I'm sorry, but some nursing diagnoses are just ridiculous!

[klone]

Ineffective denial...as opposed to EFFECTIVE denial?

Disturbed energy field

Impaired environmental interpretation syndrome

Health-seeking behaviors (the horror!)

Impaired home maintenance (I'm guilty of that one! If only I could do a collaborative intervention with Merry Maids)

Ineffective protection

Noncompliance

Wandering

Some of these just made me chuckle, and made me wonder about the people who come up with them.

[LPNer]

Really???

See if it was me, and someone petted my head when I was not feeling well, I would not like it one bit and would probably ban the offending person from my room. It sure wouldn't calm me down. If anything it would make things worse. Everyone is different.

My husband can pet my head when I am tired or not feeling well, it helps me relax. But somebody else? Don't even TOUCH me beyond what you absolutely have to. Can't stand to have my energy field invaded.

However, I am comfortable holding a pts hand, or patting their arm for their comfort. Now figure that one out!? I am a willing an avid toucher, but turn it around? I must be a psycho. LOL (No, I don't think I am psycho, just noting how different everything is for everyone.)

[frogdog]

My husband can pet my head when I am tired or not feeling well, it helps me relax. But somebody else? Don't even TOUCH me beyond what you absolutely have to. Can't stand to have my energy field invaded.

However, I am comfortable holding a pts hand, or patting their arm for their comfort. Now figure that one out!? I am a willing an avid toucher, but turn it around? I must be a psycho. LOL (No, I don't think I am psycho, just noting how different everything is for everyone.)

I don't think you're psycho. You sound compassionate. And, probably if you were hospitalized your husband would be there to support you.

Please understand, I don't go around petting everyone's head; but when I have (as example) a 90-year-old person who hasn't had family visit since admission and he is in pain or is dying, well it seems to work well. That's just one example. I have never had a patient tell me to stop and have had patients say to me "thanks" or "that feels good." And, when I'm not sure about touching someone, I ask. But, usually, if I'm my instincts are questioning it, then I don't even bother to ask, I just don't do it.

[LPNer]

I don't think you're psycho. You sound compassionate. And, probably if you were hospitalized your husband would be there to support you.

Please understand, I don't go around petting everyone's head; but when I have (as example) a 90-year-old person who hasn't had family visit since admission and he is in pain or is dying, well it seems to work well. That's just one example. I have never had a patient tell me to stop and have had patients say to me "thanks" or "that feels good." And, when I'm not sure about touching someone, I ask. But, usually, if I'm my instincts are questioning it, then I don't even bother to ask, I just don't do it.

I had a post op lsat night that required a lot of hand holding and arm rubbing. Her son was there all night to help, but when she got really anxious, it took the nurse, me, to calm her down.

I felt so bad for her, she had had a C3-6 laminectomy. I know this hurts, a LOT, but I really think the anxiety was adding to the lack of pain control. By morning I had given her more ativan (2mg X 3) than I've seen anybody get in a long time and had her Morphine PCA up to 1-6-2. Almost every hour she had twice as many attempts as injections. It was a rough night for her and I was glad she was so easily consolled with hand holding and arm rubbing, too bad with 5 pts I wasan't able to spend more time at her bedside, we may have been able to skip one of the doses of Ativan or maybe not taken her basal to 2mg/hr.

Oh well, you do what you can and just have to trust it will work out.

[inspir8tion]

Re: Noncompliance. We learned that this label should be used with caution. That it is associated with the intent to comply, but situational factors make it difficult to do so. For instance, they want to comply, but they don't have any insurance so cannot get meds, or they're homeless so cannot comply with a diet plan because they eat whatever they can get out of garbage cans, etc. Noncompliance should NEVER be used for a client that is unable to follow instructions (e.g. cognitive disability) or for someone who makes an informed decision to refuse or not follow the medical treatment. (Info is from "Fundamentals of Nursing" by Kozier, et al.).

[ortess1971]

This is the first time someone at least attempted to explain what "disturbed energy field" was. I partly agree with the person who said it could be legitimate because it could refer to psychological issues but why did they have to make it sound so 1960's and hippylike? It still makes me smirk everytime I see it.