open visitation in the icu is here to stay, and it seems as if fully half of the families are "families from hell!" (ok, maybe i'm exaggerating some, but only a little bit.) anyone have any entertaining stories to share?
i brought my lunch in to work the other day, and because of traffic, i was a couple of minutes late. instead of stopping off in the break room to put my lunch in the fridge, i headed straight for the room to get report from the night nurse. i dropped my lunch bag on the counter in the anteroom and promptly got so busy i forgot about it.
about 1100 or so, i remembered my lunch, and stepped into the anteroom to get it. where i found my patient's son polishing off the last few crumbs! no apologies were forthcoming -- he said he was surprised there was so little food there for his family of 12!
One topic I haven't seen mentioned is the loss of privacy and dignity of other families" pa, so perhaps this is more of a protients. I know that most ICUs now are individual rooms, as is my ED, but inadvertent exposure occurs, as well as the yelling of drunk , confused patients, etc. Not every family member is totally absorbed in their loved one's condition , and I am sure there are some very interesting conversations about wht they have seen at the hospital. The rude curiosity I have seen is disgusting
One topic I haven't seen mentioned is the loss of privacy and dignity of other families" pa, so perhaps this is more of a protients. I know that most ICUs now are individual rooms, as is my ED, but inadvertent exposure occurs, as well as the yelling of drunk , confused patients, etc. Not every family member is totally absorbed in their loved one's condition , and I am sure there are some very interesting conversations about wht they have seen at the hospital. The rude curiosity I have seen is disgusting
HelenofOz
84 Posts
"What's next, visitors and balloons in the OR?"
well.... we did have the husband who wanted to come in & watch his wife's lap chole!
(yes, he was told "no" from all levels)