What do your ER patients families say or do that irks you?

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Copying from the OB thread but using ER patients and families.....

I hate when patients say "i'm a hard stick" If I had a penny for every time I have heard this (and usually get a line in the 1st time), I would never have to work again.

Specializes in Oncology/Haemetology/HIV.
What bugs me about that phrase is that a local grocery store has the same thing on their front door.

As does Walmart.

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Specializes in NICU.
***********Please note that I am being facetious. I do not advocate violence against patients.....I am sure that there will be someone around here that will get highly offended over the fact that I am not taking pain issues seriously and that I am not deserving of the title "Nurse"...be rest assured that I do take patient pain issues seriously...I just wish that the patients actually took pain issues equally as seriously.***************

me = chronic pain sufferer. you = hilarious nevertheless... :chuckle

so here's something I've always been curious about... I admit to being one of those people that turns up in the ER occasionally with something that I think is serious, but turns out not so much (like a sore throat, but since I have athsma I get freaked out and have an attack, etc) sooooo, I'm really conscious of being nice and quiet and not a bother and saying please and thank you, but is it still annoying? I couldn't even imagine asking for food in the ER...

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Copying from the OB thread but using ER patients and families.....

I hate when patients say "i'm a hard stick" If I had a penny for every time I have heard this (and usually get a line in the 1st time), I would never have to work again.

:angryfire :angryfire :angryfire This is still making by blood pressure hit the roof. We had a patient the other night who started spiralling the drain, hard and fast. I went into another room to get a monitor with an a-line port and the patient in that room, {to whom I had pushed diluadid for another nurse bc he was in so much pain he couldn't wait for his nurse} was waiting to be discharged. I said "I'm sorry you have to wait but we have a pt who is trying to die and we are trying hard so he doesn't" (I realize this is not PC but I think sometimes a reality check is in order) As I was leaving the room with equipment I needed he said "What, it takes 12 people to do that?"

When I got to the room where we were coding the pt. I accidently blurted out "a--hole" at which point everyone in the room looked at me like I had two heads. I then told the doc who had been taking care of this guy what had happened and man was he jacked.

BTW there was nothing wrong with this man after many xrays and ct

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Specializes in ICU, ED, Transport, Home Care, Mgmnt.

Maybe I missed the "Two dudes attacked me for no reason", that is almost heard as much as "two beers".

The one's I want to give "High Dose Slap Therapy" to are the ones who were out in the parking lot smoking, they walk from the car, across the parking lot through the waiting room to the ED entrance where you are waiting for them and then suddenly they can go no further and collapse at your feet. :angryfire I leaned down and told one I was not going to pick her up off the floor and to get up and get into the wheelchair, she did. :rotfl:

I hate when employees with "issues" pull a fainting spell or in one case a "seizure" while on duty, amazingly at the beginning of the shift. Nurse in the report room nearly got crushed trying to keep the "seizing" employee from hitting the floor. I happened by and saw her flopping around like a fish and an occasional peep through her closed eyes. One of the nurses got stuck trying to start an IV on this fool. When we got her on a stretcher to take to the ED she started flopping again. I wispered in her ear that I knew she wasn't seizing and for her to stop, that was enough. She flopped one more time and stopped after peeking a look at me. I was not a happy camper :angryfire Don't act like a fool and do things that may hurt my staff! :angryfire :angryfire Never saw her again.

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...sooooo, I'm really conscious of being nice and quiet and not a bother and saying please and thank you, but is it still annoying? I couldn't even imagine asking for food in the ER...

I think it's safe to say you're a perfectly fine patient to take care of. Especially given your last comment!

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Specializes in Oncology/Haemetology/HIV.

You know, I too am always amazed at the people that decide go out on a leisurely and relaxing walk....at 0315 in the AM...in temperatures of 18 degree F...in a dangerous neighborhood 5-10 miles from their home...and were minding their own business...with 1,000-2,000 dollars cash in their pocket..when they were unexpectedly set upon for no reason whatsoever by thugs that shot/knifed them.

I never really knew how many people that do this on a regular basis. And the big mystery, is after they have this happen to them three or four times....for absolutely no reason...that they never stop having "leisurely walks" at 0315 in the AM, etc. etc.

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Specializes in NICU.
You know, I too am always amazed at the people that decide go out on a leisurely and relaxing walk....at 0315 in the AM...in temperatures of 18 degree F...in a dangerous neighborhood 5-10 miles from their home...and were minding their own business...with 1,000-2,000 dollars cash in their pocket..when they were unexpectedly set upon for no reason whatsoever by thugs that shot/knifed them.

