Things I wish my patients understood

[NightNerd, MSN, RN]

I DO NOT CONTROL YOUR DIET OR THE KITCHEN! Do not complain to me about it if you want something done about your food. All I can do is microwave and decide how quickly to bring you graham crackers and juice. I have no other power over what you eat while you're here, so for the love of heaven DO NOT YELL AT ME ABOUT IT.

Yeah, this weekend at work is going beautifully, LOL.

What do you wish *your* patients understood?

[JadedCPN, BSN, RN]

I have to agree about the food complaints. I will never forget having to read a patient comment card about a decade ago that had a negative impact on our Press Ganey scores and the pt/family wrote a big paragraph about how they were upset that the Southwestern Omelet was not very Southwestern-y. True story. 
 

I also wish patients truly understood that they are not my only patient nor should they be, and that I can’t control the doctors - whether that’s how soon they’ll come to the bedside, how long they’ll take to change your diet order, or how long before they discharge you. I wish I knew just as much as you did.

[RNperdiem, RN]

We don't control the doctors' schedules. We can give an estimate about when they will be around, but they are a separate entity from nursing with their own schedule. Same thing with PT, OT and speech therapy. 

I wish more patients knew that between when the doctor says you can be discharged and when you actually leave the room, a lot of actions need to occur first, and your nurse does not control all the factors. Experienced patients know that discharge usually happens in the afternoon after follow up gets scheduled, the doctor writes discharge paperwork, other services sign off, the nurses do discharge teaching and the transporter can be available. 

[londonflo]

I wish I had a dollar for every time a patient said "When does Dr. Smith come"?

Also, when Dr. Smith eventually shows up he says "you can go home now". And the patient has called their ride, gotten dressed and already pacing in the room before I can get in there. For the next 2 hours the driver stares at me with  daggers in his eyes complaining why the discharge is taking so long. 

[Pepper The Cat, BSN, RN]

Ditto on I have no control over doctors. 
I also have no control over the temp of the room, when housekeeping will clean your room, when you will get your CT/MRI/US.

And right now I certainly have no control over the visiting policy. 

[JadedCPN, BSN, RN]

13 minutes ago, Pepper The Cat said:

And right now I certainly have no control over the visiting policy. 

This is a big one too, especially with covid protocols in place! In my pediatric hospital, when covid started we still always allowed a parent/caregiver over 18 at the bedside, but only one, which people complained about. Then we finally increased it to two, which people still complained about. Now we allow three visitors on the visitor list but only two at a time, and people are still unhappy. 

[NightNerd, MSN, RN]

These are all so relatable, unfortunately! Especially when the doc tells the patient they're being discharged, failing to mention it'll likely be an evening activity by the time all the paperwork is done and prescriptions are sent. As soon as my patients utter the word "discharge," I encourage them to plan on eating dinner with us that day (it gets to our floor super early); then, if they get out earlier, it's a nice little surprise. I don't know why I try; no one ever listens. ?

[NightNerd, MSN, RN]

3 hours ago, Pepper The Cat said:

Ditto on I have no control over doctors. 
I also have no control over the temp of the room, when housekeeping will clean your room, when you will get your CT/MRI/US.

And right now I certainly have no control over the visiting policy. 

OMG, don't get me started on the thermostats, LOL. I too would love to know how to control that, because I an usually boiling on my floor. Alas, that's some other poor soul's domain.

I do understand why people get frustrated with certain tests not being done during normal waking hours, labs being scheduled so early, etc. I like uninterrupted sleep too. But I do wish people could understand what a true emergent situation is so they understand why sometimes things have to be delayed! Not that their care isn't important, because it is, but sometimes there are more *urgent* situations that, unfortunately, mean a delay for them. It's not a perfect system, but it's the best we can all do.

[LovingLife123]

That I have very little control on anything.  I don’t control the visitation policy, when the ct gets read, when new med orders get put in.  I don’t control when a bed will open up on the other floor.  I can’t control that person screaming down the hallway.  I don’t control how fast your food comes, or the fact that we don’t carry your specific condiment.  
 

I can’t sit in your room for 12 hours.  My other pt is on the brink of death, I need to be in there at the moment.  No, we don’t have phones in the room, and we don’t have private bathrooms in the ICU.  
 

This is just from today. 

[DavidFR, BSN, MSN, RN]

That if they haven't asked for a sleeping pill they don't usually take when the doctor visited, it won't magically be prescribed when I arrive for the night shift. And yes, if the on call doctor is busy with a sick patient, it won't be his/her priority to drop everything and prescribe it NOW. And no, in the meantime I can't just give a "little mild one" off my own bat.

Cup of warm milk perhaps dear? I can prescribe that.

[TheMoonisMyLantern, ADN, LPN, RN]

I wish patients understood that as nurses we are pretty much cogs on a wheel and have very little influence of policy and medical decisions In the hospital as bedside staff. I have this conversation weekly with at least one patient and I don't sugar coat or make it sound more palatable. I no longer lie about staffing shortages, equipment or supply shortages, or cover for physicians when they blow off a patients concerns or questions. I don't do this out of cynicism, spite, or malice but out of transparency. Maybe it is unprofessional of me and I shouldn't be so blunt with patients and families but I'm treated more like a child than a profesional anyway, so there's that.

[2BS Nurse, BSN]

"They were upset that the Southwestern Omelet was not very Southwestern-y". Bwahahaha! This made me laugh!!