What was the MOST ridiculous thing a patient came to the ER for?

Specialties Emergency Nursing Q/A

And did you have to treat them?

I am just curious. Your stories always seem to either crack me up or shake my head in amazement.

Thanks for sharing ?

Why go to a Doc in a Box

they send half their stuff to us anyway

Half...you only get half?!!?

Hee Hee Hee

Some days I think all we are doing is clearing out the local "doc-in-the-box" or clearing out the nursing homes!!!

:rolleyes:

Specializes in ICU/CCU/CVICU/ED/HS.

As an "AMBULANCE DRIVER":angryfire ...I have been called out at O'dark30 for some stupid stuff. Yes, we bring it to you (most of it) But...What about...My child has not been sleeping well. (HX of drinking tea/cola and watching horror flicks) Or...The stubbed toe, 6 hours ago, and you HAVE to take me, I have a Medicaide card.:angryfire :angryfire . The thing that probably aggravates me the most though, is when some calls for a diabetic emergency (hypoglycemia), we start an IV, push D-50, the patient regains cons. THEN refuses to go to the hospital.:angryfire :angryfire :angryfire

OH, well it has been said before but is worthy of repeating stupidity=job security:chuckle

As an "AMBULANCE DRIVER":angryfire ...I have been called out at O'dark30 for some stupid stuff. Yes, we bring it to you (most of it) But...What about...My child has not been sleeping well. (HX of drinking tea/cola and watching horror flicks) Or...The stubbed toe, 6 hours ago, and you HAVE to take me, I have a Medicaide card.:angryfire :angryfire . The thing that probably aggravates me the most though, is when some calls for a diabetic emergency (hypoglycemia), we start an IV, push D-50, the patient regains cons. THEN refuses to go to the hospital.:angryfire :angryfire :angryfire

OH, well it has been said before but is worthy of repeating stupidity=job security:chuckle

I can only imagine what Pediatricians and OB/GYN Doc's go through when they are on call. In conversation during my son's routine exam, I asked the Pediatrician if he ever got any ridiculous phone calls. He told me that he was recently paged for an urgent matter.

The urgent matter you ask?

"When should I start my 3 month old daughter on vegetables?" This was at 3 in the morning! He didn't go into details on what his response was :chuckle

WOW!! Here in Memphis, the paramedics/emts are no longer allowed to refuse transport. Apparantly, several years ago, they had refused transport for a seemingly non-emergent patient...and he died. Now, they have to bring any and everybody that calls for an ambulance. We've seen pts call an ambulance because they ran out of refills. Basically, some people use it because they have no other means of transportation.

Same here in Maryland. Once they're called, they can't refuse to transport. And they do get the most stupid calls.

On the other hand, we had a woman with 2nd and 3d degree burns on her arms and breast wait 3 days for treatment because she had to make an appointment for a public transportation bus because she wasn't on their regular route. She didn't want "to bother those nice Ambulance people."

I grabbed a passing "ambulance person" and we both told her in situations like hers, they are happy to help. That poor woman was suffering so much when she got to us.

Same here in Maryland. Once they're called, they can't refuse to transport. And they do get the most stupid calls.

On the other hand, we had a woman with 2nd and 3d degree burns on her arms and breast wait 3 days for treatment because she had to make an appointment for a public transportation bus because she wasn't on their regular route. She didn't want "to bother those nice Ambulance people."

I grabbed a passing "ambulance person" and we both told her in situations like hers, they are happy to help. That poor woman was suffering so much when she got to us.

Isn't it always the way!!

The people who really need an ambulance come in by private car...

And every yahoo with a hangnail and a medicaid card calls 911!!!

:o

When I was about five months pregnant, I started having severe pain in my kidney. When I went to the hospital, I was in the waiting room for what it seemed like an eternity. I was in so much pain that I begged the nurse for a place to just lie down. After checking she said that there was no place to put me. To this day, that sticks in my mind. It turned out that my baby was so big that she was blocking one of my ureters causing my kidney to enlarge. I had to wear a nephrostomy tube for the remainder of my pregnancy. Needless to say, I save going to the ER for real emergencies.

When I was about five months pregnant, I started having severe pain in my kidney. When I went to the hospital, I was in the waiting room for what it seemed like an eternity. I was in so much pain that I begged the nurse for a place to just lie down. After checking she said that there was no place to put me. To this day, that sticks in my mind. It turned out that my baby was so big that she was blocking one of my ureters causing my kidney to enlarge. I had to wear a nephrostomy tube for the remainder of my pregnancy. Needless to say, I save going to the ER for real emergencies.

There are sooo many different types of emergencies!! Where I work - we have 5 er's: ob/gyn, psych, medicine, trauma, burn. This cuts down on the wait time. Also, we tell patients in triage that they are seen based on severity - not first come first serve.!!!

). What disgusted me was being in excruciating pain, and watching a kid with conjunctivitis (pink eye). Hearing the kid do an eye test while I was laying there disgusted me. Some of the ridiculous reasons people go in are worse when your a patient with an actual legit problem.

Of note, the pink eye kid, roughly 8 years old or so, obviously stable and the paranoid parent could/SHOULD have taken him to the local 'doc-in-the-box'/after hours care place.

Sounds like my experience last year. I was in the Peds ER with my 1 year old with a 105 degree fever that I could not get under control (had tried everything, Pediatrician told us to go to the ER). We were in the waiting room with a child who obviously had pink eye. Mom says "his eyes been like that for a week, I don't know what's wrong with 'em." Why she decided at 11pm on a Sunday night that it couldn't wait another second, I don't know.

Specializes in RN, LNC, Owner of Staffing Agency.

40 y/o male, winter time...comes to the ER triage nurse wanting to be seen. States, "When I get cold, my nipples get hard"

Why can't the ANA, ENA, AMA, and every hospitalkick into a kitty and pay for educational puplic service announcements on TV and radio explaining what a real emergency is and isn't?

They can also mention, that if you have an income and come in for a non-emergency you WILL pay for it one way or another.

It won't stop everybody, but it might help stem the tide somewhat.

Specializes in ER, ICU, L&D, OR.

We were so busy the other night 3 people in the wairing room eloped all at the same time with their very minor maladies, went across the street and called 9-1-1.

They were all taken off stretchers and sent out to the triage desk to sign in, and were followed by a police officer who gave them all citations for abusing EMS

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