Ever have a patient that "turns" on you?

Lovely_RN, MSN · Aug 27, 2011

Yesterday as a matter of fact. Patient was fine for two days until we d/c his librium and told him he would be d/c from the hospital due to his non-compliance with any of the treatment. I guess he thought he could refuse every test and medication and just hang around while I fluffed his pillow and brought him his prn percocet q 6hrs on the dot. He had been quite cordial up until that moment. :rolleyes:

I don't trust patients. It's always in the back of my mind that they can turn against me on a dime and for reasons that have nothing to do with me. I've had patients turn on me after a good shift with them when they were angry at a family member, the SW, food service, the MD....whatever. It seems to me that most patients don't say a thing to "those" people but for some reason feel quite comfortable attempting to take out their frustrations on the nursing staff.

diva rn, BSN, RN · Aug 27, 2011

Nevermind ... I thought it said "turns you on".
My guess is you probably deserved it. (Just kidding).
& I have gotten the stink eye from a 3-year-old before. Still recovering.

I actually thought it said "turns you on" too!! and went EEEEWWWWWW NO!!!!!! :eek:

Then I burst out laughing when I started to read the first post..by the way, this was just after I had read the thread about some CNA who was supposed to have been in bed with a patient--so you can see where I was coming from!

I was already somewhat grossed out....and I thought, oh-more of the same! What is going on here? Shudder!

and I too, have gotten the stink eye from many 3 year olds before:) (worked PICU for years)

Esme12, ASN, BSN, RN · Aug 27, 2011

:hug:....It's hard and scary.......I've learned to never turn my back on ANY ONE and always make sure my exit from the room is not blocked. :hug:

Anna Flaxis, BSN, RN · Aug 27, 2011

Yes, definitely have had this happen. Last time, it was a middle aged woman who was "not very sick", as we sometimes say in the ED.

She was all "Sweetie" and "Honey" and "Oh, I hate to ask, but..." and "Oh, I know you are busy, but...". I knew the switch would flip eventually, and sure enough, it did.

Things got crazy busy and I didn't have time to stop in her room and check on her for a while, but I knew she was fine because I could see her vitals on the monitor, and I could eyeball her as I whizzed past the room on my way to whatever next task I had.

It had only been about thirty minutes since my last check on her, and all of a sudden (while I was dealing with a guy with blue lips from hypoxia that wanted to go AMA), she was standing in the hallway fully dressed, with a ****** off look on her face, demanding that someone remove her saline lock so she could leave.

Apparently, she was angry because she felt she was not receiving good care (mind you, it had only been thirty minutes since I had last been in to check on her and fluff her pillows and bring her yet another blanket and all that). I tried in vain to bring her back down to earth.

Funny thing was, I knew it was going to happen. She had snapped at the other nurse while we were tucking her in (came in by ambulance) because she didn't like the nurse's voice, then when the other nurse left the room, said "Does that nurse always talk like that?"

I didn't respond, and kept my face neutral as I continued on my tasks, because I recognized this attempt at staff splitting.

She said "Oh, I can tell by the smile on your face that she does." I wasn't smiling.

It was then that, even though she was being sweet as pie to me, I knew that she would eventually turn on me when I did something she didn't like, and she did.

nerdtonurse?, BSN, RN · Aug 27, 2011

It happens a lot with sundowners and psych patients, and unfortunately, we don't have an exorcist on call....he'd make a fortune.

canesdukegirl, BSN, RN · Aug 27, 2011

I remember very vividly the morning that I was taking care of my sweet LOL cancer pt s/p TAH BSO. I had been taking care of her since her admission 2 days prior. She was the typical Southern Belle. Cute as a button, totally compliant with her care, thanked us for every little thing that we did...truly a dream pt.

I had just finished up doing my AM assessment and was going back to the nurse's station to get the dynamap, because the CNA hadn't gotten to her room yet to do AM vitals. Her call bell goes off, I go to her room. She is sitting straight up in the bed with an angry look on her face. She starts spouting off about how she is getting terrible care, that she feels neglected, and she is demanding the CEO's phone number to report all of this. She tells me, "I have friends at Sloan Kettering on staff. I am checking myself out of this horrid place as soon as my husband can get here!"

Needless to say, I was shocked. I let her finish her tirade and just listened for a minute. I knew that something was up, so I told her that I would be right back with the number for the CEO. Actually, I made a beeline for the pulse ox, went back into her room and sure enough-sats in the low 80s. Apparently, she did not do her IS during night shift as ordered and did not ambulate as she normally did prior to bedtime. When I assessed her lungs, I did notice some crackles and diminished bases bilaterally, which made me think of low sats when she started acting out.

Poi Dog · Aug 27, 2011

Yep. I had a patient who within seconds went from telling me that she loved me, blah, blah, blah to slugging me in the face. :rolleyes: I. Didn't. Even. See. It. Coming.

Horseshoe, BSN, RN · Aug 27, 2011

I remember very vividly the morning that I was taking care of my sweet LOL cancer pt s/p TAH BSO. I had been taking care of her since her admission 2 days prior. She was the typical Southern Belle. Cute as a button, totally compliant with her care, thanked us for every little thing that we did...truly a dream pt.
I had just finished up doing my AM assessment and was going back to the nurse's station to get the dynamap, because the CNA hadn't gotten to her room yet to do AM vitals. Her call bell goes off, I go to her room. She is sitting straight up in the bed with an angry look on her face. She starts spouting off about how she is getting terrible care, that she feels neglected, and she is demanding the CEO's phone number to report all of this. She tells me, "I have friends at Sloan Kettering on staff. I am checking myself out of this horrid place as soon as my husband can get here!"
Needless to say, I was shocked. I let her finish her tirade and just listened for a minute. I knew that something was up, so I told her that I would be right back with the number for the CEO. Actually, I made a beeline for the pulse ox, went back into her room and sure enough-sats in the low 80s. Apparently, she did not do her IS during night shift as ordered and did not ambulate as she normally did prior to bedtime. When I assessed her lungs, I did notice some crackles and diminished bases bilaterally, which made me think of low sats when she started acting out.

Wow, good call! :yeah:

dudette10, MSN, RN · Aug 27, 2011

Thank you for all the stories and replies. There *might* have been one physiological reason it happened, but I'm not 100% sure. The timing matches up, though.

Live. Learn. Move on.

WorriedAbout2Morrow · Aug 27, 2011

Yep. I had a patient who within seconds went from telling me that she loved me, blah, blah, blah to slugging me in the face. I. Didn't. Even. See. It. Coming.

Wow!!! This incident reminds me of what a former co-worker of mine experienced. She had a patient in her late 60's who was admitted for observation. My co-worker walked into the patient's room and introduced herself to the patient at the beginning of the shift. As she started to assess the patient's IV site, the patient intentionally dashed a cup of hot coffee in her face & screamed, "I don't want no (Insert Racial Slur Here) taking care of me!!!" :eek: Before the patient knew it, my co-worker slapped patient across the face. :eek: :eek: :eek: As a result of the incident, my co-worker was fired & her license was revoked. She then petitioned to our neighboring state, fully disclosing this incident, and was granted a license to practice.

psu_213, BSN, RN · Aug 27, 2011

In the ER it usually happens when they expect a warm blanket in 5 seconds, yet it takes 45 to walk to the blanket warmer and back....

Either that or you tell them that they cannot have a ginger ale right when the walk in the door.

netglow, ASN, RN · Aug 27, 2011

Me three.

Thought it was "turns you on"

So that was the only reason I clicked on this thread