I never really knew how many people that do this on a regular basis. And the big mystery, is after they have this happen to them three or four times....for absolutely no reason...that they never stop having "leisurely walks" at 0315 in the AM, etc. etc.

But the air is so refreshing! And didn't you know walking is good for your health????

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Specializes in ER, ICU.

I relate to everything said here by ED nurses, but two of my favorites are missing; "I am under a lot of stress" and "I have a high pain tolerance". On one memorable occassion, I was assessing this guy at triage and his concerned wife stated, "he has a high pain tolerance", "you know he wouldn't be here unless he was in severe pain", "blah, blah, blah, b-blah blah". Right about mid-blah, the BP cuff began to inflate and my wannabe patient exclaims, "ow, that hurts". Busted.

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Specializes in ER, ICU.
But the air is so refreshing! And didn't you know walking is good for your health????

Eventually, emergency nurses realize that minding one's own business is about the most dangerous activity one can be involved with.

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Maybe I missed the "Two dudes attacked me for no reason", that is almost heard as much as "two beers".

The one's I want to give "High Dose Slap Therapy" to are the ones who were out in the parking lot smoking, they walk from the car, across the parking lot through the waiting room to the ED entrance where you are waiting for them and then suddenly they can go no further and collapse at your feet. :angryfire I leaned down and told one I was not going to pick her up off the floor and to get up and get into the wheelchair, she did. :rotfl:

I hate when employees with "issues" pull a fainting spell or in one case a "seizure" while on duty, amazingly at the beginning of the shift. Nurse in the report room nearly got crushed trying to keep the "seizing" employee from hitting the floor. I happened by and saw her flopping around like a fish and an occasional peep through her closed eyes. One of the nurses got stuck trying to start an IV on this fool. When we got her on a stretcher to take to the ED she started flopping again. I wispered in her ear that I knew she wasn't seizing and for her to stop, that was enough. She flopped one more time and stopped after peeking a look at me. I was not a happy camper :angryfire Don't act like a fool and do things that may hurt my staff! :angryfire :angryfire Never saw her again.

When calling report to the floor:

"I'm sorry you are going to have to hold the patient, we are too busy to take report and no one has had dinner yet!"

Our hospital NEVER went on divert because we were the only trauma/teaching hospital around. I can't imagine saying to a paramedic crew, "you will have to keep that patient in your rig, we have to get dinner!" :angryfire

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I relate to everything said here by ED nurses, but two of my favorites are missing; "I am under a lot of stress" and "I have a high pain tolerance". On one memorable occassion, I was assessing this guy at triage and his concerned wife stated, "he has a high pain tolerance", "you know he wouldn't be here unless he was in severe pain", "blah, blah, blah, b-blah blah". Right about mid-blah, the BP cuff began to inflate and my wannabe patient exclaims, "ow, that hurts". Busted.

Well, I do have extremely high pain tolerance. And when I end up in the Er, I am usually in severe pain, that ASA will not relieve. And don't put the automatic blood pressure cuff, on my left arm, the plates in that arm, when squeezed, hurt like ****. And I will tear it off. Sorry if I don't meet your criteria for pain management but pain is what the patient says it is, not what the nurse decides.

Grannynurse :balloons:

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Specializes in ER, ICU.
Maybe I missed the "Two dudes attacked me for no reason", that is almost heard as much as "two beers".

The one's I want to give "High Dose Slap Therapy" to are the ones who were out in the parking lot smoking, they walk from the car, across the parking lot through the waiting room to the ED entrance where you are waiting for them and then suddenly they can go no further and collapse at your feet. :angryfire I leaned down and told one I was not going to pick her up off the floor and to get up and get into the wheelchair, she did. :rotfl:

I hate when employees with "issues" pull a fainting spell or in one case a "seizure" while on duty, amazingly at the beginning of the shift. Nurse in the report room nearly got crushed trying to keep the "seizing" employee from hitting the floor. I happened by and saw her flopping around like a fish and an occasional peep through her closed eyes. One of the nurses got stuck trying to start an IV on this fool. When we got her on a stretcher to take to the ED she started flopping again. I wispered in her ear that I knew she wasn't seizing and for her to stop, that was enough. She flopped one more time and stopped after peeking a look at me. I was not a happy camper :angryfire Don't act like a fool and do things that may hurt my staff! :angryfire :angryfire Never saw her again.

"2 beers, 2 dudes, to the ER"

I feel your pain in re: hospital employees. I work in an odd place where fellow employees can be your biggest problem. I have never before seen so many hospital employees in the ED. Some of them and/or their friends/families have exhibited shockingly innappropriate behavior to include threats of violence. And, (here's the best part) they get away with it.

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