Share The Weirdest Reasons Patients Push The Call Light

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You guys always crack me up, so I came up with this question to hear more funny weird stories.

What were some funny, stupid, or weird reasons patients push the call light for?

Are you supposed to go to the room right away or how does it work? I will be an RN next year and interested in knowing more about the actual daily life w/ pt.

Here are some of the best...

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Specializes in L&D, Family Practice, HHA, IM.
On telemetry:

I repeatedly answered the calls of a woman who told me vehemently "My heart has stopped!"

Brain,maybe...

:chuckle :bugeyes:

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Specializes in paediatric and trauma.

This girl on my shift was always ringing her calllight and every time I got to her she gave me a blank look and said what are you some kind of stalker so annoying she was 15 by the way:angryfire

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Specializes in Management, Emergency, Psych, Med Surg.

Honey, this guy would have a quick wake up education from me. "From now on you are going to have to wipe your own butt, unless your wife is here. You are going to have to get your own water. I am not your wife or your "help" so you are going to have to do those things for yourself".

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Specializes in LTC.

We have one lady who wakes up several times a night, pushes the button, then immediately rolls over and falls back asleep, every time. It's really annoying.

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I've been reading awhile and cracking up.

In my AL place, I've had three...twp funny one not so funny

Did lunch round-up my demented lady told me she was mad, as shed been calling and calling and nobody came (I know she doesn't know how to use her bell) I asked her how she did it she took me to the door and showed me her doorbell.

A new and needy resident who counts down his 4 hours between NORCOs called me at PM my first PM with him, to be tucked in. He's in bed, and probably 75 years old. He also called me this AM to tell me he was up.

The worst of all when one of our ladies in the memory care area pulled the fire alarm. That was NO fun at all....

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Specializes in Utilization Management.
We have one lady who wakes up several times a night, pushes the button, then immediately rolls over and falls back asleep, every time. It's really annoying.

I've heard of sleepwalking, but this takes the cake!

How about the patient who calls you just to tell you that they're going to sleep now, so they won't be bothering you again tonight? No needs, just letting me know. Naturally, the room was at the very end of the hall.

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Specializes in LTC.

or that they might have to go to the bathroom later? Not now, but maybe sometime before I leave.

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I took care of a guy who was gently confused. Thought his call light would do everything...raise and lower the head of the bed, change tv channels, etc. Kept me hopping that day!

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Specializes in Medsurg/ICU, Mental Health, Home Health.

We had a rather disagreeable patient on our floor who was driving everyone nuts. She actually called the hospital operator multiple times and informed her that she wasn't being fed, that we were starving her. Her blood sugars were 400 at the lowest, and of course all she wanted to do was eat (and she was on a fluid restriction, so that made things even more special). She was on the call bell constantly, demanding food or demanding to see her nurse or whatever her problem was at that second. (Also, she would randomly take off her BiPap and I think most of us know how annoying that freaking alarm is).

On one of my many adventures to her bedside, I was trying to explain to her why she was on a fluid restriction. She then became very angry with me and told me to leave her room immediately. (Oh yeah, this is important...she was blind). Well, she didn't have to ask me twice. I said "all right, I'll leave you alone" and booked it out of her room. About a minute or two later, the call bell rang, and I answered it (we had the "phone" call bell set up).

The patient asked me to "get this nurse out of here." Yep, I was asked to go in and remove myself from her room. I guess she didn't hear me or didn't believe me when I bid my adieu to her.

*~Jess~*

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Specializes in Management, Emergency, Psych, Med Surg.

OMG don't you just want to put a pillow tightly over their heads? My husband works in a Neuro ICU in a very large hospital. When they are on the call light too much it takes the call light and puts it under the head of the mattress so they can't get to it. Cruel, but what can you do?

I had a lady this week that was so nervous she called every minute. She could not hear so we had to go in and check on her. She had a death grip on that call light. It was sooo funny. We did give her some pain meds and took away her call light for a while. She was right by the nurses station so we could see her all time time.

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During my clinical experience I had a confused patient who would constantly call my friend and I to help check her clothes in the "dryer", she would forget that she already told us to check for her missing clothes but then one day she called both of us in. She was like "baby come here" and out of no where she flings her hospital gown in the air and says "look at my titties" so trying to figure out if we were more in shock or just plain confused ourselves, we told her we'd help her put the gown back on and went on our merry way.

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Specializes in Management, Emergency, Psych, Med Surg.

I have had people call 911 to get the nurse. I had one patient call 911 because he wanted to order a pizza.

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