs. I've told her that side effects doesn't mean they are allergic but, she doesn't seen to comprehend. I've had several family members say crazy off the wall medical stuff and have even argued with me so, I just don't say anything anymore. One of my favorites was when someone asked me how to stop throwing up dial, and got mad and acted like I was stupid when I didn't understand. I asked "like dial soap?" and she was offended and snapped "no, from my gallbladder" lol. Oh, and the things people put on Facebook, one girl kept putting that she had to get her gold babbler taken out....[/quote']

Gold babbler... That sounds like a fun organ. I wish I had one :)

I totally agree. I avoid providing advice. I don't mind providing education, like the other poster stated, when people seek it out, but I see it as not in anyone's best interest to advise someone on their personal health if I'm not their provider.

I agree. Those of us choosing to sometimes correct others about medical stuff, don't give medical advice.

I have to admit these are funny stories you all are sharing. Funny/Scary stories. :facepalm:

Specializes in Oncology; medical specialty website.
What terminology do you want them to use? I seriously don't get it. When my family says 'stomach flu' I know there is puking and or diarrhea involved.

Stomach bug, maybe? I don't think the average person is going to say they have gastroenteritis.

It is true that it isn't a flu, though.

Specializes in Critical Care, Float Pool Nursing.

As well, people are interpreting my comment in an unnatural way and are therefore expressing mock outrage. My statement did not state that cancer survivors have no courage, as a couple people seem to believe.

Rather, my statement merely signifies that having cancer does not suddenly and automatically bestow courage or honor upon your personality. There are definitely cancer victims with courage out there. But Fidel Castro was reported to have had cancer before he died; however, he was far from being an honorable or courageous man.

Also, my father's gold-digging girlfriend had breast cancer, twice, and she's still a total sack of S anyway.

Specializes in Critical Care, Float Pool Nursing.

Fidel Castro is alive; but he was reported to have had cancer before he will die. And why would people behave that way about one illness and not cancer? It applies to any illness; it just happens that cancer is the most prominently utilized.

Specializes in Med/Surg/Tele/Onc.

Boy, way to hijack a thread. Now a thread about what do you do when you hear people say medical things that are technically wrong has turned into and us vs. them (you) cancer thread.

In my original post, I said the man tells everyone....I should have said he states he has.... I could have worded it better I admit, because I don't think he tells every person he happens to meet about his cancer. However, you made a pretty large leap from he tells everyone to he brags to everyone he knows about his cancer. Jumping to conclusions and leaping to assumptions is not healthy exercise.

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.

i guess my main question would be, why does it bother you when folks misspeak?

when i hear about someone having cancer, i don't get hung up on its semantics...

rather, that they have ca and are fighting a horrific battle.

also when i hear of those telling 'everyone' about their cancer, to me, it is a cry for support.

as stated, people deal with their crises differently.

some are private, some are extremely vocal.

so yeah mappers, rather than wonder who tells others what, i'd be curious to know why it bothers some people when others are misinformed?

someone having a "stomach flu" is pretty self-explanatory...regardless if it is a misnomer.

same goes for any other ailment out there.

if you get the gist of what they're trying to say, why sweat the small stuff?

curious, that's all. :)

leslie

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