Charting Bloopers

Editorial Team / Admin · Sep 15, 2003

Admissions clerk note: Diagnosis: Pre-infarted angina.

vitalnursemom · Sep 24, 2003

Hey Gang,

I actually had a cardiologist prescribe

Nitropaste 1" SL q 6h

I couldn't resist asking him what Nitropaste tasted like!

You all have helped keep me sane tonight! Thanks for the laughs! VNM

deadend · Sep 24, 2003

once say a nursing note

" Pt in bed, non verbal no pulse, respirations, or BP. Pupils dialating"

I had to laugh at this one Did the nurse actually expect the patient to tell her he was dead???? I had visions of dialating pupil on this poor soul.

jansgalRN · Sep 24, 2003

Not in charting, but I've answered calls and was told by a family member "we gave the depository but he still didn't produce" [stool].

Also, family members pick up on things that nurses may miss (esp. in home care). A pt's wife called me once claiming his urine had a loud odor. I had never heard that one before.

I was once told that she knew her husband's sugar was high because he tasted sweet. I didn't even go there.

Often times, in termial care patients report visions of previously deceased loved ones. This is a common phenomenon, and is usually discussed with family members as a way of preparing them, sometimes giving an idea of imminent death. I was called to visit a patient once by a frantic family member. Unable to get enough valuable info on the phone, I finally went over. The patient's 23 year old grandson was scared to death, sitting out side on the front porch, refusing to accomany me inside because of ghosts, also he was demanding that we get the patient out(who was bedbound and incoherent). Poor thing. I ended up staying for 2 hours until his mom came home from work (he stayed outside the whole time-talking to me through a window.

Linderella · Sep 24, 2003

Thanks for the laughs I had a bad week and its nice to see the humor., and i guess I'll go back for more tomorrow ( that's work I mean and try to find the humor when I'm trying to do 10 things at once and trying to keep the unit from chaos .!!!!!!

Jay-Jay, RN · Sep 27, 2003

Not a blooper, but 'cover my a**' time:

IV finished. Numerous phone calls to MD have failed to produce follow up orders re. D/C'ing midline IV catheter. Patient threatening to D/C cannula himself if nurse refuses to do so. Midline removed, cannula intact, site clear.

The patient actually had the dressing half off his arm before I finally gave in, and agreed to do it. The next day, the doctor FINALLY called, and said we could stop the IV, and pt. was to come in for a followup exam next week. Oh, yeah, the drug was vancomycin, and the doctor gave NO instructions re. having his levels tested throughout the entire 2 weeks he was on the antibiotic!

amber71 · Nov 9, 2003

cant help but tell my little story.... i have an elderly pt (about 82yo) very sweet lady.we used tympanic thermometers in the hospital and as soon as the thermometer was in her ear she immediately said "HELLO"(she thought it was a telephone). boy, we were laughing so hard that her false teeth fell off.

sixes · Nov 9, 2003

Quote

Originally posted by Jay-Jay
I think it's posted elsewhere on this site: the physician couldn't think of the correct name for the incentive spirometer, so he wrote: suck balls QID!

:roll Read all 14 pages this one still has me in tears.

Hubby thinks I've lost it. All I can do is point. So he reads it

He certainly likes the order

Thanks for making my day

sixes · Nov 9, 2003

Dr.s order

Valium 20mg Im per rectum. Remove needle.(God I hope so)

Lithum levels q 2h (should have read q 2months)

NPO may have 4oz of brandy per day

soniblvn · Nov 11, 2003

pt came into er for member laceration, nurse wrote:

exam by Dr. Forskin retracted to see damage for repair. It looked like Dr. Forskin was the one examining the pt., b/c the sentences all ran together. It made for a great laugh.

Marie_LPN, RN, LPN, RN · Nov 11, 2003

Med order for "Albuteral, IV". Seen this one a few times from the same dr.

I'm assuming ya just hook the inhalor to the saline loc and press away? lmao

Phenergan 25 g (yes GRAMS) PRN q4. Oh my lol.

Pediatric Critical Care Columnist · Nov 11, 2003

Quote

Originally posted by LPN2Be2004
Med order for "Albuteral, IV". Seen this one a few times from the same Dr.

I'm assuming ya just hook the inhalor to the saline loc and press away? lmao

Actually, there is an intravenous formulation of salbutamol, (another name for albuterol) which has been used with great success in severe, life-threatening asthma. We run it as an infusion at least once a year in our PICU, often combined with neuromuscular blockade to decrease competition with the ventilator, and ketamine which relaxes smooth muscle. We had an asthmatic teenager in the unit this Summer who nearly died, and would have without intravenous salbutamol, so I'm not laughing.