How to recognize a Frequent Flyer

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Specializes in Tele, ICU, ER.

We were talking about this at work a couple days ago...

1. They ask for socks the moment they come back... and they're wearing the ones you gave them 2 days ago.

2. They list the ER docs name on the registration under "primary physician".

3. You can list their allergies FOR them when they come in.

4. The only order the doc gives you is "let's do the same thing we did last time... it worked." And it does.

5. They ask which doc is "on" before they sign in.

6. They're hollaring "I have a right to be here!" (not in your language either) - as they're rolling in the door on a stretcher.

I'm sure there's more out there...

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Specializes in ER, ICU, Infusion, peds, informatics.

you see them more often than you see your part-time coworkers.

[color=#483d8b]you can tell who the patient is just from the ambulance call report, based off age, cc, and which unit is bringing them in.

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Specializes in Palliative Care, NICU/NNP.

On Med Surg when you go to look up their H&P from a previous admit there's about 20 listed.

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Specializes in psych,emergency,telemetry,home health.

as you work longer in ED, you recognize who they are.they know the ins and outs better than you do if you're new.

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Specializes in OR & ER.

The frequent flyers in the ER where I work can greet all of the nurses by name and walk straight back to a clinic room to wait their turn to be seen.

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Specializes in pedi, pedi psych,dd, school ,home health.

You recognize thier voice from behind a curtain.

You know their med list and the last changes better than they do

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Specializes in Nothing but ER.

-you know their family and marital history better than you know your own.

-Not only do you know them by first and last name, you know their friends, relatives, spouses, and children as well

-You know what their wardrobe consists of

-They know all of the ED docs by first name, and all of the nursing staff by first and last name.

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Specializes in ER/trauma center.

Those are all so true!

- They come in wearing their hospital ID band from last time

- We had a FF Alcoholic (now deceased- it's hard to believe these people actually do die eventually) who we dubbed the Mayor of our ED as once he sobered up he would chat with other patients, and even admonish others on the evils of drinking "Look what it did to me!". One of the nurses gave him a christmas gift one year- he was so touched by that, as we were kind of his family...

We also had a FF young woman who would fake seizures on the floor in front of the triage desk or on the sidewalk just outside the ER entrance. People would look amazed that we all but stepped over her and weren't rushing over to help her. We finally found that she did not want anyone to take her backpack away from her, so we would just stroll over and say "S... we're taking your backpack and putting it over here..." after which she would miraculously regain consciousness. She literally had about 30 'allergies' so triaging her was very tedious.....

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Specializes in OB L&D Mother/Baby.

I work in OB so we keep all of the pt's old fetal monitor strips in a file with their history. Generally if the file is too fat and heavy to remain in the drawer we know that we're dealing with a frequent flier.

I've also had several patients call and ask what nurses are there before they will make the drive in... Or they call at noon and ask who's working night shift and then show up at 8pm!! LOL Gotta love it.

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Specializes in Med/Surge, Private Duty Peds.

When the Ed calls the floor to give report and you know from the following

dx

age

doc

medical hx

allergies

all before you even get the name!!

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On the floors, they can pick out the float staff and new nurses since they already know all the core staff.

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Specializes in Trauma/ED.

I don't know what you guys are talking about...every patient I see in my dept. is a new very sick person who needs to come to the ED via ambulance for "burning while I pee".

You mean to say there are people out there who use the ED like a clinic and state their PCP is one of your ED docs?

So the 3 huge binders of care-plans on patients means they might come back?

One patient last night wasn't in our dept. for a full 1 1/2 years...come to find out she was out of the state...hmm I wonder now that she's back in town, do you think I'll see her again soon? (One can only hope)

(sorry for my recent bout of sarcasm...it's been a LONG week :))

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