Help!!

[ARossRN]

OK guys--I need help. How do you deal with abusive patients?? I have tried everything-calling my charge nurse to deal with it, having the nursing supervisor attempt to deal with it. This patient has been verbally abusive to EVERYONE. They have called the operator and obtained the charge nurses number and calls them at LEAST 20 times an hour. They have even gone as far as to stand up and scream in the faces of the nurse taking care of them. They have also thrown items at us. This patient does have psychiatric issues, but we do not have a specific ward or group of nurses that specialize in that. This patient is taking its toll on us all. NO ONE wants to be their nurse. My supervisor told me that I need to "deal with it" I do not want to go to work anymore because the patients who really need to be taken care of, the ones who are truly sick, do not get the attention and care they deserve because the whole floor has to cater to this 1 patient. We are talking--CATER TO THEM. If the meal isn't correct, we must get a new one. If the head of the bed is not at the proper angle, we must fix it. If the pillow is too flat, we must find a new one.

Any ideas or suggestions would be helpful!

I love my job, I LOVE my patients. That is wy I became a nurse. I just am at my wits end.

And, no, wine does not help!!

[iluvivt, BSN, RN]

What setting are you in? Is this long term care? You need a patient care conference and the MD and any prescribing licensed practitioners need to attend. This way the team can formulate an effective plan and you can all be on the same page. To tell you, "just deal with it" is just throwing yo and your coworkers to the wolves. That plan may include limit setting behaviors, a patient contract, a psychiatric consult or some new medications.