That's not what that's used for!

[cracklingkraken, ASN, RN]

Just wondering, throughout your nursing career, what things have you seen patients use incorrectly?

I thought this could be an entertaining subject. I'm not a nurse, but I always love hearing from you guys. And students as well!

[Rose_Queen, BSN, MSN, RN]

Erm, well, this can be kind of awkward. Working in the OR, most of the things I've seen patients use incorrectly involve things in places they weren't intended to go. This would include shampoo bottles, glass soda bottles, bicycle pumps, and certain shaped food items.

[guest769224]

Urinal as a soda cup.

[meanmaryjean, DNP, RN]

Urinal as a soda cup.

And soda cup as urinal

[Twinmom06, ASN, APN]

water pitcher as a urinal, dome lid from foodservice used as a bedpan, blowing in the incentive spirometer instead of sucking.

[cracklingkraken, ASN, RN]

Urinal as a soda cup.

Eww.. that's just.. wrong.

[vanilla bean]

Can't even count how many times I've walked in to a patient room to find some well-intending visitor wiping their loved one down with the Cavi wipes.

[dudette10, MSN, RN]

Can't even count how many times I've walked in to a patient room to find some well-intending visitor wiping their loved one down with the Cavi wipes.

Yep, and the momentary look of horror on my face stops them pretty quickly. Then when I explain, they look horrified. "Well, it's like wiping someone down in Lysol. Soap and water should do the trick."

[Bobjohnny]

The ever present use of the spoon by LOLs to "dig it out." I didn't first hand see it, but one our techs reported to me that one of patient's was using her (not new) stoma recreationally with her husband. The foley used much like a lasso after being pulled out with the balloon inflated was pretty funny. The urinal used as feces receptacle, the feces ended turning in to finger paint. My wife also had a LOL that used a BP cuff.... recreationally as well.

[CelticGoddess, BSN, RN]

Erm, well, this can be kind of awkward. Working in the OR, most of the things I've seen patients use incorrectly involve things in places they weren't intended to go. This would include shampoo bottles, glass soda bottles, bicycle pumps, and certain shaped food items.

I saw the same thing in x-ray. I even found a woman's upper plate on a KUB. She tucked them away for safety, then promptly forgot where they were.

[NOADLS]

One younger MS patient had a cell phoned and dialed it so that it vibrated... down there.

[RN_jess]

One of my older male pts, with either dementia or encephalopathy, was using his incentive spirometer as a bong (obviously not literally). He was thoroughly convinced and there was no telling him otherwise.