I see medical professionals say this all the time to patients who are experiencing stress/being combative/are not oriented. This is a pet peeve of mine, and I am just wondering if anyone else feels the same way.
To me, "just relax" is being on the beach with a nice tall margarita in my hand and an umbrella over my head. It kinda makes me cringe when I hear someone say this to a patient. I always say, "You are safe, you are just waking up from surgery, you are in the hospital, let us take care of you", etc.
What do you say to patients experiencing acute stress?
There is something funny (in a dark humor sort of way) to hear someone use the word "relax" when a patient is completely wild eyed, unusually strong and going beserk in withdrawl.
I tell the patient it is ok to be scared. Then tell them what ever fits their situation. We do hundreds of these procedures every month, no one has ever not done well. We always call our patients the next day to check on them, no one has ever said "I was in terrible pain all night, it was awful." Their surgeon is one of the best, I would choose their surgeon if I was going to have the procedure done. The anesthesiologists will be at the head of their bed the whole time monitoring their heart and breathing."
I am hoping that the procedure you are saying this about, has nopossibilities of any adverse effects.
Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.
i see medical professionals say this all the time to patients who are experiencing stress/being combative/are not oriented. this is a pet peeve of mine, and i am just wondering if anyone else feels the same way.
to me, "just relax" is being on the beach with a nice tall margarita in my hand and an umbrella over my head. it kinda makes me cringe when i hear someone say this to a patient. i always say, "you are safe, you are just waking up from surgery, you are in the hospital, let us take care of you", etc.
what do you say to patients experiencing acute stress?
i say "knock it off or we'll tie you down."
just kidding.
welllllll . . . i did actually say that once, but it's not something i'm proud of. there were extenuating circumstances.
Specializes in Trauma Surgery, Nursing Management.
i also think that "just relax" is somewhat condescending.
if someone said that to me while freaking out, i'd likely bite their head off, or spew some earnest obscenities.
oh my goodness, leslie, i think you and i are of the same mind!
it really does depend on the pt and their situation, as to how a nurse intervenes.
i have never said, "i understand".
rather, i usually preface with "it must be scary/horrible/etc."
all pts want to be validated, bottom line.
they want us to be on their side, no matter how that manifests itself.
i can't agree more. when a nurse can validate how scary a situation must be when a patient has little control over what is happening to them, when they have lost some modicum of privacy, and when they feel the most vulnerable, is music to their ears, and they remember that.
acting as an advocate, takes many forms and approaches.
that is why i don't have any pretexted spiel for stressed out pts.
my goal is to soothe them:
and i usually execute that by reorienting them to the moment and reinforcing my commitment to their well-being.
will you be my nurse when i need one?!? you sound like you take a very personalized approach to patient care. there really is no "scripted" way to speak to a patient when they are freaking out. reorienting a pt is what i also do, and i constantly remind them that they are safe. this seems to work (along with dimmed lights and quiet.).
it's really pretty hard to mess up, if one is being sincere...acting with integrity.
intervening with "just relax" and nothing else, often serves to demoralize the pt even more.
i don't recommend it.
it is terribly trite to say "just relax". i was in an mva about 7 years ago when returning home from work, still had my steth around my neck (the impact was so hard that my scrubs left a pattern on my steth!), and when i got to the er, the staff was telling me to "just relax". umm...i am in a c-collar, my car has just been totaled, i know i will be out of work for weeks, my knees have been shredded, and i am laying on a trauma board. my husband, who was behind me on the road and witnessed the entire accident is at my bedside freaking out. i am not going nuts, but i do have my eyes closed and trying to take deep breaths to calm myself. to hear "just relax" in the wake of my thoughts did not help one iota. this is part of the reason i do not ever say this to my patients.
leslie
because of my personal experience, i am left with the insight that patients are scared. they need to hear that they are safe, that they are going to be taken care of (not that they are going to be ok), and that the staff will do what they are trained to do in order to have the best outcome possible. i felt immediately calm when, after my c-spine was cleared, the nurse that was assigned to me said, "dang girl, you had a bad day, huh?" she did not offer anything more than that-but she validated me. that speaks volumes.
Specializes in Trauma Surgery, Nursing Management.
i say "knock it off or we'll tie you down."
just kidding.
welllllll . . . i did actually say that once, but it's not something i'm proud of. there were extenuating circumstances.
ruby, you always make me laugh! what a wonderful nurse you are! i had a trauma pt that was +cocaine, cannibus, etoh that woke up crazy. he had several tats that suggested he was "of the wild sort". we tried all of the comforting measures we could pull out of our minds, to no avail. i wanted desperately to say this to him, but i didn't have the cojones to do it! i want to be like you when i grow up! :)
1. I think there are many times when patients and family members don't know how exactly tuned up they really are. To say "just relax" in a caring empathetic way could help them to know to try and calm down, some patients need more direction than that. Also saying to the patient who is waiting a long time for labs "JUST RELAX!" is of course in bad form.
2. There are many experiences our patients go through that we will never see thank God, but there are many every day that we have been through. Childbirth, venous puncture, iv starts, the wondering of a devistating diagnosis, death of a family member. I think there is alot that we can say "I understand"
Specializes in Med Office, Home Health, School Nurse.
Maybe I'm just dense, or oblivious, or young, or whatever...but I don't really see a whole lot wrong with telling someone to "just relax". Usually, I will say something like "Just relax for me, take a deep breath, nice and slow. Yep, you're doing good. Deep breaths, you're going to be okay." Is that really so "condescending"?
Maybe I'm just dense, or oblivious, or young, or whatever...but I don't really see a whole lot wrong with telling someone to "just relax". Usually, I will say something like "Just relax for me, take a deep breath, nice and slow. Yep, you're doing good. Deep breaths, you're going to be okay." Is that really so "condescending"?
no...not at all.
because you are coaching your pt in helping them relax.
i think i stated (contextually) that "just relax" and nothing else, is somewhat condescending and curt.
that's my feeling on it.
but when the nurse says 'just relax' and assists the pt in achieving a calmer state, that's what we should be doing.
now, using 'just relax' as a directive..
i'm sure that'll work with some pts.
but i'm equally sure that it's the exception and not the rule.
in summary, we nurses are as unique as our pts.
and so, our nsg styles are going to reflect that.
the bottom line is, when we set goals for our pts...even relaxation is a goal...
then it is up to us in helping them get there.
what are our interventions going to be?
and so, to reiterate...to tell your anxious pt to "just relax" or "chill", and nothing else...is indeed, inappropriate.
everything we do with our pts, is 'supposed' to be based on perpetual, mini-careplanning...
RNperdiem, RN
4,592 Posts
There is something funny (in a dark humor sort of way) to hear someone use the word "relax" when a patient is completely wild eyed, unusually strong and going beserk in withdrawl.