vent--angry patients--your input

Specialties Emergency

Published

I just need to vent and am looking for some input! I had an angry patient this am who was only in the er to get another work excuse---at least this is what I could submise(?) from him anyway, he wasn't very forthcoming with any answers and rolled his eyes alot! He had been in the ER 3 days earlier and was currently being treated, he stated he couldn't work and wasn't better(VSS, etc). Asked him to please get into a gown(short off only) and md would be in to examine him(MD on requires pt to be in gown or he doesn't go in). This pt grabbed the gown out of my hands quite abruptly put it on OVER his clothes and started swearing at me. I remained calm and told him to stop yelling at me, continued with explaining why he needed the gown on, blah, blah, blah, needless to say this pt kept on and on. I began to walk away but the volatile beast within me let a comment slide that I shouldn't have..................................as I pulled the curtain, I said "You know sir, I wouldn't come to your place of employment and treat you like that".:banghead: What was I thinking---at least I wasn't rude or snotty about it! The doc that was on said I handled the situation very well. The pt eventually left without being seen-----I told my director as LWBS are automatic call backs! Now I wonder, what "punishment" is coming my way? What do you guys think???????/

I think you were perfectly appropriate.

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Specializes in LTC, Disease Management, smoking Cessati.

He was cursing at you and that is inappropriate behavior. I would have said something similar such as " Your behavior and language is inappropriate, when you can calm down I will be back to help you." We take a lot of abuse as nurses but inappropriate tirades usually cannot be dealt with rationally or delicately, you have to either walk away, and come back, or tell them what they are doing is unacceptable. I work telephone triage and when someone goes off like that I just sit quiet until they realize I'm not saying anything, sometimes I can then calm them down, or sometimes they are done ranting and just hang up...it is their choice, they either want help or not. This guy in your ER was impatient and rude, and taking time away from other patients who may need more urgent care. If he chose to walk, it was his angry choice, and his problem. I don't think what you said was in anyway wrong. It was truthful, and let him know how badly he was behaving. We are not doormats and we do not deserve to have to stand there and take that "stuff" when we are only trying to help.

Smile now, it won't be your last encounter with someone like that, they are everywhere!! :)

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Nobody deserves to be treated like the patient treated you. Unfortunately, it won't be the last time situations like this happen. We need our co-workers, including physicians, to support us and confront the patients who treat us this way. I know, keep dreaming.

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Specializes in Emergency medicine.

I think you responce was perfect for the situation. I hope you dont mind if I use it in the future.

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Specializes in ED/trauma.

I think what you said was perfectly nice. I would not have been so compassionate. Where I work we do not put up with any kind of verbal abuse from a perfectly sane person. The police would have kindly escorted him out or to the jail if he wanted that. Our docs would have quickly cleared him.

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Specializes in Neuroscience, ED.

We would not treat a pt who is verbally or physically abusive (unless they are AMS) I would call security and have them escorted out, esp a repeat "customer"

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Yep, I think you handled it very well--much nicer than I would have. Besides if your administration won't stand behind you in situations like this you've gotta ask yourself if you really want to be at this facility. It is not like we have to look for jobs anyway.

I had an older white female pt one night accompanied by her middle aged daughter and her husband, this was just a few days after the presidential elections, she had fell and hurt her arm while fixing dinner. I came into the room after the doc had filled out his order sheet-of course there was an x-ray on there, CBC, SMA7, CT of head, cardiac enzymes, EKG, etc. I was explaining to the pt what we were gonna do and the husband cuts me off and says "why are ya'll doing all of that, hell we've been waiting for 5 hours, it is her arm that is hurt. I'm gonna call Obama about this-he'll fix all of our problems!" I politely told him that "we were going to do an x-ray and if the arm is broken we will surely treat it, but it is this hospitals policy to try and find out why she fell, did she lose consciousness, did she have a CVA, did she have an cardia event, or did she just simply fall? We could just treat her hurt arm, put a cute cast on it like a "doc in a box" would do and send her home to die in her sleep from the stroke or MI that she may have had, now sir would you allow me to continue doing my job?" He left the room, never to be seen again--his daughter appologized many times for his behavior.

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Specializes in M/S, Tele, Peds, ER.

As said by many before me, your statement was not inappropriate at all.

As nurses, and as ER nurses inparticular, we put up with crap and verbal abuse so much that we forget we don't have to! We lose a sensitivity to it. Sometimes we rationalize it away in our head, "Well he must just be having a bad day", "Well maybe somethings going on at home". Which can be true, but is no excuse for the degree of abuse these patients can let on. You have to use your judgement of course, and there are plenty of appropriate ways to let it be known the abuse is not tolerated here....as you did.

And as long as people get away with it, they'll keep doing it. I think its our obligation to set limits on these abusive patients. If we're lucky they'll realize its not tolerated and find another ER to abuse.

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Specializes in Emergency Dept, ICU.

Amen girl, I am transferring the SICU this week. Patient's who abuse the ER and the ER staff have finally run me off.

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Specializes in ER,ICU,L+D,OR.

The squeaky wheel always gets greased

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Specializes in Trauma, Teaching.

[quote=ACRN06;3487321

And as long as people get away with it, they'll keep doing it. I think its our obligation to set limits on these abusive patients. If we're lucky they'll realize its not tolerated and find another ER to abuse.

Unless you're the only ER in town and county!:chuckle

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Your statement seemed very appropriate. It is all right to not let someone abuse you. We as nurses need to remeber that it is not just OK to let someone verbally abuse us. It is no better then someone hitting us. We would not let our spouses talk to us that way we certainly should not let our patients. Patietns being in a stressful situation or not it is never OK to let them abuse us. I think you were appropriate.

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