Least Favorite Things Patients Say

[remotefuse]

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.

[pompomlady]

When they ask you a BILLION questions that really only the doctor should be answering... then rounds come, and the doctor says, "Any questions?" And the patient goes... "no."

[amoLucia]

[quote=KatieMI;8733921

-"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.

I know I'm old as I remember when they used to quote the National Enquirer as their font of medical information.

[BecomingNursey]

When I go into a new patient's room to assess them (ER) and get their chief complaint...blah blah blah. Then the doctor goes in and the story the doctor gets is nothing like what I got. #IJustCant.

Patient literally *JUST* gets into the room and hits the call button. What is so emergent, you may ask? "I need a blanket, some socks and some ice chips." Nope. Not gonna happen sister. Then 45 minutes later when I get to their "emergent" blanket and socks; "I've called 3 times. Where were you? What the heck took so long?" Me: "Oh, you must not have heard the 2 trauma alerts called overhead and we just had a patient expire. Sorry to keep you waiting." Ugh. *karate chop to the throat!*

Patient; (after just being placed in treatment room); "I'm a diabetic and I haven't eaten all day."

Me; "Okay, I'll check your blood sugar."

Blood sugar of 385.

Me; "Sorry, I can't give you anything to eat or drink until a doctor sees you."

Patient; "Well what about my insulin."

Me; "We'll have to wait for the doctor."

They obviously weren't worried about their insulin this morning....or anytime in the past 3 months after their HgbA1C comes back.

Me; "Are you allergic to anything?"

Patient; "Pain."

*face palm*

Patient presents with chief complaint of a fall injury.

Me; "When and where did you fall?"

Patient; "About a year ago, out in my yard." 😁

Family member in the corner; "What are you doing?"

Me; "Setting up to start an IV and draw blood work."

Family member; "Good luck. No one can ever get an IV and they can't ever get blood either."

Me; "Okay, I'll see what I can do."

*Gets IV and blood on first stick. Starts cleaning up my mess and labeling the blood tubes.*

Family member; "Did you get it?"

Me; "Yup. Sure did."

Family member; "You must be really good."

[BecomingNursey]

Ah, another day in the ER. I love it.

That last one, though, I just nod and smile. When they say that I usually just give them a nonplussed smile and say, "Oh, a challenge, eh? Let's see what happens." I get them more often than not. When I don't I usually acknowledge their affirmation. "You weren't kidding!"

It kills me. Lol I'll say something about liking a challenge next time lol Thanks for that idea!

[BecomingNursey]

Wow, it sure is quiet in your ER today.

My response is; "We don't use the "q" word around here. That's bad JuJu." Lol

[BuckyBadgerRN, ASN, RN]

"My veins roll, no one can ever get an IV in or draw blood".

Challenge accepted.

I was doing post op instructions after an intravitreal injection on Friday, saying the same thing I say EVERY single time: "use artificial tears as often as you want, to keep your eye comfortable".

"Artificial what? No one has EVER told me about those before"

"Never? You've had 42 injections and no one has EVER mentioned using tears?" (which is a total falsehood)

"Nope, you're the first".

So I explain about formulations, etc.

"Oh, OK. Hey, are you going to give me a little purple box of eye drops before I go like I always get?"

"Um, THOSE would be the artificial tears that you've never heard any of us talk about"

[CelticGoddess, BSN, RN]

"Make sure you wake me up to give me my pain shot. I can't sleep without my pain shot."

I hear that too often. And when they finally do wake up, 4 hours AFTER they could have gotten their "pain shot", they freak out because "My pain shot is 4 hours late". Never mind that they were snoring, not restless at all. Nevermind that they had slept for those additional 4 hours. I was supposed to wake them up so they could sleep.

[Farawyn]

The vein rolling comment gives me the same charge.

[Girlafraid13]

"But the other nurse does it all the time"

Well nope not me.

[Farawyn]

"Yeah, I have a ride."

Hahhahahahahaha!

"No English."

[~PedsRN~, BSN, RN]

Can I get a meal ticket?

Can I get another meal ticket?

I haven't gotten a meal ticket today, I don't care what you say.

I can't believe this hospital only gives out one meal ticket.

Can I get a parent tray since he can't eat?

[cardiacfreak, ADN]

"Can I go smoke?"

When the patient has denied pain all shift and then the doc walks in and patient is having pain.