Did I handle this litigious patient correctly? How do I cope.

[LPNwithBIGdreams, LPN]

Hello. I have been an LPN, CDP for 10 years. Yesterday, my RN unit manager asked me to do the wound care she usually does. So I did the dressing on this lady (lets call her Bertha). Bertha micromanaged the entire procedure from start to finish. (what are you doing? The other nurse doesn't do it this way. Stop. That's not the right dressing. Stop. That part is backwards, upsidown, etc. ) I'm 28 and I look younger. The RN is 65+ and is seasoned. But I'm seasoned, too. Anyways, I finished up the dressing and the resident said there was no pain just some discomfort since I just cleaned the wounds. I administer PRN tylenol for pain and the post pain was 0/10. Resident comfortable, or so I thought...

 

I came in today and went to do the dressing again. The resident told me that yesterday I left a crease in the heel part of the dressing so she had another nurse come RE-DO THE ENTIRE THING at 3pm just 1 hour after I left. I know in my heart I did NOT do that bad of a job. So what I did was said "Oh I'm so sorry that happened. Let me get the RN." So I went to grab the RN and I pawned the dressing change off on her. At this point in my career, If I get a complaint like that I decided that I am a liability. I refuse to do a dressing Patients lie & lash out. Sometimes they are bad people who want others to hurt the way they hurt. This is the *** truth of it.

 

So the resident also had the RN re-wrap the dressing 2 times just now. She also said she is suing our company because "a nurse was rude to her."

[speedynurse, ADN, BSN, RN, EMT-P]

Sometimes people are so unhappy and miserable with their own life that they will do anything to make others miserable. I don’t have any advice for you but I really don’t think a patient can sue a company because “a nurse was rude” ???

[Orca, ADN, ASN, RN]

Usually threats of litigation are just that. I can't imagine that it would be worth the time and expense of a lawsuit over an (alleged) crease in a heel dressing. Being rude (which I doubt that you were) is not a court matter either, even if it did happen. Sounds like a crabby old woman who is determined to drag others into her own misery.

I work in corrections, where litigation is common. If I am sued, which has happened more times than I can count, the Attorney General represents me. If an inmate tells me "I have a lawyer", I tell him "So do I. Your family may or may not have voted for him." Another colleague tells them, "Don't use the same lawyer that you used for your criminal trial."

[Jedrnurse, BSN, RN]

1 hour ago, Orca said:

I work in corrections, where litigation is common. If I am sued, which has happened more times than I can count, the Attorney General represents me. If an inmate tells me "I have a lawyer", I tell him "So do I. Your family may or may not have voted for him." Another colleague tells them, "Don't use the same lawyer that you used for your criminal trial."

??- I love it!