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I'm looking for a place on the web to find an article about the story of how, at least in California, computer on wheels are not called COWS but instead are called WOWs due to a woman successfully suing a hospital after she thought staff were calling her, the patient, a COW, when they were actually referring to their computer on wheels.... Does anybody know where I can find this? I must not be typing in the correct search words.

I need it, to prove a point to someone in my life who discourages my dieting attempts and has ridiculed my going to the gym, but then makes reference to me being a cow..... he says I'm too sensitive, but I said he's too insensitive...

I mentioned the lawsuit where a woman won millions of dollars from this.....he's very money oriented and I think the reference would drive my point home. He thinks I'm making up this story, but I've heard it more than once so it's got to be true.

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Specializes in Nurse Scientist-Research.

https://lmgtfy.com/?q=woman+sues+over+the+term+"cow"

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Specializes in Emergency Department.
20 hours ago, SDANG said:

I need it, to prove a point to someone in my life who discourages my dieting attempts and has ridiculed my going to the gym, but then makes reference to me being a cow..... he says I'm too sensitive, but I said he's too insensitive...

I think this person requires a quick punch to the throat and then told he is being too sensitive.

Don't let these bampots decide your life for you - you be you. ?

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4 hours ago, TiffyRN said:

https://lmgtfy.com/?q=woman+sues+over+the+term+"cow"

The joke is supposed to be that it comes up as the first hit when you do that....not that you pretend someone else can't google and then also don't come up with the hit when you google for them....?

**

I always thought the COW>WOW lawsuit story sounded a little imaginative, and that it was probably just that in everyone's passion for acronyms, they failed to realize just how much "COW" was going to be used around patients and how stupid it would sound, so then they changed it.

20 hours ago, SDANG said:

I need it, to prove a point to someone in my life who discourages my dieting attempts and has ridiculed my going to the gym, but then makes reference to me being a cow.....

I think you are going about this the wrong way. Why are you arguing with the type of person who enjoys trying to hurt you no matter what you do?

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Specializes in EMS, ED, Trauma, CEN, CPEN, TCRN.
22 minutes ago, JKL33 said:

I think you are going about this the wrong way. Why are you arguing with the type of person who enjoys trying to hurt you no matter what you do?

This. Why is that person in your life?

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Specializes in Nurse Scientist-Research.
6 hours ago, JKL33 said:

The joke is supposed to be that it comes up as the first hit when you do that....not that you pretend someone else can't google and then also don't come up with the hit when you google for them....?

**

I believe you have a point. The thing is, I don't believe the story. I've heard it in every new hire computer orientation I've sat through and in several states since roll-around computers became a thing. It smacks of "urban legend" because they always name the hospital it happened at yet there seems to be no real proof of such lawsuits.

So, I was about to try to search it out myself. However, I was coming off of my 2nd 12 hour night shift, and just didn't have the energy to do anything except allow the OP to go search goggle themselves and find out that (more than likely), there just isn't such a story.

Which still doesn't excuse the actions of the person mentioned in the post. Tearing someone down like that is inexcusable, though, I'm afraid it's not litigable except in very specific circumstances.

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59 minutes ago, TiffyRN said:

It smacks of "urban legend"

I agree. All it takes is one admn to imagine that it might cause a PR difficulty.

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Specializes in Nurse Scientist-Research.

Ok, here's a more comprehensive search of for a lawsuit (anywhere) about a patient believing they were being called a cow rather than referring to the computer on wheels. First of all, though I'm not a lawyer, I'm not sure such a lawsuit would pass the sniff test as there was no malice (but I defer to any with actual legal education).

I'll give the TL: dr version first: I can't find any such article on google search after modifying the search terms several times.

Long version:
I believe there would be some kind of mention of a lawsuit had it actually existed outside the realm of the urban legend. Instead all I found were many stories (usually on reddit) of "I heard" or "they say we can't use COW anymore, because a patient thought we were calling them a cow". Even the more formal blog sites, or EHR companies mention the term COW could be misinterpreted, but no mention of an actual lawsuit or the amount paid out. I think they would definitely want to strengthen their points about changing terminology by providing a real world example of the damages hospitals incur by using problematic terms.

Here are some sites that broach the topic of COW being problematic:

A blog discussing many IT issues and saying up front that COW may be politically incorrect but the blogger's hospital still uses the term:

https://blog.medicalsolutions.com/clinical-corner-2/clinical-corner-clinical-corner-cows-wows-hipaa/

A newsletter from an EHR company advising that some hospitals are changing to the term WOW over concern of unintentionally offending patients with the term COW. No mention of any actual lawsuits or actual damages paid.

http://www.hcpro.com/HOM-71393-2939/Tip-Make-the-change-from-COWs-to-WOWs.html

A semi-tabloidy article describing how the NHS has changed terminology to WOW after concern that patients would be offended by the term COW.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2754287/Bring-cow-NHS-renames-computer-fears-patients-think-nurses-rude.html

A popular magazine article about the "secret language of nurses" where there is a brief mention that COW is no longer used because a patient was offended (but once more, no mention of any actual lawsuits).

https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/dp5gey/the-hidden-language-of-hospital-nurses-400

A gomerblog satirical article about the banning of COWs to improve patient satisfaction scores:

https://gomerblog.com/2018/09/cows-computers-on-wheels-banned-from-local-hospital/

So, I do hope you find resolution with this toxic person in your life but I pursuing the path of telling them about something that may possibly be an urban legend may not be the way.

I don't know your relation with this person but you don't need toxic people in your life. If they are truly toxic, and calling someone offensive terms was something you could sue for, this toxic individual would simply switch to another tactic to tear you down. Do your life a huge favor and shed them!

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