Share The Weirdest Reasons Patients Push The Call Light

MissyF_RN · Apr 11, 2010

Had a patient buzz for a tweezer (to pluck her chin hairs), a toe nail clipper, hot chocolate and face wash. She really did think she was at a spa! :eek:

jmwsinpc · Apr 13, 2010

working in an alzheimers home you see some funny stuff.
one day a little man calls me over " hurry hurry come quick". i come over by him and he lets a big fart. i busted out laughing.

:lol2: holy crap....this reminds me of the other night...oh spring break..idiot season... :jester:

our call lights are remotes and we can talk through them from either side to and from the desk. you can pick up like a phone receiver or hit the button and speaker phone it. mostly at night we just answer on speakerphone *nurses station, may i help you?* and noone is around but us to hear.

the other nite we have this really young dude in the ortho hall who shot himself in the foot....:confused:yes, thats what i said, we have had a slew of them lately....(dont get me started!) and we answer the bell and he says

*yes, i need help. i have a problem*. ...

and the secretary says do you need your nurse or your cna sir?

and he says i don't know, i need new underwear cause mine are messed up...

and then he sharted into the remote really loudly!!!!!! :eek:

needless to say, it took us a few minutes to compose ourselves before we made it to his room to assist him to change the bed and his soiled gown ect.

it was really loud!!! it is really quiet at like 3 am in the hallways and it kinda reverberated if you get my drift? roflmao.... :lol2: :yeah: :jester: :clown:

AR_RN · Apr 21, 2010

I'm loving this thread! My favorite call light story was a man who was aox3, generally very polite and no trouble. Suddenly his call light started going off constantly. He'd deny pressing the button and I'd go in to check on him only to find the call light laying on the bedside table. It was in reach, but nowhere he might hit it accidentally. I'd no more than get out of the room and it would go off again. He seemed as confused as he could be. After about 10 minutes of this I had a brainstorm and traced the call light cord. The previous pt had been a quadriplegic and had a modified call light he could press with his cheek. This gentleman still had the same modified light and the quad's button had been placed under his pillow when the PCT remade the bed. Guess she didn't know what it was! The poor guy was only trying to get comfortable in bed and kept pressing the button with his head. :lol2:

talaxandra · Apr 21, 2010

Nice critical thinking :)

Gerlich8 · Apr 21, 2010

Had a patient call me in his room to change the channel on the TV. I showed him how to use the call bell to change the channel and then left. A few minutes later he called me in again to change the channel. :cool:

AR_RN · Apr 21, 2010

Oh, I forgot one of my other faves. The call light goes off and we answer it from the desk. "May I help you?" Instead of a response we hear this:

Did you hit the call light?

No, why?

They said you hit the call light.

No, why would I hit the call light?

I don't know why. Do you need something?

No, if I needed something, I'd hit the call light.

Well did you hit the call light?

No!

Then finally to us, "no one hit the call light."

Oooookkkaaaayyyy.....

This about 3 or 4 times in 15 minutes. After that we called their nurse to the room to "FIX IT!" I think she moved the call light up by the pillow instead of down by his hand. :-)

MN-LPN · Apr 29, 2010

I once had a woman push call light. I entered room to find her standing by her closet with 3 sweaters draped over her arm. Asked "what can I do for you?" She stated "Hang up my sweaters"

talaxandra · Apr 29, 2010

I once had a woman push call light. I entered room to find her standing by her closet with 3 sweaters draped over her arm. Asked "what can I do for you?" She stated "Hang up my sweaters"

"Sure, just as soon as I've finished ringing up a sale." People are ridiculous!

Preemie 2 RN, ASN, RN · May 2, 2010

LOL @ some of the replies in this thread! I spent the past few days reading through all of these..so funny!

When I'm a patient, I try not to disturb the nurses too much.

AR_RN · May 2, 2010

I had a great one last week. The family pushed the call light and said the patient needed help with her IV. I went in and they informed me that they had unplugged the IV and assisted the pt to the bathroom, then gotten her back in bed, but now weren't sure what to do with the IV. Ummm.....how about plug it back in? :banghead: Seriously?

Sue Damonas, BSN · May 2, 2010

I had a pt one time put on her callbell to inform me that she would now "accept her nighttime meds". She also expected that someone would pour her water for her, hand her the cup, and after taking her meds, place the cup back on her nightstand.

escpthemadnss · May 12, 2010

I worked with a patient that didn't ring the call bell when she needed something, but would just yell. One day she starts screaming "nurse! nurse!". I take off running because by the sound of her voice, there had to be some emergency. I get in the room and ask what she needs and she just looks at me and says, "I was just wondering why you're so short." I told her she'd have to talk to my parents about that. Then I handed her the call light and walked all 5'1" of me out of the room.