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:
"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?"
Specializes in Family medicine, cardiology, hematology.
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
i've always heard that more babies were born during blizzards and hurricanes due to the drop in atmospheric pressure associated with these weather events.
off topic: drops in barometric pressure before a storm usually results in good fishing conditions.
"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?"
experience !
yeah but . . .. that is anecdotal . . .. . and not reliable. no matter how much fun the myth is - it has been researched and found to be untrue.
Specializes in Peds/outpatient FP,derm,allergy/private duty.
When I worked in peds it was considered common knowledge that chronically ill children had overly curly eyelashes. My manager would look at their eyelashes almost as part of the patient history.
When I worked in peds it was considered common knowledge that chronically ill children had overly curly eyelashes. My manager would look at their eyelashes almost as part of the patient history.
Interesting.
My two oldest boys have long curly eyelashes - the 2nd son even cut his off when he was about 8 or 9 because of all the comments made by other folks "Oh your eyelashes are so gorgeous - but they should be on a girl, not a boy". I'm so glad they grew back.
Neither were chronically ill as children. Thank you God.
Nursing myths . . . stories that you know cannot be true . . .let's see. Since nursing school I've heard that to protect my patients and myself from emotional stress, I should not establish a relationship with them. Not true. I've been working hospice now for 2 year - I know for sure that is a myth. I was a L&D and ER nurse before that. Also found that to be not true in my roles there.
“The provider/patient relationship requires respect, integrity, trust and compassion,” says Dr. Georgianna Donadio, founder and executive director of the New England School of Whole Health Education in Wellesley, Massachusetts. “Without creating an equity-based relationship built on these values, the provider cannot facilitate patients’ healing in an authentic and appropriate way.”
Specializes in Peds/outpatient FP,derm,allergy/private duty.
QUOTE=Spidey's mom;4179068]. . . .My two oldest boys have long curly eyelashes - the 2nd son even cut his off when he was about 8 or 9 because of all the comments made by other folks "Oh your eyelashes are so gorgeous - but they should be on a girl, not a boy". I'm so glad they grew back.
Gotta love it when it's the grownups saying things like that. . . But on a somewhat related note-- we also noticed a lot of children with renal disease taking minoxidil for hypertension with some strange hair growth patterns. . . well some enterprising people figured out a way to capitalize on that. . . . . Rogaine!!
Specializes in burn ICU, SICU, ER, Trauma Rapid Response.
I've heard of the notion of a "slow code". This would supposedly happen if the nurse or other staff thinks a patient should be DNR, so they make a deliberately inadequate resuscitation attempt (e.g., by walking slowly to the phone to call the code, or fumbling with the meds). That way the patient dies, but the staff look like they tried to code him.
Do you think this really happens, or is it just an urban legend?
*** Slow codes are real, but not like that. It's not that people actually move slowly. More like a little CPR gets done while the code team leader get a brief report from the primary nurse and then the code is stopped, usually after one round of ACLS. The time of death is called and that's it. This usually happened when there is really no chance of saving the person.
The reason behind slow codes, in my experience, is unrealistic expectations of physicians, primary surgeons, and their failure to make the patient family understand the real situation.
I used to be a big proponent of getting family members out of the room during a code. I have changed my mind on this now as I find the best way to get them to want to call it quits is to let them see what we are doing to their loved one.
Slow codes are real, but not like that. It's not that people actually move slowly. More like a little CPR gets done while the code team leader get a brief report from the primary nurse and then the code is stopped, usually after one round of ACLS. The time of death is called and that's it. This usually happened when there is really no chance of saving the person.
The reason behind slow codes, in my experience, is unrealistic expectations of physicians, primary surgeons, and their failure to make the patient family understand the real situation.
I used to be a big proponent of getting family members out of the room during a code. I have changed my mind on this now as I find the best way to get them to want to call it quits is to let them see what we are doing to their loved one
Some families will still insist on everything being done, no matter what the doctor says. I blame shows like Grey's Anatomy that show someone coming out of a Code in perfect health with no left over deficits. (cough Izzie cough).
And then again, some members of the HCT just have no idea what a true code. I remember talking to a Social Worker after a code of a long term care pt that everyone but the family knew should be a DNR. She said "they worked on him a long time". When asked how long, she said "5 minutes!". We did out best not to laugh in her face as we pointed out that was a short code done to keep the family happy because everyone else knew there would be no good outcome.
I'm so glad they grew back. 
Gotta love it when it's the grownups saying things like that. . .
Rogaine!!
AirforceRN, RN
611 Posts
Hysteria and Hysterectomy have the same roots too but we know now that removing a woman's uterus doesn't stop her from going crazy...