Nursing myths. Stories that you know cannot be true

[iNurseUK, RN]

The most common myth I have heard is this one. In an unnamed ITU it was noted, with great concern that on a particular weekday (let us say Thursday) that patients were dying with alarming regularity.

The management looked into this of course. It was discovered that Thursday was the cleaner's day for doing a deep-clean.

Of course! The cleaners were UNPLUGGING THE RESPIRATORS to plug in their vacuum cleaners:eek:

And if anyone beleives that.........

[Michaelxy]

Highly unlikely. As a life critical system, these devices must be equipped with battery backup in case of power loss. In the event of mains power loss, battery would start along with a power loss alarm.

[pennyaline]

Highly unlikely. As a life critical system, these devices must be equipped with battery backup in case of power loss. In the event of mains power loss, battery would start along with a power loss alarm.

Yeah, the OP knows that. It's a bit of urban legend and that was the point. It's as silly as the notion that housekeeping would deep clean every room on a unit on the same day.

[NurseAdida]

Full moon= Increased confusion and agitation for many patients, high no. of falls, crazy nights for nurses. This used to happen to me where I used to work at not any more.

[iNurseUK, RN]

The full moon is an enduring one. My other half works in a psychiatric hospital and it is as good as Gospel there:)

[NurseGloria]

I know that the full moon thing is fact. It could be true about the vents as well. Battery power only lasts so long.

[XB9S, BSN, MSN, EdD, RN, APN]

I would hope that an ICU nurse would notice that his / her patient was in respiratory distress before the ventilator batteries run out

[LoveMyBugs, BSN, CNA, RN]

I did a NICU rotation for 2 days during my last clinical and they had 22 admits over the weekend the nurses told me that they had so many related to premature rupture because it was a full moon and the moon controls water and humans are made up manily of water

[cherrybreeze, ADN, RN]

Full moon= Increased confusion and agitation for many patients, high no. of falls, crazy nights for nurses. This used to happen to me where I used to work at not any more.

I don't think this is a myth. Lunar/lunacy have the same roots as words for a reason...

[whichone'spink, BSN, RN]

I did a NICU rotation for 2 days during my last clinical and they had 22 admits over the weekend the nurses told me that they had so many related to premature rupture because it was a full moon and the moon controls water and humans are made up manily of water

Whaaaaa?

[Spidey's mom, ADN, BSN, RN]

Many studies have been done on the lunar myths and all that has come out of that is they are myths. Fun to play with but not true. :) (I routinely say "quiet" at work too - just to freak people out - and usually nothing happens).

http://www.skepdic.com/fullmoon.html

"If so many studies have failed to prove a significant correlation between the full moon and anything, why do so many people believe in these lunar myths?"

[kanzi monkey]

Myth: Most nurses have MRSA