Patient asking for something at the wrong time...

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    Joe V
    Editorial Team / Admin

    Joe V

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Specializes in Programming / Strategist for allnurses.

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Nurses, have any you had moments when someone asked for something at the wrong time? You know what I'm talking about. Please share stories with the rest of us.

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Specializes in acute care and geriatric.

Unfortunately there are narcissistic folks out there. In our nursing home, where a patient could be ours for over 30 years (yes, I am not exaggerating!) we have had the above scene acted out (more than once) only worse, where Mrs Narcissistic demands my attention to find out who will accompany her to her pacemaker check next week while I am literally doing CPR!! I have no problem being firm and setting limits. Of course if I have to be firm, I will come to them later and apologize for being busy. I guess it says something that they think we are there for them 25/8 (more than 24/7).

Worse: was when our director instructed us to drop everything to care for a particular patient who apparently was Mr Moneybags. We took him seriously but not literally till he (the director) came in during caring for one patient and demanded we "drop" Mr. Poor and " RUN " to Mr Moneybags. We were told he will fire anyone who doesnt!!!!

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Just this week this happened to me. I answered a call light in our at the moment extremely busy ER. A female in her 50s, dx with a common cold says "where's my nurse, I need to be discharged. This whatever I have isn't going to get better sitting here." I politely informed her that her nurse was in with a critical patient at the time (new onset seizures, ams, possible brain bleed) and she said, well then you discharge me. I told her I would start the process but because I am triage if there is another pt signing in I will be interrupted. I walked out of the room to pull her meds and met the nurses aide who told me that she had just been in that room and explained the same thing to this pt. The pt told her, I don't care about the other pt, I want to be discharged. Now had this woman been in the ER for hours I might have been more sympathetic. She'd only been there about 45min at this time.

I know we all have stories like this but sometimes its all I can do to bite my tongue! One pt even told me, well its not me who's dying so go get the doctor I want to talk to him. Sorry...docs in with the code right now. Have people no common sense???

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brian said:
Nurses, have any you had moments when someone asked for something at the wrong time? You know what I'm talking about. Please share stories with the rest of us.

nurse-patient-bad-timing.gif

I've had this exact situation happen to me...my response (in my overly polite, super-obnoxious-sugar-sweet nursey voice sprinkled with a twist of sarcasm...which took many years to perfect) said "If you'd like to take over these compressions because his HEART ISN'T BEATING, I'd be happy to go get you some Benedryl and a box of tissues." The patient walked away and sat quietly. (P.S. happy to say the compressions worked)

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Specializes in Critical Care, ED, Cath lab, CTPAC,Trauma.

:lol2:Too funny!!! You gotta laugh....... But it's sad at the same time.....I have actually have had this happen a couple of times. I was in a code in the trauma room of a young teenager who had suffered cardiac arrest, we think, from anaphylaxis.....when a patients family member actually came in the room and demanded to be seen for the vomiting and diarrhea that had plagued them all day and was it really necessary to have the entire staff in one room and if we didn't see them immediately they were leaving and going to file a complaint with the "medical director". The MD turned and walked up to this jerk and said "Since I am the director....duly noted......now get out of this room. Goodbye"

The unmitigated gall of people....:madface:

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Specializes in Hospice, Home Health, Med/Surg.

Diplomacy, tact, and. . . . sarcasm! Only a few of the many services I provide as a nurse.

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Once I had a pt who was actively trying to die and I was actively trying to stop him, another pts family member stopped me in the hall while I was bringing the code cart to the other room, to demand that I stop what I was doing and put his mother back to bed because her bottom hurt from sitting in the chair for 20 mins. I explained that I was in the middle of an emgency and would be there just as soon as I could, he then started screaming and cursing about how his mother was being neglected...so I stopped him and told him that of course I would stop what I was doing and get his mom back to bed, however the deal was that the next time she tried to die I was going to go put someone else back to bed before I tried to help her. He shut up and apologized and bought pizza for the staff.

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Specializes in Chemo.

i continuously have to say no to patient wanting pain medication. it is not that i want to see any patient in pain; however, one will ask for it early too or wants vicodin, dilaudid and soma together, i have an issue with wanting to keep my patient safe. my other favorite demand it to push the narc fast or it does not work. i had one patient say it has to be pushed fast because it burns too much. i told him i will dilute it in 10ml of saline to spare him he pain. the drug seeking patients are so much fun.

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Specializes in ortho, hospice volunteer, psych,.

good thread!

when my grandma (who had advancing parkinson's disease) was hospitalized for pneumonia, the nurse was suctioning her as i stood outside the doorway. a very angry woman pushed by me and tried to grab the nurse's arm.

"you put that thing down, now! my sister needs a coke immediately!"

what was both annoying and funny was that family members had 24 hour access to a visitor's kitchen so we could get drinks, ice, snacks, refill ice bags or hot water bottles for family members. they also encouraged out of town visitors to use it too.

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Specializes in Hospice, HIV/STD, Neuro ICU, ER.
I've had this exact situation happen to me...my response (in my overly polite, super-obnoxious-sugar-sweet nursey voice sprinkled with a twist of sarcasm...which took many years to perfect)

Love this! And don't forget the charming smile after you've said it :)

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Was with a ill patient and the 30 yr old perfectly healthy visitor asked me for some water. I just gave her "the look" and said very sweetly, "the water fountain is out the door to your right".

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Specializes in OB.

One time I got sick at work and threw up, and instead of letting me just go home they made me go to the ER of our hospital to get "checked out" (don't get me started). Anyway, I was sitting on my stretcher watching the action in the ER when a patient was brought in who had been found on the street collapsed and unresponsive. My nurse was coding this patient with the rest of the team and a little old man walked over while they're literally pushing epi and says to him, "I know you're busy, but I really need you to walk me to the bathroom when you get a chance."

After I picked my jaw up off the floor, I was telling another nurse who was putting in my IV what I had seen, and she said, "Yeah, I know, aren't people crazy? He was too nice to that guy, if it were me I would just tell him to sit the f*** down!"

:lol2: Loved it!

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