Patients & Pet Peeves

[SisterofMary]

I am a nurse of 2 years and a recent hire on a acute medical/surgical floor.

I'm learning so much, which is great. However, it also feels like a whirlwind.

Does anyone have any pet peeves - behaviors that patient's have that make you frustrated?

However, I so dislike when patient's who are A & O curse in conversation. Or if they openly belch when I am nearby them or speaking to them. Thankfully, these are only minor incidents. Of course I always mask my inner thoughts and treat the patient with all due respect.

Anyone have any pet peeves? How do you deal with the situations or do you just let it go?

[kclady]

Sounds like my ex was in the hospital recently and you cared for him.

[kclady]

There are situations when outright patient abuse occurs, usually with the most vulnerable patients when nobody else is around. There are also some where patients are neglected. On the other hand there is the occasional patient who makes a malicious complaint about a nurse to the supervisor and a recording device would show who was lying. Some patients chose to record their experience because they will have trouble remembering their instructions, otherwise. If someone really was looking for a reason to sue they wouldn't get very far trying to sue a nurse over something nitpicky. I think recording devices in hospitals and nursing homes are an excellent idea and like police body cams, they're mutually protective of the nurse and the patient. If recording you against your consent is illegal in your state I'm curious to know why it's allowed in your workplace.

[kclady]

One way to handle that is say, "Let's see you try. I'll stay here to help if you need it." After about one time of that they don't usually ask for help with things they could easily do themselves.

[Ben_Dover]

A lot...but how about this:

Frequent flyers who know how to take advantage of the system.

[Ben_Dover]

This in response to that twig comment...

Send a male nurse to handle his pencil but have an additional staff to witness. Otherwise, suggest a foley cath! :)

I do protect my female co-workers when I know they're being used inappropriately.

[goodgirl319]

Adult temper tantrums. Apparent educated adult child of the patient who asks me when the patient will be discharged when she just came to the floor. Grown patients who stand up and raise their arms so they can be washed off when they are completely able. When I do everything that the patient requested and then every time I start to leave the room then they have you do one more thing over and over, and they examine your face to see if you look unpleasant. I disappoint them with a smile. Listening to the patient's lungs and they cough in your face. Asking a patient to do something for safety reasons but they have temper tantrums because it is something that they do NOT want to do and they fall after all, even with staff outside the door watching the patient. Having a temper tantrum because they cannot have a cigarette and they leave AMA and then get readmitted. Dealing with family who are bored and wanting to show/prove their concern about the patient by wanting you in the room at all times. The patient and family monopolize your time. The big one, when you walk into the room behind the CNA and you hear the CNA ask the patient if they need to go to the bathroom and they say "no" and right when the CNA leaves they look at you with medications, an IV fluid bag, antibiotic, and dressings in your arms, and they ask you to take them to the bathroom. Grrrr. It is amazing how grown people want to find the negative-clock watching, I usually do pretty good but it still happens. But when they tell you how wonderful you are, do they fill out a complimentary card on you? Grrrr. I could go on but I do not have enough space and we do not have enough time.

[goodgirl319]

How about the patient who rates the pain a 10/10, is sitting in bed relaxed body position, smiling/laughing and talking with their friends on their phone, and their v/s are perfect-no previous pain med to cause comfort.

One morning when the cafeteria aide was wheeling the food cart down the hall, he became annoyed and I asked if there was something wrong and he said that he went by a patient's room and he was snoring and when he woke up when the aide went by the patient started groaning and carrying on. The cafeteria aide felt the patient was overacting and wanted pain medication out of habit. Who knows. I assess pain, check v/s, give pain meds and chart results.

[goodgirl319]

Try walking down a dim hallway at night, looking into a lit room with a 350-400 lb man who refuses to lie in his bed covered and has to lie naked on the guest sofa facing the doorway into the hallway. I jumped back rattled. (He was a backward fellow.)

[goodgirl319]

Amen!

[goodgirl319]

Amen!

"If you have an insurance question, ask your nurse" (what)?

"If you want something different to eat, the nurse will get it for you?" (How)?

"She'll do that for you, it's her job" (Huh)?

"The doctor says I can leave today." (the team has done nothing for the discharge yet). Patient and family follow me around for the rest of the shift, even though nothing is completed for the discharge on the MD end.

[goodgirl319]

How do we encourage them to be independent without the patient complaining about us? You know it will happen.

[goodgirl319]

"And Davey Do...Psych patients who refuse to sit up and take their Meds as they scream profanities at you for waking them up when they sleep 24/7! Or, "I'll take them later." As if I have time with 20 plus patients and 3 med passes to remember to adjust their entire med schedule."

I think there are a lot of undiagnosed mental disorders. We just don't have time for it.