What would you say to this shocking patient statement?

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  • Specializes in Medical-Surgical / Palliative/ Hospice.

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ktwlpn, LPN

3,844 Posts

Specializes in LTC,Hospice/palliative care,acute care.

QUOTE>>> Obese female in her forties admitted from the ED for asthma, allergy list a mile long, takes medication for anxiety, depression, fibromyalgia, migraines, chronic back pain, etc. Has packed her comfy jammies, memory foam pillow, iPad, laptop, and cell phone, and before she has even entered the room she needs the facility WiFi password and a pass to the cafeteria because she hasn’t eaten all day.

This is just me venting and trying not to sound too judgmental. This actually happens all the time and I am used to "professional patients". I just wanted to paint a metal image for what this patient said while I was admitting her.>>> QUOTE As others have posted you clearly revealed your own bigotry in your first paragraph. I will add that "professional patients" often know their bodies and how they will react to treatment very well.How many of us here on allnurses have presented to the ED ,asked for a certain med and been labeled a drug seeker? There are several threads about that.Maybe she has discovered that foreign born physicians are not as open to her particiption in her plan of care. Her requests are not that surprising-I am sure the meds she received in the ED stabilized her,she probably felt too sick to eat prior to coming in so upon arriving to the floor she was feeling better and wanted to eat.Given her history the internet is probably her lifeline. I take me own pillow ,face cloth,Nook and stuff when I go on vacay and will probably do so if I am ever hospitilized.Does any of this change your perspective of this patient? The term "professional patient" implies malingerer imho-is that what you mean? Anyone with a slew of chronic diseases if well used to acute care and I'm sure wants their creature comforts.Would you say the same thing about a 26 yr old man with metastatic cancer who arrives with his lap top,cd player amd such?

Guest343211

880 Posts

I would have called her on her racism, frankly. I would have said, well, doesn't matter the color of their skin or how they talk, a doctor is a doctor. Sounds petty and racist to me. I don't care for racist people in real life, and I wouldn't care for a racist patient. I am white but I am not "American" so it offends me when people are racist, very deeply.

I would have said, well., don't be so quick to judge a book by it's cover and then left the room.

In my head I'd be thinking, "stupid racist hog."

**** Edit- I don't think this is the same as demanding a female doctor or whatever. That's a personal comfort issue, not a personal dislike of the doctor for senseless reason. If I am going to be "exposed" I prefer a female doctor. Nothing against the male doctors, I'm sure they would do a good job but that;s outside my personal body comfort zone. It's not because I hate male doctors or think they are somehow "not as good" just because they're male.

Same argument can be made about comfort level--English speaking, more familiar, etc. I know some people are sensitive about this, but at the end of the day, it comes down to some similar things and the point as to why one is seeking care in the first place. No doctor or nurse for that matter, male or female, gives a lick about the individual's body. To them, it's no different than pulling up the hood of a car and checking to see if things are in working order. Truly. To me, the sensitivity is problematic in thinking, b/c people are being overly sensitive about something they needn't be.

Even if using an OBGYN, by biggest concerns are "Does he or she know what they are doing?

How experienced are they?

Can he or she be compassionate, while still being on top of their game in a crisis?

Are they honest?

Can I openly asked them questions?

Do they listen?

How adept are they if performing something like surgery?

Are they likely to blow important things off?"

These are the kinds of things that are important.

Frankly, and this is just anecdotal experience, I have had more female OBGYNS and OB nurses hurt me during a pelvic exam then male doctors. I have no idea why that it. Just the random turn of things I guess. Although, I think some people don't know the different between carefully probing and palpating versus poking and being rough.

Point is, I don't give a pig's ear what your gender, race, or whatever is. I want to know that you are experienced, qualified, and that you truly care. Everything else is utter BS.

BTW, a woman physician or nurse can be just as critical or judgmental of someone's body (as noted in the original post) as any male physician or nurse can be. If a person is going to be an azz and judge your body (most don't care unless you are so grossly obese that it's an obvious problem), then they will be an azz whether they see your body exposed or not.

It's fine whatever your rationale, and that you own it, but you do realize it isn't logical thinking, and 99.9% really could give a rat's tail about what your body looks like. I mean, if you are a nurse, does it roll that way for you? Do you really care if your patient is buff or not? You are not there to care about that kind of nonsense, and neither are other physicians and nurses.

It's a different slice of the same thing though. The patient in the OP's situation has her biases against non-American physicians or physicians or different races. Her reasoning is off. In the same manner, so is the reasoning against giving preference to a male or female doc or nurse. I mean the really young teens that need pelvic exams, sure, you try and humor them, b/c they are young. At a certain point, however, you'd hope sound reasoning would kick in and people would get over it.

I am not judging per se. I am simply stating the consistency in illogical thinking patterns.

The docs of different races don't or at least shouldn't care what race you are any more than they care what gender you are, unless they are trying to rule out ectopic pregnancy. It just is of no consequence either way in terms of examination or general function as a physician or nurse. If it is OK to ask for a physician of another gender, logically, it should then be OK to ask for a physician of another race or of say only American origin.

I am not saying this is right. I am only trying to look at the thing in a balanced, logical manner.

Guest343211

880 Posts

QUOTE>>> Obese female in her forties admitted from the ED for asthma, allergy list a mile long, takes medication for anxiety, depression, fibromyalgia, migraines, chronic back pain, etc. Has packed her comfy jammies, memory foam pillow, iPad, laptop, and cell phone, and before she has even entered the room she needs the facility WiFi password and a pass to the cafeteria because she hasn’t eaten all day.

This is just me venting and trying not to sound too judgmental. This actually happens all the time and I am used to "professional patients". I just wanted to paint a metal image for what this patient said while I was admitting her.>>> QUOTE As others have posted you clearly revealed your own bigotry in your first paragraph. I will add that "professional patients" often know their bodies and how they will react to treatment very well.How many of us here on allnurses have presented to the ED ,asked for a certain med and been labeled a drug seeker? There are several threads about that.Maybe she has discovered that foreign born physicians are not as open to her particiption in her plan of care. Her requests are not that surprising-I am sure the meds she received in the ED stabilized her,she probably felt too sick to eat prior to coming in so upon arriving to the floor she was feeling better and wanted to eat.Given her history the internet is probably her lifeline. I take me own pillow ,face cloth,Nook and stuff when I go on vacay and will probably do so if I am ever hospitilized.Does any of this change your perspective of this patient? The term "professional patient" implies malingerer imho-is that what you mean? Anyone with a slew of chronic diseases if well used to acute care and I'm sure wants their creature comforts.Would you say the same thing about a 26 yr old man with metastatic cancer who arrives with his lap top,cd player amd such?

I don't know that she is being purely biased by using the word "obese." This is a word used scientifically, just as moderately or morbidly obeses are scientific terms. Something you would definitely see in and H&P for heaven's sake. I get what she means by mental picture now. I don't know about the rest of it, as patients can be manipulative, or somethings, they are truly sick but they are, well, the way they are.

Often enough asthma patients are frequent flyers; so they may well know the drill and want to be comfortable.

And who knows why the woman thinks the way she does?

I personally just think it is the quality of the caregiver that should be judged above all else.

Dude, if the the best, most thorough doc there is a male or female from the Land of East MudFlappionia, is 65 or 75 years old, but is sharp as a knife and has agile skills, that's who I want caring for me. Everything is bull crap.

To the OP's original point, if you are really sick, so long as you don't get a total quack, you just want treatment and relief. Darn, it's like when you are in truly major pain--like one of those unremitting migraines--no relief through vomitting--and the pain is so bad that your BP is 240/140. You could care less, so long as you get proper treatment and relief.

But it is also a point that half of the ED admissions or more as such that can be dealt with in a physician's office or in an urgent care center. When you have to divide yourself between people coming in bleeding out or actively infarcting, plus children in respiratory distress or rape trauma, it is a pain in the butt to have to deal with so many non-urgent cases. The ED gets smacked with everything, and people don't get that. Even in the ICU, for the most part, you have to be able to justify giving the bed to someone--in terms of space and in terms of financial costs. But the ED, shoot, they just keep getting everything, while too often, also getting hits of a true emergent nature. It's part of what makes the ED a major pain in the butt.

medic0681

33 Posts

Specializes in Cardiology.

wow..what a piece of ****!

Alibaba

215 Posts

Oh that's too bad you did not get the care you wanted over there.

Well let's see who is rounding today,,,there Dr. (insert very difficult to pronounce Indian name here), then the attending is (Insert another foreign name here), residents are (even more foreign sounding names here). Charge nurse is (insert foreign sounding name here), and so on and so on...

Then apologize to her royal highness for not having ANY non foreign Docs on all night.

Excuse yourself and have one of your brown skinned accent having coworkers go in to see if she was comfortable or needed anything.

Would have been fun just for laughs..

Like someone said, you can not fix stupid, but you sure can have fun at stupid's expense.

yoshells

2 Posts

After restraining myself of speaking my mind and knowing my face is free and clear of dirty looks (My face tends to have a mind of its own sometimes) I would have probably told her that she has the right to choose her doctor as well. I myself am brown in skin color but was born here in america. Initially I would be upset but then I have to think that people like that do not deserve to be even an afterthought. Its just sad that we are in this day and age where there is still that ignorant mentality.

edatri

37 Posts

I suppose cultural diversity includes those who don't practice it. Being brown skinned, I'd probably just stick with the catch-all "I'm sorry you feel that way" and keep going with the assessment.

Aurora77

861 Posts

Specializes in Med Surg.

I'd want to ask if I should get her AMA paperwork ready now or wait until after she's met her hospitalist.

Guest343211

880 Posts

I'd want to ask if I should get her AMA paperwork ready now or wait until after she's met her hospitalist.

LOL Have it off to the side--try to streamline. LOL

Guest343211

880 Posts

After restraining myself of speaking my mind and knowing my face is free and clear of dirty looks (My face tends to have a mind of its own sometimes) I would have probably told her that she has the right to choose her doctor as well. I myself am brown in skin color but was born here in america. Initially I would be upset but then I have to think that people like that do not deserve to be even an afterthought. Its just sad that we are in this day and age where there is still that ignorant mentality.

LOL I have one of those kind of faces too--it has a mind of its own. Have to work extra hard to make sure it's "in check." I think I should learn how to play poker well. Don't have a poker face, but having one would have served me better over the years. It's either that or take meds to make me have a flat affect, lol. Nah. ;)

gatoraims RN

219 Posts

I suppose cultural diversity includes those who don't practice it. Being brown skinned, I'd probably just stick with the catch-all "I'm sorry you feel that way" and keep going with the assessment.

I would have said the same thing. I might add in something about knowing any competent doctors from every walk of life.

Those of you who would "put her in her place" are not helping the mater. I do not think she is going to change her mind or even have a different way of think when presented with rudeness. I know it might be a long shot but just bluntly telling her you do not agree and being professional about it may go further than being rude.

Specializes in Emergency/Cath Lab.

I wonder what her insurance has to say about leaving AMA due to race of the doctor....

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