Specialties Emergency
Published Jun 17, 2008
Ok, I strongly dislike it when 17 year olds come in at 2:30 AM looking for a pregnancy test...hello? Drugstore?
And i dislike it even worse when they come back positive.
And when they bring the baby daddy with them.
Blech!:argue:
morte, LPN, LVN
7,015 Posts
I think we should begin with baby steps.Such as:If we could successfully prevent even 50% of such "ER visits", I think we'd see a massive improvement...Then again, I think some folks just come in because they are lonely and want some attention. Call me crazy.cheers,
Such as:
If we could successfully prevent even 50% of such "ER visits", I think we'd see a massive improvement...
Then again, I think some folks just come in because they are lonely and want some attention. Call me crazy.
cheers,
i think lomotil is by script, but immodium is OTC
Roy Fokker, BSN, RN
1 Article; 2,011 Posts
But you get the idea...
Whoops! :imbar Thanks!But you get the idea...
yup, and agree!!
i dont think i set foot in an ER until i was 19 and flipped a car......
mwboswell
561 Posts
We grew up very poor too. I only remember going to the ER twice.
I grew up poor too, we were on welfare and had medi-cal (medicaid) we did not go to the ER unless it was an emergency.
I don't think it is a "poor" thing at all. I can't specifcally cite references but some article recently came across me a few months ago maybe by CMS or the Albaris group, but anyways, it pretty much showed that increased ER utilization was NOT associated with being on the state medicaid bankrolls.
I think over-utilization (AKA: "unnecessary" utilization) has at least a couple of causes:
(1) I call it the "Age of Me-ism"...this is a culture where some people feel entitled to service "now" regardless of the cost/consequences. For this person I present the pt who comes in after 5pm with a MINOR c/o, AND they have access to a primary MD or insurance that they could have gone to a PCP the next morning or an urgent/walk-in clinic. But they come to the ER because they want it checked "now"
(2) Lack of education about the role of Emergency Departments. We have taken this EMTALA thing way too far!!!. Usually the ED goes far and beyond the requirements of the law. If I discover that you do not have a medical emergency (or are in labor), my legal obligation to treat you further does not exist. (morally and ethically is another debate. The ED is there to determine if a medical emergency exists (or if you are in labor) and then to appropriately stabilize that condition and/or transfer to a level of care that can take it from there (this also means possible hospitalization). Problem here is people see the ED as a provider like any other in which the expectation is you bring your problem in (no matter how minor) and you expect full treatment for it (prescriptions, referrals etc)
(3) Uninsured. I personally believe we see more uninsured people in the ER than state medicaid. I believe the unisured don't know where to turn for assistance, in which case they see the ED as a multi-role center (social services, community services etc).
I'll cut this post here - I think you get my point. While my observations may not be universal, I can say that I've worked all levels of ER's (rural, community, suburban, urban and inner-city) and these observations are a recurring theme.
Keep up the good work guys!
queen777
208 Posts
Excuse me but this was NOT directed at YOU! MASSED.
And I guess there is something wrong with working in a nursing home with a SUBACUTE floor too?
Which is where I wanted to work when I applied for the job, but I got hooked into working 11-7 and I had complete responsibility for BOTH floors which in this state is against the law!
sjt9721, BSN, RN
706 Posts
Excuse me but this was NOT directed at YOU! MASSED.And I guess there is something wrong with working in a nursing home with a SUBACUTE floor too?Which is where I wanted to work when I applied for the job, but I got hooked into working 11-7 and I had complete responsibility for BOTH floors which in this state is against the law!
The tone of this post seems a little harsh. I don't think MassED meant any disrespect.
Its not harsh at all when you know the facts of what happened. You would be upset too if you knew a DON put you in a position where you could lose your license and then have the nerve to write you up!
I'm certain I would feel the same way in your situation.
However, my comments were in response to your tone towards another nurse in your statement below:
BabyRN2Be
1,987 Posts
If I could click the thank you button a dozen times, I would. I was at the dollar tree the other day and sure enough, a one dollar home pregnancy. Seriously, I think people who go to ER for just a pregnancy test should have pay the costs of the visit, not the hospital or the government.
Well, I really hate to be a wet blanket, but the $ Tree store tests are sort of hard to read for even an educated person who has taken many of these tests. I really hate to admit something like this, but I've taken a lot of them, just because they are so hard to read!:imbar I guess they don't work as well for those who test early, so they aren't that great for those who come in and want to know if they are pregnant so they can go and binge drink over the weekend. You have to be pretty far along to get a definitive positive test.
But there are other tests out there that are easier to read and more accurate, too. It's just that they are more expensive (like, $6 for one box that has two tests) and hey, I guess that some people have other more interesting things to pay for... cell phones, nails, hair, etc...
MassED, BSN, RN
2,636 Posts
???? I'm confused here....
Didn't I post something to the effect of how awful that was?????? I'm sure I did - and that it was smart to leave an unsafe work setting....
mc3, ASN, RN
931 Posts
Warning: This post contains sarcasm.lol when are these kids gonna realize that going to the drugstore for a pregnancy test is cheaper than going to the hospital.
lol when are these kids gonna realize that going to the drugstore for a pregnancy test is cheaper than going to the hospital.
When they have to pay for it out of their own pockets.....
mc3:paw: