Least Favorite Things Patients Say

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What are some of your least favorite things that you hear from your pts? Of course we are all nurses to help people, but some responses from pts make for an instant eye roll. My least favorite thing is when pts ask to take their morning medications when they "wake up". I work nights, and I hear that ALL the time. This is one of the few times that I can be firm with a pt, especially if they are on something like vanco and need specific blood levels or I will usually just tell them that I can come back in 15-20 min, and if they don't want it at that time then I will "pass it to day shift" which usually means it won't get done. (Not knocking day shift. It just happens that day shift wont pass meds for a couple of hours after report and the med might be do again. So they just ask me to document against it./say they refused it.)

There are plenty of instances where the pt gets to make decisions like when they take their meds, but I'm not staying late to pass meds because a pt not wanting to wake up at 0630.

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Specializes in ICU, LTACH, Internal Medicine.

- "why can't you just"... (do transplant of everything, get doctor/drugs/problem fixes right out of thin air, get some elixir of everlasting youth)

- "somebody needs to do something about it" (whoever does "it" first may start shopping for black tux and tickets to Stockholm, for he for sure will win Nobel prize in medicine this very year)

-"I've seen it on TV/internet". Congranulations to your graduation from Google University/Dr. Oz School of Medicine. Now let me get down to real business.

- "it must be just so simple/quick" (not really so)

- "do something now!"

OK, I better stop now. The last shift was pretty... well, you'now:cry:

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I hear about half of those every shift. I love the why can't you just ______. Insert anything. Its not that simple my friend.

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Specializes in Case mgmt., rehab, (CRRN), LTC & psych.

1. Food complaints (who expects hospital food to be award-winning cuisine?)

2. "Can you fix the TV?"

3. "Omigod! 120/80 is a high blood pressure!"

4. "Why is my blood sugar so high? I haven't eaten any sweets today!" (spoken as patient has just finished eating three Wonder Bread grilled cheese sandwiches, French fries and a loaded baked potato)

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When telling a patient during med pass to call the aide with other needs: "But it'll only take you a minute!"

No, whatever you want me to do will end up taking 5 minutes. Multiply that by 15-20 of my other patients asking me the same thing. Hmmmm just where am I supposed to have time to pass meds now?

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Specializes in LTC, Rural, OB.

Cranky old men who complain about how "freezing" it is in their room (had to be at least 80 degrees in there, 5 blankets piled on) and that it's a crime we keep them so cold and that they're going to call the state about the poor conditions of the hospital. Then hours later, they're overheated (oh I wonder why). And it was every time anyone went into this room.

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4. "Why is my blood sugar so high? I haven't eaten any sweets today!" (spoken as patient has just finished eating three Wonder Bread grilled cheese sandwiches, French fries and a loaded baked potato)

My Dad is type 2 and has this misconception that eating sweets will raise his blood sugar while eating biscuits and gravy and other carbohydrates. I try to explain that the carbohydrates turn to sugar and I think he gets it but then he makes some comment about his blood sugar being high from eating ice cream last night.

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"I want to go home!"

1) yes we all want to go home

2) than why did you come here with your rash/cold/constipation or whatever thing you came for that you could have instead gone to the walk in clinic, your family Doctor or just stayed home for

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I have a patient with a trapeze bar who always asks me while I'm trying to get his pillows "just so, " Does it look right?"

I'm like, dude, YOU tell ME if it FEELS comfortable. What it looks like to me does not matter.

With his trapeze bar, I'm starting to try and get him to adjust his own pillows. It's called rehab and part of your recovery.

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Specializes in ER, progressive care.

"I'm diabetic and I haven't eaten anything ALL day, I don't want my sugar to drop!" as they are in for DKA with a crazy high blood sugar...

I hate "requests" that are more like ordering me around.

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Specializes in public health, women's health, reproductive health.

I really wish patients wouldn't ask me for a "sleeping pill" at 4am or 5am, especially when they do not have one ordered. It goes something like, "Yeah, can I have a Tylenol PM or Unisom or some sleeping pill?" When I explain to them that they don't have any "sleeping pills" ordered and that I would have to page the doctor to get an order, they don't understand why there isn't a box of Tylenol PM around somewhere that we can just hand out at 5 am.

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Codey looking patient: "I'm just not feeling right..."

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