What was the MOST ridiculous thing a patient came to the ER for?

Specialties Emergency Nursing Q/A

And did you have to treat them?

I am just curious. Your stories always seem to either crack me up or shake my head in amazement.

Thanks for sharing ?

Now really. Do you expect anything else from Nursing Home nurses. Granted there are a few that really love their work and really love the elderly.

All the rest Ive met are losers who cant cut it working anything else.

Ok I find this extrememly offensive!! Nursing homes in this day and age are more than a lot of hosptals. Do you know how many Residents we get from hospitals with decubs to the bone because no one bothered to turn them while they were restrained? Or the ted hose literally imbeded in their skin because they weren't removed at night or even days at a time. These are by no means isolated incidents and unfortunately are becoming the norm.

Just like anything else in this world there are good and bad whether it is hospitals, nursing homes, nurses, doctors everything. People like you give people who truely love their postitions a really bad name!

Specializes in LTC.
Now really. Do you expect anything else from Nursing Home nurses. Granted there are a few that really love their work and really love the elderly.

All the rest Ive met are losers who cant cut it working anything else.

I too find this extremely offensive! LTC is VERY hard work..VERY frustrating..but extremely rewarding. Sure, there's a few nurses who probably don't care, but I've not met them yet. I love my residents, and work very hard to make sure they have the best care and love we can give them.

Specializes in Psych.
According to EMTALA, you can refuse to treat things that are not considered emergencies. The trick is, though, it has to be determined through a medical exam that it is not an emergency. Triage does not count. so you've got to get the person back there for the exam, and since they're back there, might as well treat them.

After patients walk in or come by EMS we have an offload area/room right next to triage. We call a doc in for an RME (rapid medical exam). Usually they do 3 or 4 of these at once. They order basic stuff and decide if the patient is stable enough to go back into the waiting room pending labs/tests or needs immediate bedding. The hangnail guy would have been discharged immediately with our RME. Someone with abdominal pain, for example who is stable would be given a vomit bag, told to go the waiting room and not eat or drink anything and wait for tests. Lab, etc would then go out into the waiting room and grab them, bring them in for draws, etc. then back out the the waiting room. We have patients who never see the inside of the ER. Its fairly efficient. We have an RN and security stationed in the waiting room to keep an eye on people.

After patients walk in or come by EMS we have an offload area/room right next to triage. We call a doc in for an RME (rapid medical exam). Usually they do 3 or 4 of these at once. They order basic stuff and decide if the patient is stable enough to go back into the waiting room pending labs/tests or needs immediate bedding. The hangnail guy would have been discharged immediately with our RME. Someone with abdominal pain, for example who is stable would be given a vomit bag, told to go the waiting room and not eat or drink anything and wait for tests. Lab, etc would then go out into the waiting room and grab them, bring them in for draws, etc. then back out the the waiting room. We have patients who never see the inside of the ER. Its fairly efficient. We have an RN and security stationed in the waiting room to keep an eye on people.

That sounds like a GREAT system!:yeah::yeah:

Specializes in Critical Care, Capacity/Bed Management.

On Thursday a man came in to the E.R. because he was complaining of dry mouth....... he stated he hadnt drank anything all day and spent the majority of the day in conversation.... god you cant make this Sh*t up lol

Specializes in ED.

I need to have your people talk to my people and then our people can do lunch together. I love that system!:smokin:

After patients walk in or come by EMS we have an offload area/room right next to triage. We call a doc in for an RME (rapid medical exam). Usually they do 3 or 4 of these at once. They order basic stuff and decide if the patient is stable enough to go back into the waiting room pending labs/tests or needs immediate bedding. The hangnail guy would have been discharged immediately with our RME. Someone with abdominal pain, for example who is stable would be given a vomit bag, told to go the waiting room and not eat or drink anything and wait for tests. Lab, etc would then go out into the waiting room and grab them, bring them in for draws, etc. then back out the the waiting room. We have patients who never see the inside of the ER. Its fairly efficient. We have an RN and security stationed in the waiting room to keep an eye on people.
Specializes in Emergency / Critical Care.

I had an AMBULANCE bring in a lady with a cat scratch on her arm - 'just to be sure!'

Don't even think the skin was broken, from what I can recall - it was difficult to see the scratch!!

Of course she had no ride home......

I had an AMBULANCE bring in a lady with a cat scratch on her arm - 'just to be sure!'

Don't even think the skin was broken, from what I can recall - it was difficult to see the scratch!!

Of course she had no ride home......

This has got to win the most rreeee--DICU--louss award by a MILE!!

I've had worse than that playing with frisky little kittens, and I didn't even reach for a band-aid.

Specializes in ER.

Hangnail. Yes this has been mentioned....but a not just any hangnail folks. A hangnail that had been sore for 3 MONTHS! