What is the dumbest order you ever read?

Nurses General Nursing

Published

I thought I had seen some AH orders but yesterday took the all time win! I had a 97 year old man admitted from ER with impaction and the order said---- "Give oil retention enema and have pt. hold for one hour." I am LMAO as I am thinking "OK where am I going to find a cork.:roll :chuckle

Specializes in Intermediate care.

Orders

"Patient up to chair PRN"

i need orders for that?

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Orders

"Patient up to chair PRN"

i need orders for that?

Believe it or not :) It hasn't been that long that activity orders were EXPECTED to be written on admission, and not advanced until the doc wrote new orders.

Same with vital sign parameters (re: when to notify) IF they were different than the standard ones (or changes from the patient's norms).

One of my favorite orders was the podiatry consult for the bilateral BKA :D

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Specializes in Emergency Nursing.
I swear that this was a real order

"If patient codes or if heart stops please contact before performing cpr or giving medications"

It was an attending physician that wrote that order and believe it or not he was furious at me when I called to clarify the order. He told me that the family hadn't decided on code status yet so we were not to code the patient until he had a chance to talk to them which he would do if something happened. Have I mentioned that this physician is notorious for not answering pages for at least an hour!

:eek:

one hour later: "I have spoken with the family. Please perform CPR."

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Specializes in Emergency Nursing.

"Please help patient to wash up."

Why don't you just write "please do your job"?

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This one just in tonight. "Activia 1 PO BID." Yes, the pharmacist and I did decided that was for yogurt.

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I had a doctor write an order for stickers to the bedside as a joke. Well, she did want someone to bring the pt stickers but putting it in the system was meant to be funny.

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"Ativan or Benedryl" was all that was written on the orders, when questioned, he said "whichever puts him to sleep faster, in any amount you need."

Nice.

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"Ativan or Benedryl" was all that was written on the orders, when questioned, he said "whichever puts him to sleep faster, in any amount you need."

Nice.

Well, we can put him to sleep...the question is do you want the pt to wake back up?

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Specializes in Rehab, Infection, LTC.

Stat Banana.

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Specializes in ICU, Telemetry.
"Ativan or Benedryl" was all that was written on the orders, when questioned, he said "whichever puts him to sleep faster, in any amount you need."

Nice.

Notices nurse walking into patient's room with a pound of Benedryl, a bucket of Ativan and a ng tube....:eek:

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"Ativan or Benedryl" was all that was written on the orders, when questioned, he said "whichever puts him to sleep faster, in any amount you need."

Nice.

I like this doc! :smokin:

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