Advice - I'll need a meal tray too

Specialties Emergency

Published

I'm a newer nurse in ED. I love my job so much. So far I have a high tolerance for BS... however, there's something that really bothers me and I need advice on what to say to the patient without sounding like a jerk... This situation happens at least once a shift, sometimes more... and typically it's with our frequent flyer friends.

Most recent occurrence that almost made me be a big B-word:

Pt comes into the ED c/o chest pain

Me: "What brings you to the ER today?" :D :nurse:

Pt: *walking, speaking full complete sentences, NAD, EKG normal in triage, etc* "I have 10/10 chest pain and it's been going on since like this morning. I'll need 2 warm blankets, the TV channel list because the channels are all messed up here, a cup of water and a separate cup of ice... and might as well get me a meal tray going for me and my boyfriend too because I know these chest pain work-ups take a long time...and it's 5:30 and we've been in the waiting room for about 45 minutes so we missed dinner."

The warm blankets - no problem... The TV channel list - sure!... The meal tray - NOT IN YOUR LIFE WILL I GET YOU A MEAL TRAY! THIS ISN'T A DAMN RESTAURANT!! AND DON'T EVEN THINK I WILL GET YOUR BOYFRIEND A MEAL TRAY! HE CAN GO GET FOOD FOR HIS GROWN-MAN SELF! THERE'S A CAFE UPSTAIRS! AND DON'T TELL ME HOW YOU TAKE YOUR WATER; 2 SEPARATE CUPS FOR ICE AND WATER! PLEASE! :madface:

I must suffer from some suppressed anger from early childhood about meal trays or something, but when a patients tells me to get them food, I just get so mad. Luckily I still have self-control, so I give the pt the policy about how they can't have anything to eat or drink until everything is resulted, MD approves, etc... But sometimes the patient's can't take that for an answer and they think I'm being a jerk for not ordering them "room service" even though "They always get a meal tray for me and my boyfriend when we come in this place." :banghead:

My question is: How do I nicely tell a patient that this isn't a hotel or restaurant when telling me I need to order them food? And how can I stop getting so MAD when people ask me for a meal tray?!! It's so weird how this irks me so bad! :confused:

Lala,

Didn't they tell you R.N. = Refreshments & Narcotics?

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Specializes in EMS, ED, Trauma, CEN, CPEN, TCRN.
Lala,

Didn't they tell you R.N. = Refreshments & Narcotics?

OMG, hahahahahaha!! Seriously almost sprayed coffee on my laptop!

coffeescreen.gif

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To OP, your post had me laughing so hard I just about peed my pants!! It cracks me up when patients come in wanting food when their chief complaint is vomiting and abdominal pain or Severe, god awful 10/10 pain for whatever reason and they want a turkey sandwich and apple juice while they wait to see the doctor!! I think it urks you so bad because when this patient asks you so for food and blankets, you personally have not eaten/ or peed for that matter, since you left your house for work, and you probably have other patients that desperately need your attention while you struggle to hand these not lifesaving interventions for this patient that obviously doesnt belong in the ER!! I know thats a run-on but its soooo true. :)

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Specializes in being a Credible Source.
I am just a student so I don't have an opinion on your patient except for that does sound over-the-top! However, I do have a comment as mom who had to admit her child to the ER one morning very early. I had not eaten anything and my dh had been up since 5am scraping snow off a parking lot. Ds was in the bed having blood drawn, IV's put in, catheter, etc...as he was in diabetic ketoacidosis. My husband started to pass out (he can't handle the sight of blood being drawn). It was brought up that he was probably hungry because he hadn't eaten. They quickly offered and brought us some food. That was very appreciated. When we were transferred to a childrens hospital in "the big city" I thought it was really nice that they gave me meal vouchers every day to cover my food. I could zip down to their amazing food court style cafeteria and get a meal to take back to my son's room. Sorry, I know I veered off course, but sometimes it is the little things that make a difference.
Believe me, it takes very little ER experience to quickly recognize the difference between the people whose events have simply deposited them here with little warning or chance to prepare and the ones who come in with the sense of entitlement and making demands.

In your case, we'd have been offering up our own lunches if nothing else were available.

To the OP's original post: Most people can tolerate fasting for several hours... in fact, most people can benefit by doing it regularly :-)

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Specializes in EMERG.

I tell them we are instructed to keep them NPO until a physician order along with all disgnostic results are reviewed. If they are diabetic, we will monitor their sugars....and if they are really grumbling I tell the family they can feel free to wait at the coffee shop on the second floor.........BUT THE PATIENT IS STILL NOT TO HAVE ANYTHING!:) We also don't have TV's in our dept anymore, which was the best improvement our ED ever made!

Last weeks Nutrition Nazi Adventure------>I had a guy come in with a STEMI quite disgruntled we were putting in IV's and trying to reach the Cath Team so we could avoid TNK. He was distraught at me for not letting him finish his big mac meal on the bedside table he brought with him!!! He said "But I am diabetic, you could kill me by starving me!" (((Well buddy Your Big Infarct is gonna kill you before your Sugar Drops!)))

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Specializes in ER/SICU/Med-Surg/Ortho/Trauma/Flight.
This is why I love my intubated/sedated/unconscious patients :D
Yep me too sicu land, 1 visitor at a time, no extras, and if you give me cr@p I am the house sup. and I wont hesitate to have your rear end tossed out.
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I'm pretty sure someone already said this, but in case they haven't...

"We only provide trays for admitted patients."

No sorry, no excuses, just that, repeated as necessary. Technically we really only provide trays for admitted patients, though I do my best to get trays for anyone who can eat. If I don't have a tray and they can eat, I suggest visiting our cafeteria.

If I have extra trays and a patient who I don't want to feed is insistent upon eating, "You cannot eat until the doctor sees you/we finish with your tests. We need to make sure eating won't make you sicker."

I have a ton of patients who I can't give food to (abdominal pain 10/10, nausea x a million days, etc) who whine about how they haven't eaten in days. I'm still new enough to be bothered by it but I find that repeating myself without embellishment, like "I'm so sorry!" works well.

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Specializes in ER/SICU/Med-Surg/Ortho/Trauma/Flight.

Also as said before after everything you say and every winey complaint just say well bless your heart. Then add for the visitors purpose add well there is a Mc.d's down the street that has a very affordable dollar menu, and say this is where us nurses go for dinner because we are poor also. LolRod Rn

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