How do you nicely handle a patient who is 'needy'?

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Wants to talk all night, wants polident adhesive at 4 am, wants her son's phone number at 6:30 am, wants you to fix her hair at 3:30 am, moves around all day at home but the minute she is in the hospital cant boost herself in bed, ect? I got paged every 1/2 an hour in this room, and couldn't leave 'nicely' because she just kept talking...

I want to be nice, but I had to do other things, too...

What do you do?

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Specializes in RN, BSN, CHDN.

Smile sweetly, try to anticipate her needs before she knows them herself

And then go down the corridor and enter the med room and scream.

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Specializes in Case mgmt., rehab, (CRRN), LTC & psych.

If I have an excessively needy patient who wants to take up all my time with petty requests, I've always divulged to them the number of patients I must care for. After the needy patient comes to the realization that (s)he is not my only patient, (s)he will usually stop being so trigger-happy with the call light.

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Specializes in Operating Room Nursing.

I would do pretty much the same as what the above post said, make it clear how busy I am to them. If they want me to do something that they are capable of doing i will tell them that they need to do things themselves.

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Why do people who enter the hospital all of a sudden become an invalid and think they are in the Ritz-Carlton and they are Paris Hilton?

This just burns me up. Why couldnt she comb her own hair at 3:30 in the morning? And who does it for her at 3:30 in the morning when she is at home?

I've have pts who were extremely needy and I would tell them that my job is to help them become well and give the best healthcare I can give, but they also need to help me help them make them well too. That means any thing they are able to do themselves, they need to do (comb their own hair would qualify).

I've also told them that there are deathly ill patients in the hospital right now and if I take a little longer to get to them for a simple request that they can do themselves, I hope they understand.

Now the ones that truly need someone to do little things for them, (those are the ones who dont have use of their hands, or is paralyzed on one side) I am more than happy to help them with the little things. But the ones who have full use of their hands and arms and full range of motion, need to do little things for themselves.

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Specializes in floor to ICU.

Usually after a pattern of "just one more thing..." that has brought me back to the room umpteen times, I bring or do whatever it was they requested and say (nicely with a sweet smile) something like, "I won't be able to come back in here for a while because I am going to see my other 5 patients now and make sure that they have everything that they need too, okay?". They usually understand.

If I am extremely busy, I will try and have the unit clerk "screen" the call light and see if it is something that can wait or if the tech can take care of it. If they are really bad about keeping you held in a verbal hostage situation by continuously talking, I will keep the door open after I go in and stand so that I can see out and act like someone is motioning me to come out. I just cut them off and say "Excuse me, a patient (or physician/ nurse) needs me" and leave. Bad, I know. I have also had someone call me (2-3 minutes after diving in) on the pocket phones we carry.

Some folks are lonely or feel as though they have no control. Some just get "tyrannosaurus rex syndrome"... where their arms are too short to grab anything!

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Specializes in Cardiac Telemetry, ED.

I try to be proactive. I do all the fluffing and puffing I can while I am there, then tell them that I will busy for a while, but will be back at such and such a time to do xyz. If they try to talk my ear off, I tell them that I have another patient waiting for me. If I have a chance, I will poke my head in and "check on" them when they do not have their call light on. This can help them to feel that someone is keeping an eye on them, and might help set them at ease so they don't feel the need to put on their call light just to see if anyone will come.

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There is no easy fix for the hard-core needy. The more you pull away, the more the demands increase from these unhappy, scared people who will try to control you in the way they know how.

If you are lucky, the family can be put to work to help. Some families will gladly bend Mama's straw and fluff her pillows. Don't count on this happening.

I try to spend a little extra time during my first visit/assesment building a rapport and taking care of what they need then. If an anxious patient calms down and builds trust in you, they might put the call bell down for a while.

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Specializes in Med/Surg; Psych; Tele.

Oh the verbal hostage situation is the worst! I too have done the things another poster has said, begging co-workers to call me in a minute or so, etc. One thing I try to do is set the precedent right up front by popping in to introduce myself and saying, "Well, I just wanted to pop in and meet my patients and put out in immediate fires if needed." If they start in right away, I look for the first possible pause, telling them I will be able to talk more about this later with them, but that first I need to see if all of my other patients are ok since I've not even seen them yet. "But I'll be back shortly to do assessments and give medications."

Man, there are some people that, I don't care what you do, they just don't get it. I've been a room before where my phone has rang like 3 times, back to back, and even after hearing me tell the callers, "Ok, I'll be right there", and "I'll be there as soon as I can", they STILL keep ona talkin'.

A couple of times, I have even called my Specter phone from my private cell phone and kept my cell phone in my pocket, and pressed Re-dial to call myself before.

I've talked to many a nurse who say that they simply just walk out of the room while the patient is still talking. I just can't do that. I'll fake an emergency or something, but I just can't do that.

Also, I always try to warn the oncoming nurse about the time bandits when giving report.

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Specializes in Behavioral Health, Show Biz.

:nuke: SMILE

"Excuse Me."

then RUNNNN!!!

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Specializes in Telemetry, CCU.

Another thing that may help (kinda already mentioned) is to do an "hourly rounding" technique. Make it a point to check on them often, do your necessary tasks, ask if there is anything they need before you go, and then let them know you will be back to check on them in about an hour. Make sure the call light is in reach, but don't say "push this button if you need help", they know what it is for. If they know you are coming to check on them at regular intervals, that can decrease a lot of call light use.

Then again, some people are very needy and other tactics will have to be used in that case.

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i wonder about a psych consult, for those few that really cant seem to shut up......perhaps mania or hypomania?

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