ER Patients

[vonxojn]

I NEED TO VENT!!!

Why do patients come to the ER at 12am in the morning with C/P that has been happening for 3 days. They get the initial workup, hooked up to the monitor, lab draws, cxr, ect..etc... and c/o about getting woke up from their sleep for these things. I mean they get mad and roll their eyes. :argue:

R U SERIOUS!!!!! That's what I'm screaming in my head. Im sorry If getting DX with an MI is inconvient for you this am. Y do these people even come in and THINK they that they are at the Sheraton and will get a good nights rest. DUHHHHHH!!!!!

Sometimes I wish people would use common sense and kindness. If I had it my way I won't be in your room at 1am drawing blood to help save ur life. I could be at home getting me some sleep, so in the morning I can wish my kids a good day before they go to school.

[BBFRN, BSN, PhD]

I have a sad example. Years ago, during the night, we saw a beautiful year-old baby girl for vomiting. Thank God I charted the crap out of that visit. We sent her home with a script for erythro. Mom took the baby to the clinic the next day, hadn't gotten the script filled. In fact, she had it with her when she went to the clinic! The clinic doc told her to get the script filled. Baby came back that night to the ER with the same complaint. Was given the first dose of erythro and Mom was told once again to get it filled.

I found out later that the baby had died. Mom found her during the night, with vomit all over her face and not responding. Instead of calling the ambulance, she and grandpa jumped in the car and headed up the freeway to the next hospital, 50 miles away. Neither realized the baby was pulseless and not breathing. Autopsy showed aspiration. It looks like the baby must have had a febrile seizure and vomited, then aspirated. All because Mom didn't get the script filled. (Money was not an issue.)

Guess what? Mom blames the us for the death of her baby.

I realize I don't know the whole story, but did they give the baby any IV ABTs? I'm wondering this, because it might have been pointless to give a vomiting baby PO meds- especially since E-mycin can irritate the stomach as it is.

[grammyr]

Or the parent who brings 6 monith old to the ED with some sort of vague complaint like she's been crying for 2 days. She must be hurting somewhere "Can you give us some Lortab liquid to take home?" My answer is 6month olds don't get Lortab!!!!!!!

[Jennifer, RN]

Had a new mom come in by medic with newborn baby because the baby slept too much. People kill me!!!

Also had a mom ask for a sample of tylenol to take home since she couldn't afford it for her child. Don't have kids if you can't afford to take care of them. Mom was a smoker too, how did she afford cigarettes?

[medsurgnurse, RN]

Here's a funny one: A family brought in their pre-teen daughter after a copperhead bite and refused to allow us to treat her, saying that God would take care of it. Why didn't you just let God take care of it at home?

because if they would have stayed home they can't win the lawsuit lottery when the the pre-teen daughter actually has a complication or dies.

[maryloufu]

Had a new mom come in by medic with newborn baby because the baby slept too much. People kill me!!!

Ah, well I prefer this end of the spectrum to the sad story about the baby who aspirated. ( of course I too am a nervous nellie mom)

[Dalzac, LPN, LVN, RN]

Thank God our ER docs backed us 100% If someone wants to go AMA we give them a form to sign and say adios. Heck half the time the Doc's themselves will take the AMA form. And I do ask why they came in if they didn't want treatment.

[gonzo1, ASN, RN]

I too thank God for the stupid people. I don't want to be unemployed. Besides its cheap entertainment.

[piperglen]

Funny

[Djuna]

I too thank God for the stupid people. I don't want to be unemployed. Besides its cheap entertainment.

You made my day with that remark :rotfl:

[me+education=nurse?]

i am still in high school, but after i'm done i am going to nursing school. So last week, my 3yr. old brother fell off the toilet and whacked his head on the bathtub. He had a good sized hematoma on the back of his head, and my dad was going all crazy and said that we were going to take him to the er. He had no LOC, his pupils were normal, he wasn't nauseated, his pulse was normal, and other than the bump on his head and him crying he seemed fine. I told my dad that he didn't need to go to the er and i told him why, but my dad told me we were going and that i didn't know what i was talking about. Well, we got there and they got all the insurance info, took his vital signs[they were normal], and we waited forever. When one of the doctors came to see us, all she did was look him over and she gave him some tylenol. I felt sooo stupid for wasting the doctors and nurses time and i think that they thought that my dad was making a mountain out of a molehill. Was this a totally dumb reason to go to the er?

[RunnerRN, BSN, RN]

We get lots of kids EVERY DAY who fell down the stairs, fell off the bed, fell out of the car, fell fell fell. Typically, we do not CT kiddo noggins unless their was a +LOC, continued change in LOC, vomiting, altered pupils, etc etc. I always explain to parents that the risks involved with putting in an IV and sedating a kid to get them through the CT are much greater than the risk that a kid who fell down the stairs has a subdural bleed (when you fall down the stair you just fall ~8inches several times:))

Anyway, your dad probably felt a little panicked and was freaked out by the size of the goose egg. So no, not a stupid reason to come in. A lot of parents subscribe to the "better safe than sorry" theory, and want to be told by a professional that they dont' have to worry.

What bugs me is when these parents come in, I explain everything to them, but it takes a while for the doc to get in there and they freak out, stand by the door, and generally look ticked off. Did I force you to come in to the ER? Nope. Is your kid in there destroying my treatment room? Oh yeah.

[me+education=nurse?]

Thanks! I feel much better now