Watch your manners please..

Nurses General Nursing

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I have been in the hospital for a few days with my grandfather who is in ICU.

He was put on blood thinners for a DVT, when he started hemorrhaging after a fall, I called the ambulance and had him taken to the ER. His BP was 40/15 when we got to ER.

A ER tech came in and looked at him while I was giving information for intake, and he announced to the RN, "Would you like me to go get a casket?" she asked him "what?" and he said " where do you keep the caskets, so I can bring you one" and of course when I looked for a name tag, he wasn't wearing one. Good thing the nurse distracted me with more intake questions, so that when I looked around for him again he was long gone.

I was to say the LEAST, mortified. I love my grandfather and I am still to the hour distrustful of the care he is receiving at this hospital when this type of attitude is portrayed, and am saddened that he is still there as he is to unstable to transfer out of their ICU. :crying2:

He is getting better and is not in need of a "casket" as the ER tech so rudely put it.

It's certainly understandable that you would have been stunned at the moment this took place. You were worried about your grandfather and didn't need to hear anything that sounded like disrespect. But after reading through this thread, I do think it's possible that the tech was asking about a "cath kit."

A patient arriving in the ER in your grandfather's dire condition would definitely have been a candidate for a Foley catheter. Instead of insulting your grandfather or indulging in highly inappropriate black humor, it could be that the tech was trying to anticipate what the nurse was going to need next.

Now that some time has passed, you might be able to take a few minutes away from your grandfather's bedside to speak to someone in the ER about what happened. If you go at the same time of day that this happened, you might be able to speak with the nurse who was there.

If your grandfather did indeed end up with a catheter, I'd say there's a better than even chance that this was a misunderstanding. The fact that this has cast a shadow over your perception of his care suggests that, if for no other reason than your own peace of mind, you need to at least attempt to straighten out what happened.

Worst case, you'll find out that this person was behaving in a very unprofessional manner and you can register your extreme dissatisfaction. Or you might discover that you misheard and attached a meaning that expressed an all-too-real fear at that particular moment.

If nothing else, the staff needs to be made aware of how you felt in that situation. They might be horrified to see how a casual term familiar to them--"cath kit"--could come across as a stab in the heart to an anxious grandchild. Almost all of the nurses and techs I know would be really sad to think they had inadvertently made a difficult time even worse for a patient's loved one. If this tech should prove to be a rare exception, they need to be made aware of that, too.

I hope you are able to find a way to get the information and reassurance that you need and that future patients and family members are spared the shock and sadness you experienced.

Thank you for being there for your grandfather. You two are blessed to have each other.

Please, let us know what happens and how you and your grandfather are doing.

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Specializes in Medical Surgical.

I am sure that he said "casket" I don't think he realized that I was in the room giving info as I was standing behind the computer in a cramped little area where visitors usually wouldn't stand. It was a busy room, and my grandfather was in very bad shape, and I am sure it was made as a "inside" joke, however bad taste it was. I am just peeved that he couldn't save it for the break room if he had to talk like that at all. Since I have been at this this hospital, I have noticed people dressed exactly like he was, and I believe they are non-licensed personal.

I will be reporting the situation and hope that they find the guy and give him a lesson in compassion. I try and treat every patient as if they were the most loved person in my family no matter what my role is in their care, and when I go into a hospital I hope for the same treatment either for myself or my family.

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Specializes in Medical Surgical.

I guess it is possible that he did say "cath kit" but at the time it sure sounded clear as day that he was saying "casket" and from the reactions of the two nurses trying to stabilize him it seemed that they also thought he was saying something inappropriate. My GF did receive a catheter after he had his x-ray, cat scan, right before he was sent up to ICU, and the nurse brought it in and put it in, but that was probably an hour and a half later. He is stable now, his hemmorhaging is stopped (after 5 units of plasma and 2 units of blood) and he is in good spirits and has a bright outlook now. The doctor is very optimistic that he is going to be fine with no perm damage. I think he will be out of ICU tomorrow. The house is now being made safe with rails and ramps and widened doorways so that we can try and avoid a repeat of this in the future.

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Glad to hear he is getting out tomorrow! Best of luck in his recovery :)

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Perhaps he himself did not know HOW to pronounce "Cath-kit". Anywho, I would have been upset by what was said because similar sounds, even asking for a "casket" sounds too casual and ignorant, really.

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Ohhhhhhh I would report the hell out of that!

Couldn't agree more!!! :devil::nurse:

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Could he have perhaps been asking about a cath kit? Oooooohhh......:yeah:

:lol2::lol2::lol2: good one...*still laughing*

leslie

eta: ok...i see that others are thinking cath kit as well.

i thought you were making a joke.

either way, it tickled my funny bone. ;)

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My first impression was that he was being a smart alec (not the word I wanted to use) and didn't realize family was present. I've never heard anyone ask for a "cath kit." It's "hey, where are Foleys? Or, I need to do an in and out, where are they?"

I guess I am just cynical. I saw some pretty tasteless and morbid humor shown in the ER I spent just a little time in, but it was never in front of family.

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My first impression was that he was being a smart alec (not the word I wanted to use) and didn't realize family was present. I've never heard anyone ask for a "cath kit." It's "hey, where are Foleys? Or, I need to do an in and out, where are they?"

I guess I am just cynical. I saw some pretty tasteless and morbid humor shown in the ER I spent just a little time in, but it was never in front of family.

Agreed. This was NOT funny! :mad::nurse:

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Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.

are you sure you heard him correctly? he wasn't saying "cath kit" or "gasket"?

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@ Poster.

I just want to say u must have heard wrongly cos it would have been very unlikely to ask if he could go get the "casket" cos its an hospital and not a funeral home!

On the other hand,hope ur grandfather is doing much better now.

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Specializes in Mostly geri :).

I really hope she heard it wrong. My GF is about to be 86 so I am a bit touchy about the subject.........................

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