If You Think You Haven't Heard It All...

Published

Okay, I know that we all have wild stories to share about hospitals...here is the latest in mine. My husband works for the hospital police stationed at my job as a lieutenant. He and I were snuggling asleep in bed, his cell phone rings and I overhear a strange one...a patient (not psych or under arrest) snuck out of the hospital with no only a gown in 35 degree windy weather, and the sergeant that relieved my husband decided to call NYPD. This sergeant must have told them a story and a half, because next thing you know, helicopters are flying low on the grounds and the canine team was combing through ALL of the patient's rooms in search for this patient. Patients are scared to death, some have allergies, nurses wondering what the heck was going on...it was a fiasco!! Never found the patient. Hope he's safe...

Specializes in Community Health, Med-Surg, Home Health.
This wasn't my patient but I laughed when I arrived for my shift and heard this story. A patient was due to be discharged late in the day. The nurse was doing rounds and she walked into the patient's room to find him gone. She searched the unit, alerted the other nurses, the charge nurse and the CNA's to look for him. She called security because by this time it was an hour that he had been missing. He left with his telemetry box ($$$$) and his INT still in his arm. The nurse tried calling his home number and his amily and there was no answer. An hour or so later she finally got a hold of his son. The son said his Dad told him to come to the hospital to pick him up because he was being discharged. When his son arrived the patient said, "Let's go." His son thought he was supposed to take his Dad home. The nurse asked politely if he would bring his Dad back so he can be properly discharged.

The patient came back to his room and sat down on the bed. The nurse asked him why he left. The patient said he went home to take a nap and he was going to come back after he got some rest.

You'd think he would take a nap while waiting for the discharge...:banghead:

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in M/S, SNU, Office, and Private Duty.

The patient came back to his room and sat down on the bed. The nurse asked him why he left. The patient said he went home to take a nap and he was going to come back after he got some rest.

This honestly doesn't surprise me. When I worked on SNU at a local hospital one of the main complaints I had is that the patients do not get any sleep or rest at the hospital because of all the hubub even at night. With 2200 med pass then 0330 lab draws. No wonder he wanted a nap at home:bugeyes:

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.

years ago when i worked in the big city, i happened to be riding the subway past the stop i usually used when i got off at work. there, standing on the platform in his little foam slippers and his backless johnny was one of our patients! wasn't a thing i could do -- the train was already moving by the time i noticed him.

another time, we had this patient who liked to wander. someone put a sign on the back of his robe that said "my name is frank. i'm probably lost. please return me to 7 east." he was forever being returned by kind souls. one night, his roommate (who wasn't confused) happened to put on frank's robe by mistake. eddie liked to be helpful to the nursing staff, so sometimes at night he'd go out to the hotdog stand parked right in front of the hospital and get himself a dog. since eddie had no money, he'd take dinner orders and money from the night shift and bring back our food -- and his meal would be his tip. (different time, different rules!) eddie had been out at the hotdog stand getting our food. the venders all knew him, but it so happened that a couple of cops had brought someone in to the er and were out at the stand fueling up when eddie came out. they saw the sign on his back and hustled him back up to the floor -- without our food! eddie was protesting the whole time, and they thought he suffered from dementia because "the nurses wouldn't send a patient out for lunch!"

it was a couple of very embarressed cops who went back to the hotdog stand to pick up our dinner and change! eddie wouldn't go with them, and he wasn't all that enthused about going to the hotdog stand ever again. which was ok, i guess, because someone moved a taco stand in close to the side entrance, and eddie developed a friendship with the venders there . . . they'd give him extra tacos with our order.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Community Health, Med-Surg, Home Health.

I heard today that the patient was found locked in a supply closet. Got a bit more information-he had a head trauma, was diabetic and dementia. All was well, no harm done. At least the canine unit was there, they were the ones that found him!

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Neuro.

When I did psych clinicals my friend had a pt who had been in ICU for an attempted OD before being sent to psych. One day he told the nurses he was going home to have dinner with his wife because it was their 40th wedding anniversary. They all smiled and nodded. Suddenly, the patient was gone. They searched all over. Then he came back about 4 hours later. When interrogated, they found out he had actually gotten dressed, taken out his IV, rode the bus home, ate dinner with his wife as promised, and then came back.

And my last quarter of school I helped take care of a very troubled 18 year old who was admitted for a possible head/spinal injury. He was brought to the hospital after falling off the roof of a house he was breaking into. During the course of his stay, he escaped the hospital twice. One time he was found a mile away in nothing but his hospital gown. The second time, he was found a few blocks away trying to break into another house.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in tele, oncology.

and my last quarter of school i helped take care of a very troubled 18 year old who was admitted for a possible head/spinal injury. he was brought to the hospital after falling off the roof of a house he was breaking into. during the course of his stay, he escaped the hospital twice. one time he was found a mile away in nothing but his hospital gown. the second time, he was found a few blocks away trying to break into another house.

i hope he was at least staying off of the roof of the other house...

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Join the Discussion