What to do when a doctor won't let you read back an order

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New nurse here. Had to call a doctor the other night after I followed hypoglycemia protocol and the patient wasn't responding to the treatment. He gave me his order and I began to read it back. He interrupted me saying, "Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah." And hung up on me.

As I wrote out the order I wondered if I should even write torb as he didn't allow me to do so.

What should I have done? Called him back? Charted that he wouldn't allow me to read it back? What would you have done?

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Specializes in Critical Care; Cardiac; Professional Development.

I would have called him back and if he still was not cooperative I would have informed charge and documented first and last names of all who were involved and exactly what happened. That is so unacceptable.

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I considered it but was worried about backlash.

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Specializes in ER, ICU.

Standard nursing practice requires readback. Ideally you should have called him back and explained that you can't execute the order until you follow all steps in the telephone order protocol as per safety requirements. Any place that would discipline you for that isn't worth a bucket of warm.... At worst you should have documented that the MD cut you off prior to readback and said "yeah yeah yeah" as he hung up on you.

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Specializes in Hospital Education Coordinator.

chain of command is written for just these purposes

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I make sure I listen very very carefully the 1st time because this happens ALL the time. The backlash from what you're talking about doing is not worth it.

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Specializes in Med/Surg,Cardiac.

I would have just read it back while he said yeah yeah yeah. The doctor being so complacent is unsafe though. I would definately call back if the order was questionable. If you wake an MD up for an order, it is good practice to really think about what you're about to do.

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I make sure I listen very very carefully the 1st time because this happens ALL the time. The backlash from what you're talking about doing is not worth it.
Yep. I figured it might happen a lot and that's why I chose to be careful how I handle it. I'm new. I don't know the in's and out's quite yet. I certainly don't want to start off on the wrong foot and ruffling feathers, but I also want to be safe for my patients and have my butt covered.
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Specializes in Med-Surg.

I've learned with some doctors you have to talk very very fast. (:

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Specializes in Ambulatory Surgery, PACU,SICU.

I say something like " so give ---mg q2, is that right? And they say "yes" takes like 2 microseconds

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Specializes in Trauma, Teaching.

I tend to repeat back each thing as they say it while I'm writing, so it comes out kind of slowly but they can't go faster than I can write that way.

2 mg.....q4h......prn....n/v.....okay next?

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Specializes in LTC, home health, critical care, pulmonary nursing.

Welcome to nursing.

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