Ever have a patient complain about you?

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I recently had a patient that asked to speak to the manager about me. She also requested a different nurse to take care of her. Don't want to post the details because of privacy issues. I wish I could. Nothing serious at all, which really bothers me. I always try my hardest to do the best for all my patients, I really feel awful about the situation.

How are patient complaints about staff handled at your facility? I hate worrying about whether or not I'll lose my job over it. My facility always thinks the patient is right.

Specializes in Med-Surg.

What did your boss say to her?

Did she really expect you to stop intubating her husband to take a freaking phone call?

I just do not get some people...

Death was probably his escape!! :confused:

Unfortunately it was. I was kinda heart broken. Opened up the newspaper and there he was in the obituaries. Just curious. Am I the only one who reads the obituaries habitually? My hubby thinks I'm weird lol

What did your boss say to her?

Did she really expect you to stop intubating her husband to take a freaking phone call?

I just do not get some people...

He actually sided with me and tried to explain to her. I think she really wanted me to stop doing what I was doing to "chat" with my boss. I honestly believe that she's been spoiled rotten by this sweet old man over the past 30+ years that she wasn't used to someone telling her no. Entitled rich people I tell ya.

Specializes in Ortho/Uro/Peds/Research/PH/Insur/Travel.

Yes, I have had a patient and/or a family member complain about me. I recognize that you or your loved one may not be at their best, BUT I am NOT your punching bag (certainly not for, say, $25 an hour). Common sense (which many individuals were

NOT born with) should tell you that swearing at me is NOT going to bode well for you or your loved one. With that said, I HIGHLY recommend that you document EVERYTHING regarding a negative interaction. While it may be redundant, I write a 4-8 sentence narrative note twice during a 12-hour shift (I type very quickly). Those notes have saved me a couple of times.

Specializes in SICU.

I have had it happen and I am usually relieved because it means that I don't have to cater to their ridiculous whims!

Omg same thing this week with a c-diff, told next shift I wiped too much (bm was still coming out) I was not going to let the patient sit in their BM (and this was during shift change)

Specializes in Emergency Nursing.

I had a patient's family complain about me to my supervisor while still in the ED. I had visited the patient multiple times. Patient was hooked to the monitor, assessment was done, medications (home) put into the computer, and IV started with a protocol already running in the lab. It was taking me a little while to get back to this patient because I had a critical care patient down the hall that was requiring some 1:1 time.

The critical patient down the hall who was a hard stick, needed a new/bigger IV because he was needing 2 units of PRBC's stat. He was also going to critical care so I was trying to get him packaged and ready for blood and ready for the unit. I had just gotten off of my 6 weeks of orientation so I was already nervous.

The former patient complained to my director saying I was spending too much time with another patient and had not attended to their needs properly. I heard what had happened and was so upset. All the years I was a tech I had never had a complaint and now, just off of orientation, I already had a patient complaint. My director came up to me to ask me about what was going on and I told her. I started tearing up because I was so overwhelmed and upset about the complaint. My director hugged me and told me not to worry about it. Just to keep smiling and visiting the patient as much as I could.

So I did. Never heard anything else about it. Thank God for a sweet director.

First week off orientation at my first job I got a patient complaint, and I wasn't expecting it either. The patient had a fever, and foul discharge from her lady parts after delivering a baby. I have no idea what set her off. I do remember she cried excessively when I started her IV and it was somewhat messy. At least I got the IV on the first try. The patient herself seemed a bit on the drama queen side, but part of that could be due to dealing with a newborn and then having a possible infection too. Whatever.

I still don't like it when patients complain about me, but now I just say screw them. I know in my heart I did the best I could for them.

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I was treating a patient who was receiving her first chemotherapy treatment. After introducing myself she immediately proceeded to let me know she was a retried oncology pediatric nurse (just great, I thought). I made sure to follow the protocol for accessing her medi port and answered all of her questions and concerns. After finishing her treatment she came up to tell me how thankful she was at how I treated her and was very pleased. On her follow up with the doctor she complains to him about how I was not sterile enough when accessing her medi port and preferred that another nurse treat her. Really?!! I just shook MH and thought "Thank God."

Specializes in Emergency Nursing.
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Bahahaaha!!! 😂😂😂

Specializes in HH, Peds, Rehab, Clinical.

I worked at an LTC for about a year and met some of the most manipulative people ever to grace this Earth, I swear. There was a gentleman (because I'm feeling nice!) who had certain CNA's convinced that they had to hold his member while he used a urinal. His excuse was that he had neuropathy so bad that he couldn't. He would wear these thick work type gloves and wave them at you when he felt like he couldn't do something for himself.

His light was on one night and I answered it with a "what can I do for you, Mr. D?" He told me he needed the urinal. I retrieved it from his bathroom and handed it to him. "You need to hold my dick for me". I responded that no, he was capabale of doing that task on his own, I know how people want their privacy and I respect that (I knew differently of this man, but wasn't playing into that). He played his neuropathy card and launched into a tirade about how he can't use his hands.

When he was done I calmly said "Mr. D, I see you use your TV remote. I see you use your cell phone. I know you are able to eat your food. And I know you have the ability to push your call light. You can do this too". He screamed at me that he would have my license, blah blah blah. I gave him a resident complaint form to complete. (which he did, with his neuropathy and all!)

My DON did call me, asked if I said those things to him. I replied that yes indeed I did, they were all accurate. She said indeed they were and she would be sending out an email to all staff to remind them that Mr. D can and should use his bedside urinal by himself to promote independence!

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