I went off on a family member...and I don't feel bad about it.

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Specializes in ICU/Critical Care.
Perhaps a change in wording would be more appropriate than what is being used. You did not go off on anyone. You had an emergency that you had to deal with and nothing more than that. Being quick and to the point with someone is not considered going off on them at all.

If you really did go off on them, then they more than likely would have called administration about you.

You're right. I just felt like I was so rude after I hung up the phone with that family member. I probably could have worded it a bit better and told her I was in the middle of an emergency and left it at that. If she was so concerned, wouldn't you think she would have called me back to see how the patient was doing? She never did. I don't want to put off blame on the clerk but she could have told the family member that I was in an emergency and not said "she's standing there".

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Specializes in Cardiology, Oncology, Hospice,IV Therapy.

I had someone call in one time stating that she was the patient's daughter calling from California and that she was a CCU RN and that she wanted me to tell her the results of her Dad's cardiac cath. She became very irate when I told her I couldn't give info over the phone and she stated "We always give information out at my hospital". To which I replied "if you're a nurse then you should know about HIPPA".

Another time a man called from out of state demanding to know his sister's angiogram results and claimed he was a physician. I said to him also "If you're a physician then you should know about HIPPA". He became irate and hung up on me.

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Specializes in ICU.

families just don't get it sometimes.....i understand they are concerned but you as the nurse has a choice....talk on the phone or take care of the patient.....sometimes you have to ask them which they would prefer......every hospital i ever worked for always had the 2 contact rule....rarely did families follow it......is it sooo hard to just talk to your other family members??? makes you wonder huh?!

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Specializes in ICU/Critical Care.
families just don't get it sometimes.....i understand they are concerned but you as the nurse has a choice....talk on the phone or take care of the patient.....sometimes you have to ask them which they would prefer......every hospital i ever worked for always had the 2 contact rule....rarely did families follow it......is it sooo hard to just talk to your other family members??? makes you wonder huh?!

Well, my personal policy from now on is if I get more than two calls from family members within an hour I'm going to tell them I'm receiving too many phone calls and its preventing me from being at my patient's bedside. I did email my manager and explained the situation last night basically said something has got to give. The secretary should not be giving me the phone when they know that the relative does not have the code. It should end at that. They need to be referred to the spokesperson and if that is not enough, to the patient advocate who can explain the policy to them.

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Specializes in Telemetry, Oncology, Progressive Care.

I think what you did was totally appropriate. As someone said patient care is the priority! It totally irks me when multiple family members keep calling. I am sorry you have a dysfunctional family and no one wants to talk to anybody but that is not my problem. Your family dynamics are between all of you and I don't need to be involved. I have enough going on in my day. They should be grateful you put patient care as a higher priority than talking on the phone.

The hospital I am currently working at has instituted a policy that people need to provide the code which is the last 4 digits of their medical record #. Don't have that number, well, then I'm sorry I can't talk to you. One day I finally spoke with a patient's wife who was checking on her husband. Told her she needed to give me the code and of course she didn't have it because she didn't come to the hospital with him when she called 911 because he was having a seizure. She actually said to me, "Code this I will be up there." Of course she never showed up. I just think if someone is truly concerned they would actually be there with their family member.

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Specializes in ICU/Critical Care.

Well, thats what I thought. If you as a family member are SOOOOOOOOOOOO concerned about your relative's well-being, why are you interrupting care? After I got through putting her in her rightful place all she could say was ok in the most pitiful voice ever. I think she got the point. But she obviously didn't seem concerned because she never did call back to see how he was doing. If that family had not called me as much as they did, I'm sure he would not have self extubated.

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Specializes in Med/Surg.

:chuckle:) I think you said the right thing. But if family didn't have the code, who ever answered the phone didn't even need to call you to the phone. When we first started using a code I told a man that I couldn't tell him where the pt had been discharged to go. He told me "Go jump in a lake!" Ha!! Found out he was a ex husband who was trying to get her money.

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You handled the situation appropriately. No one should take issue with the fact that being called 10x to the phone is bad for patient care. I do think the clerks need to be told they can be very firm and state without the code the nurse will not be called to the phone. Period.

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Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.
i agree that nothing you said was inappropriate or overly harsh.

my only question is this: when a person calls who is not an identified family spokesperson, why are they even put thru to the nurse?

because the unit secretary cannot be bothered to end her cellphone call or get off of facebook or e bay to find out who is calling and whether or not they should be put through to the nurse.

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Specializes in Operating Room.
because the unit secretary cannot be bothered to end her cellphone call or get off of facebook or e bay to find out who is calling and whether or not they should be put through to the nurse.

hah!! you and i think alike-i have to carry this stupid cell phone because i run the board at night in my area. i also have to circulate cases. i have already made it known that my pt is my priority and not the blasted phone. the secretaries don't like this because they don't want to keep the surgeons on the phone waiting, and they're afraid of them, so they'll call me anyway. i just let the sucker ring. my boss backs me on this, thank god. they're usually calling me to nag me about when they can do their case.

michigan rn, you done good!!:yeah:

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Specializes in Corrections, neurology, dialysis.
because the unit secretary cannot be bothered to end her cellphone call or get off of facebook or e bay to find out who is calling and whether or not they should be put through to the nurse.

oh wow, is that ever the truth. i dealt with the a ward clerk the other day who was on the phone the entire time i was there. she gave me attitude every time i asked her a question. i picked up a few key words from her conversation and hurled them back. "gee i sure hope he doesn't ever call you again and you taught him a real good lesson, and that if you ever see him again he's going to be sorry, but can you tell me where the linens are?"

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Specializes in ICU/Critical Care.

Well, my manager wasn't really any help. She said it's part of my job and that I need to direct the family spokesperson to encourage the family members to use the family line, which is a voicemail system that the family calls and they will get an update from the nurse once a shift.

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