Offensive or not??

[peekachoo]

Evening y'all

Does it bother you when Nurses or hospital staff talk to their patients like their 4 years old?? I am a very new nurse and I am picking up habits as I go along, some good and unfortunatley some bad. My patients are generally sedated and I have watched so many nurses talk to thier patient almost in a baby voice, saying things like "honey, sweetheart, darlin, sugar" and even some nurses who refer to their patients as "my love". I totally understand that these are endearing names, and the nurses who do this are certainly not intending to offend someone. I dont think I would mind if staff talked to me this way however I can also see how this would come off as offensive to the patient or belittling. I am doing my best to catch myself if I do this. So, my question is, would this be offensive to you? And do you speak to your patients this way?

Chelsea

[Bruce_Wayne, ASN, RN]

Some people regress when they're sick, in my experience this is especially true for young men. You need to individualize your treatment for each patient, but if you've got a 25 year old manchild that's acting like a baby, you might get better results from him if you treat him sort of child like.

As they get better (hopefully) they'll snap out if it and you can treat them normally again.

My opinion is that it's all about end-results. If you find something that works, stick with it until you find something that works better.

[evolvingrn, BSN, RN]

I do not call people pet names but i HATE when people do it to me. there are some who do it at work and people seem to respond well to it.

[FLArn]

Only when I'm working with peds. But with geriatric patients, I will call them "Miss" Mary or "Mr" John. It's very common in certain parts of the south and is considered a respectful greeting. Also with confused patients, she wasn't always Mrs. Jones but she's always been Ms. Mary.

[Stephanita]

I've found most patients respond positively to the treatment.

When you look back, when we've been sick, it's mainly been our moms who have treated us. This was always accompanied by terms of endearment.

There is nothing wrong with sticking to your guns either. You can give it a try. If they respond positively, they're probably latching on to it. If they seem combative, they aren't taking it well; it's not rocket science :/

[LouisVRN, RN]

Depends entirely on the patient. A lot of times with confused patients it will do one of two things, make them calm down or make them more riled up. If it does the former I keep with it, if it does the later, I try first name, last name, Miss first name when all else fails ask the family what they usually call them. With non-confused patients I will usually take the lead from them. I usually ask what they would like to be called, then if they call me honey, dear, etc then I will return it as obviously they are comfortable with it.

[~Mi Vida Loca~RN, ASN, RN]

I catch myself saying hon a lot but I do work with kids. lol

[peekachoo]

Thank you everyone for responding. All good points :)

[GHGoonette, BSN, RN]

OP, you refer to sedated patients. CNA referred to regression, and this is especially true of patients emerging from any form of anaesthetic or sedation. It is very important to keep them soothed and calm, and speaking to them in a gentle tone of voice and using endearments helps to do that. Some patients even come round crying for their mothers - and I'm talking about adult patients!

I wouldn't use such terms with a fully awake and oriented patient, but many years ago I worked with patients suffering from dementia, and I found that they responded better if I used words like "dear" and "lovie" to them.

[Hospice Nurse LPN, BSN, RN]

I believe it totally depends on the situation. I work w/ dementia pts who are on hospice. Not one of them would have a clue who I was talking to if I addressed them as "Mrs. Last Name", and sometimes I can't even get a response from "Mrs. First Name". "hon" or "sweet one" will occasionally bring a smile.

Now, I would never address a pt A&O x3 by anything but a proper name. You just have to use your judgement.....whatever makes the pt comfortable.

[pockunit, ADN, RN]

I make a point of addressing my pts as Miss X or Mr Y until or unless they correct me. I haven't had any sedated pts yet, though, so I've not had the opportunity to see what works. I agree, though, that in that case, it makes sense to expect regression and deal accordingly.

[Esme12, ASN, BSN, RN]

I actually think it depends on what part of the country you are from. In some parts of the country it's a normal part of the speech pattern. It also depends on what tone of voice you use....:)