Reasons patients turn on their call light

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I had a very enjoyable night two nights ago, because for the first time in my nursing history I had a patient who literally turned their call light on every 2-5 minutes.

Reasons the patient turned her call light on:

1. I farted.

2. I coughed.

3. Can I sit at the nurses station naked?

4. My neck twitched when I took a breath.

5. Can you scratch my left pinky finger?

6. My tongue keeps touching my teeth, what should I do?

7. I think I have to poop but I'll wait until tomorrow to do it.

8. I'm about to call 911 because I keep hearing the nurses walk by my room.

9. Am I breathing ok?

10. My legs are really pretty, what do you think?

That's to name a few!

Specializes in orthopeditics,med/sur,Rehab,skilled care.

True story (or you wouldn't believe it) pt "quick get down the mothership is coming. don't you see the aliens at the window" (6th floor). The things people see/hear on night shift.

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Specializes in Emergency Department, Rehabilitation.

Patient rings the bell for so I can get her visitor a soda. I directed the visitor to the vending machine in the dayroom and told her it cost a dollar and, no, I don't have a dollar.

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Specializes in LTC, Rehab.

Nah, doesn't have to be psych - I'm at a nursing home/rehab facility, and the same thing could've easily happened with half of my residents (if they even bothered to USE a call light - one lady just yells what she wants - over and over).

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Specializes in critical care.
Oh really ? Miss high and mighty, you don't judge her! You think you can do better huh? I was a nurse 39 years and I have seen a lot of ****, yes literally. I've called the doctor in those cases and ****** up an elderly Alzheimer's patient by giving her thorazine as ordered. Idiot doctor. And a schizophrenic bit my hand 20 minutes after a nice 100 mg dose of thorazine. Yeah and other tranquilizers weren't much better. Get your hands dirty and out of the book.

That escalated quickly.

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Am I missing something? Random posts, the incredible shrinking post, non-quoted replies?

What the heck is going on? It must be a full moon. Or the rainbow armageddon made it all the way over here.

I'm not going outside today.

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Am I missing something? Random posts, the incredible shrinking post, non-quoted replies?

What the heck is going on? It must be a full moon. Or the rainbow armageddon made it all the way over here.

I'm not going outside today.

Actually, it IS a full moon 😳

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Thanks. I don't keep track of moon phases. I am inside at night.

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I love number 3 on OP's list!

For some reason, I laughed harder at this than the original post.

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Specializes in Telemetry; CTSICU; ER.

My favorite one is when I was leaving the patient's room, who was fully alert & oriented, I had only one foot out of the door and the rest of me was still in the room. I turned around and asked her what I could help her with and she stated that she just wanted to make sure I knew what the call light sounded like and I responded to it. Yeah...

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Specializes in Emergency medicine.

Get an order for a benzo

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Specializes in Rehab, Med Surg, Home Care.

Uh Oh. A patient seeing little kids in their room, (especially late at night) sounds like it should be posted on one of those other threads about mysterious sights and noises...

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Specializes in Rehab, Med Surg, Home Care.

Assuming the person responding to the call light has those critical thinking skills that the call light offender is lacking and the responder has assessed for and eliminated any serious concerns (probably numerous times at this point), hopefully the little light bulb in their head goes off that says "Teachable Moment!" (I mean ya know it's not gonna work with all your patients and maybe not even most but still worth a shot).

I take a deep breath, make sure I'm not rolling my eyes but do have my most sincere smile, and try to explain prioritizing and combining requests, also what the patient/ family is allowed or expected to do themselves, what they can request an aide to do and what needs to be done by the nurse. I reinforce. A lot.

Works enough of the time to be helpful, especially if they can stay off the light for long enough for you to routinely round and show them you haven'the forgotten them. It can also help to empower and reassure the ones that are not sure what they are allowed to do or what functions the nurse needs to monitor.

(Then there are the poor souls who truly can't remember...)

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