Patient Abuse

[DichloroacetateAl]

What are your experiences with patient abuse in hospitals? For me, the first clinical placement that I worked at, the nurses often talked down to the patients as well as gossiping about them in front of them, and talking to other nurses while caring for the patient (put differently, talking over them). It was the general culture of the place, most of the workers there treated patients as if they were objects to be moved around. In addition, they'd often make jokes about a patient's diagnosis and laugh at their situations when they were out of earshot of the patients.

[RNperdiem, RN]

Abuse? I would reserve that word for something more damaging.

Lack of professionalism? That would come closer to what you are seeing, especially anything said in front of the patients or their families.

What is said out of earshot is more of a nursing is not something I worry about, and even in the best floors and units there are some diagnoses too out of the ordinary not to warrant some kind of comment. I work in trauma, and you won't believe the things people get into that they injure themselves.

We all vary in what is considered offensive. If you don't participate, you can minimize this kind of behavior around you.

That said, all too many of the people we care for as nurses are doing an effective job abusing themselves through alcohol, drugs, violence and self-neglect.

[NurseFrank]

do remember some nurses use humor as a way to cope. Us as nurses sometimes see people at their worst. But there is a difference in coping and being an unprofessional nurse. In the trauma center where i work, like the poster said above, there is some crazy things that people wont believe. Just be yourself and rise above it all.

[Altra, BSN, RN]

The things you describe in you post may be immature, unprofessional, and unkind ... but not abuse.