Don't talk bad about your patients

Nurses Relations

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this is my day to rant :)

When I get report it is great to know, the age gender, IV site, why they are here, when they might be leaving, & if the labs are ok, etc. ok, BYE BYE, on to the next room please...

I don't need to know the patient is getting a certain pill because you think they are mean and crazy and they asked so many times so had to call the Dr. and that's the reason they are getting pill X. That's your job, suck it up. you might say "hey I know it's PRN but plz give/ or ask if he wants that sleeping pill by 8PM, he has already stated he feels he will want it." (I don't care how many times he asked you about it or how crazy you think he or she is. just state the basic facts.)

REFRAIN from the gossipy comments & your imitation of them.

Try to be a nice person, & give the facts. leave out the extra 8 minutes of what you think that patient put your through & how awful they are.

Every single patient I receive report on, is not a pain and they are not crazy. They just are ill and need tending to.

When you DO talk bad about the patients, I just think you are a total jerk.

Yes I know SOMETIMES patients are truly odd and upsetting.

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Specializes in Med-Surg Nursing.

True DAT! My previous night-shift coworker gave report like the OP described..up to and including a detailed description of the pt's poop/vomit/wound drainage...save that crap for your doucmentations, which I CAN READ after change of shift report!

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We all know the difference between objective reporting of patient/family behaviors and ranting on unprofessionally but some do it anyway, why defend it?

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We all know the difference between objective reporting of patient/family behaviors and ranting on unprofessionally but some do it anyway, why defend it?

I made a request during report that the nurse not go into great detail; "just the facts ma'am" . . and she left crying.

She said I must hate her.

Sigh . . .. . this nurse was always going overboard and I finally mentioned something to her. Maybe I should have done this the first time she gave report. She was a traveler and I know that can be a tough job trying to acclimate to a new place every couple of weeks.

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yesterday, RN giving report to oncoming RN, I cant give report til she's done & it's getting late, I'm waiting for 20 solid minutes for her to finish her ridiculous story about ONE patient & how bad and non compliant the pt was, didnt want the bp meds etc., (I had relieved this nurse @ lunch & had no issues with the pt, though he admitted he wasnt compliant with BP meds & the Dr told him to stop being non compliant, so what! that's one sentence of info, jeez move on for goodness sake!) I FINALLY said "hey can you two wrap it up, also, whatever issues that pt had were 12 hrs ago & the Dr & him patched that up, if he doesnt wanna be compliant when he goes home so be it." (I just couldn't take listening to this this waste of nursing time! arg! Like Libby 1987 said: we all know the diff between objective reporting of pt behaviors, and endless nonsense talk that makes the eyeballs glaze over.) & other people can HEAR you speaking unprofessionally in the hallway. ...I actually SAW a pt cock their hear to LISTEN to the crud the nurse in the hall was saying, I acted oblivious and I felt bad for the pt!!

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Specializes in Rehab, pediatrics.

I don't mind hearing about patient and family dynamics, it actually helps me better understand the patient before going into the room...

What I dislike is the stereotyping, negativity, and judging when I get report.

Especially when I was in nursing school this just grinded my gears. For example someone would state something along the lines as, "so and so came to the ER due to drug overdose, how irresponsible of him/her for having children at home, they should know better than that."

Who are you to state how someone's life should be? I just don't care about if you think something is so wrong or if you think something should be done differently in their life. Just take care of the patient and stop making assumptions.

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Specializes in hospice.

Especially when I was in nursing school this just grinded my gears.

Ground

For example someone would state something along the lines as, "so and so came to the ER due to drug overdose, how irresponsible of him/her for having children at home, they should know better than that."

Who are you to state how someone's life should be? I just don't care about if you think something is so wrong or if you think something should be done differently in their life. Just take care of the patient and stop making assumptions.

Oh, I'd definitely be THINKING that, but verbal report would end with the part about being in the ED for overdose.

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You mean you don't want the details about how the 400 pound pt rang her bell 5 times to use the BSC, but then couldn't go, after requiring a two person assist, each time described in detail and at length? Then the daughter came to visit, demanding to talk immediately to the doctor, then she proceeded to text her friends and whine about her ex-husband and their child custody dispute, in between yelling at Mom and talking to her lawyer. Then the pt had the utter audacity to call once again to have her peri area cleaned, even though she hadn't gone, because "it's itchy". Then the druggie looking son arrived and got into it with sis.

:roflmao:Now up to the oncoming nurse to notify the doctor. Need a stat GYN consult and IV Benadryl.

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I never talk about any patient, just to talk. It needs to be relevant to the care. Social, bio, psycho are important. But there is a way to say it. Putting down a patient is horrible. And i hate when nurses or dr judge a patient because he is needy for pain meds. Has anyone ever taken pain management classes! Drug addicts need higher dosage to taper pain. If they got operated on, they need pain meda as much as any other patient.

I also feel that nurse who imitate patients or give personal opinion are not helpin. Let me make my own personal opinion of them. Giving out too much info biases my interaction. I feel the exasperation of the other nurse. Heads up are nice if behavior is inappropriate like sexual or violent. Other then that i dont want to know. I will say that the few times i have commented on a patient because i needed to vent was because i was almost hurt or patient uses violence and i got scared. I worked in a psyc er ward for drug addicts. Lots of very strange people. And never really needed to give that much details and never for wacking them.

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I'm sorry I just don't believe you all just "let it roll". We have all taken care of difficult, downright mean people and not one of you ever vents???? Hmmm... sounds a little to good to be true.... I too like a heads up if someone is a little difficult or if someone has some idiosyncracy that may help me to give them better care. And I am guilty of doing imitations in the break room, don't feel that makes me a terrible nurse, at the same time we also discuss better ways to take care of the more difficult patient. We are after all only human...

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Specializes in hospital float.

Ugh, I agree! That is the worst. Shake it off and have a good day damnit! We all deal with it.

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Not to get off topic, but I always have thought that giving the exact location of the IV relatively unimportant information. Unless I personally started the IV, sometimes it'll slip my mind if it's on the left or right. It's not all that difficult for the receiving nurse you find it. That it's a good IV is what's important.

The fact that daughter of patient is a manipulative nutcase is far more important in my opinion.

Yes, I don't really care if it's in the LAC or the RFA. I can find that. It's in the patient, for goodness sake. I'll check it during my assessment. It's also in the charting. I hate it when I get report and the RN giving me the patient pauses and says "you know, I don't know where the IV is, let me look it up". No, just give me report. I don't need a blow by blow about family dynamics, unless security has been called, it's not my business. I don't need to know that the patient was on their call light all day asking for silly stuff. That knowledge will not automatically make the patient/family stop using the call light for my shift!

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I can't stand bedside report especially in semiprivate rooms, its completely inappropriate. A meet and greet before leaving is appropriate, beside report is not.

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