I seem to be hearing more and more comments from patients and families that just leave me speechless. I can think of no good response except helpless laughter, which I can't indulge in, so I bite my tongue and say nothing at all.
Here's two from last night:
Family observing nurse use barcoder to give insulin (or rather, struggle valiantly to use the barcoder, since it malfunctions about every three minutes): "Aren't you glad that you won't have to worry about making so many medicine errors anymore now that you have a great machine to do your thinking for you?"
And from a patient who wanted the max in IVP pain meds and slept very soundly through one of the prn time windows: " You should have woke me up or at least have it all drawn up and been standing by my bed waiting for me to wake up." What in the world can you say to comments like those? :smackingf
Specializes in Med-Surg, HH, Tele, Geriatrics, Psych.
Twenty family members in the room telling me, in all seriousness, that the gauze dressing on Granny's foot wound was saturated with liquid and it all started when another nurse hung that bag of IV fluid on her.
Me: I don't understand.
Them: Don't you get it? That IV is running straight through her body and out that hole in her foot!
Me: What makes you think her blood pressure's low?
ER-watching daughter: I could see it
Me (looking around the room again): How?
Daughter (with exaggerated patience at having to explain basics to the idiot nurse): On the machine
Me: That's an IV pump
:roll
I sincerely hope she got the exact same "exaggerated patience" tone in response. I just can't help it with some people. Treat an educated professional like an idiot and expect to have your "House MD" watching behind treated in kind:devil:
Had a patient the other night who developed a "Saddle" PE. Family decided that they,
1)Absolutely did NOT want them to place a greenfield filter to prevent potential future injury from clots.
2)Refused to talk about code status on this recovering ICB patient who we could not give heparin to for the PE, immediately after MD saying that it was IMPOSSIBLE to predict with any accuracy the outcome of this patient good or bad. The spokesperson for the family said that we will talk about code status ONLY if "we needed to" as they were going to let the Almighty decide...
3)Did not want to accept the fact that the patient was not suffering from abdominal distress because of being NPO, but rather as a result of having anxiety over the 18 family members pacing, playing cards, watching TV, fussing and PULLING OFF THE NON_REBREATHER 'just because it looked uncomfortable...' (taking a deep breath here)
4) Would not accept the advice of the grandson who is a CRNA and the granddaughter who is an RN, that we were doing everything we could that was appropriate for the patient as they "were are on OUR (hospitals) side".
The saving grace was that the family was VERY nice and re-directed easily, they just needed alot of 'reality reinforcement'...
We had a lady JUST the other week. so i am so glad i saw this post!
90ish, came from a very active assisted living center (apparently we found out after anyhow..) for hematuria She ate bkfast, did my assessment, morning meds, chatted a little, commode, back to bed for a nap. then she gets up about an hour later and asks my aid, "so, what's next honey?"
Twenty family members in the room telling me, in all seriousness, that the gauze dressing on Granny's foot wound was saturated with liquid and it all started when another nurse hung that bag of IV fluid on her.
Me: I don't understand.
Them: Don't you get it? That IV is running straight through her body and out that hole in her foot!
Umm, O-kayyyyyy.
I know it can be very frustrating when these things are actually happening, but I"m almost near tears laughing at some of these!
I'm still in school but had one at clinicals that was jaw dropping to me. I'm just in shock at how little some pts understand about their own health.
Anyway, this pt. had just come off a vent (been in a coma for 30days) and was chomping at the bit to eat. She finally passed her swallow test, but the Dr. hadn't given permission for her to eat yet. Well, she had her husband go out and get her some cookies and a diet coke. She had DM, so in combo with not having eaten anything in 30 days, of course her fsbs was crazy. The nurse and I went in there to give her some insulin, and her husband says to me "do you think it was because of the diet coke I just gave her?" Um, no, I think it had something to do with the cookies....
When I worked the hospital I had a patient leave AMA one night and the next night show up with his suitcase in hand. Seems he changed his mind and wanted to check back in to his room from last night.
How do you respond to this nonsence?
Make sure you get a valid credit card # on check in.
You'll get on the good side of management that way.
"We don't want HepB, Vitamin K, erythromycin ointment, or PKU, and we're using our own organic cotton cloth diapers.....but yes, we want him circumcised."
I know that that woman who came in the day after her husband died & wanted to see his body probably seemed weird to you, but I hope you were kind when you explained to her that his body had been removed. She was probably not thinking too clearly--after all, her husband just died. And, when that happens, one can easily lose the ability to think clearly. Sometimes, we ask what seem to be ridiculous questions, but in our minds they make perfect sense.--that's part of the brain fog that grief produces. We just need some compassion and kindness from the staff who have taken care of our loved ones, not to be left feeling dumb for asking what seemed to be a good question at the time.
Of course I handled it with the utmost kindness and compassion. I'm not that calloused!
However, this is the same lady who was found sitting naked in the waiting room and had to be escorted out of the unit on an almost daily basis, for her erratic behavior. I have a feeling there was a bit more going on then just the grieving process.
Bugaloo
3 Articles; 168 Posts
Twenty family members in the room telling me, in all seriousness, that the gauze dressing on Granny's foot wound was saturated with liquid and it all started when another nurse hung that bag of IV fluid on her.
Me: I don't understand.
Them: Don't you get it? That IV is running straight through her body and out that hole in her foot!
Umm, O-kayyyyyy.