"Think" about what you say!!!

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I had a patient call me out last night ...

His IV was beeping - had an air bubble, and it was stubborn so it took a while to get it straightened out. When I finished, I said, "There, I think that should work for you now..." or something to that effect,

and he said, "You think? YOU THINK it will be ok now???? Shouldn't you be SURE??"

He kind of startled me, and then he laughed and said, "Hey, it's ok, but you may make some of your more anxious patients really nervous if you say things like that!"

He was right -- I say "I think" a lot. Maybe it's because I'm new and not very confident, or maybe I've been doing it so long I don't even realize it, but "I think" I'd better start paying more attention to what I say before I say it! (Just one more thing to worry about...)

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Specializes in Utilization Management.

You just can't win with some people, no matter what you say. Sometimes IV pumps have minds of their own and start beeping no matter how confident you are :)

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They get you coming, they get you going. They get you when you just stand still.

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Specializes in Peds/outpatient FP,derm,allergy/private duty.
I had a patient call me out last night ...

His IV was beeping - had an air bubble, and it was stubborn so it took a while to get it straightened out. When I finished, I said, "There, I think that should work for you now..." or something to that effect,

and he said, "You think? YOU THINK it will be ok now???? Shouldn't you be SURE??"

He kind of startled me, and then he laughed and said, "Hey, it's ok, but you may make some of your more anxious patients really nervous if you say things like that!"

He was right -- I say "I think" a lot. Maybe it's because I'm new and not very confident, or maybe I've been doing it so long I don't even realize it, but "I think" I'd better start paying more attention to what I say before I say it! (Just one more thing to worry about...)

Patients, over-anxious and otherwise - can micro-analyze like crazy! Like if you frown a little they think, "why is she frowning?" "Am I going to die and no one is telling me?" It's a good reminder. Thanks for sharing.

I think they train surgeons and ER docs not to say, "oops" under any circumstances! :)

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Specializes in ICU/CCU.

It took a patient's comment to make me realize that I needed to stop saying, "Oops!" It seemed such a benign exclamation to use after accidentally dropping a pillow on the floor or if I forgot to turn the tube feed back on after a turn, but one time a patient said to me, "'OOPS???' That's not something you want to hear your nurse say." And I realized how scary it must be for the patients to hear that when they usually had no idea why I was saying it.

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Specializes in Rehab, Med Surg, Home Care.

Nah. That's when I tell them "Sometimes nursing is more of an ART than a SCIENCE!"

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Oh, give me a break! That kind of comment comes from somebody used to being in control, who isn't in control now, but wants to be. The same type of person who zings you, then says "I'm just telling you so you'll know in the future." I guarantee you that 9 out of 10 patients would never even notice your wording, let alone feel called upon to let you know about your "mistake." I don't think you said anything wrong and my advice would be to let it go and not worry about how you're wording every sentence.

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Specializes in Specializes in L/D, newborn, GYN, LTC, Dialysis.

What about this: If you had promised no more trouble, and the thing beeped again, well, you can see, you would be wrong there too! he was sensitive. I can't blame him; being a patient is unnerving for many. But I think you are being awfully hard on yourself!!!!

Sometimes a sense of humor defuses things. You can say "if your partner here sounds off again, just call me!" and leave it at that. I say things like that and usually people smile.

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Specializes in critical care, PACU.

I dont blame you for not being confident with those IV pumps. I have no confidence that they will stop beeping because they are finicky little buggers that sound off at the drop of a pin.

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I dont blame you for not being confident with those IV pumps. I have no confidence that they will stop beeping because they are finicky little buggers that sound off at the drop of a pin.

True, true...

You guys are funny. Thanks for cheering me up!

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Specializes in Med-Surg/Oncology, Psych.

Michigangirl,

Thanks for this post. You make a really good point. I do see what other posters mean about not being too hard on yourself, but recently I've had a couple incidences where family members and friends have been on the patient side of the equation. As a nurse, it can be easy to forget what it feels like to be a patient. And you're right, the way something is phrased can make a big difference, especially given that really sick patients and their families typically have a less thorough understanding of what's going on (be it an IV pump, a disease process, a procedure, whatever). Illness can make an otherwise calm and sane person feel worried/afraid/confused/irritable/vulnerable. Thanks for reminding us that as healthcare providers, it's part of our job to be compassionate and sensitive, and a big part of that is being aware of what we say.

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Specializes in critical care, PACU.

Yes that is true. Im a very facial expression-y person and I often have trouble hiding them. One time I had a patient who manifested this weird murmur and we were monitoring it and then it just up and disappeared. while listening the loss of the murmur I accidentally made this shocked expression and it nearly gave my patient another heart attack ;)

Ever after I have been extremely cognizant of what my facial expressions may mean to others.

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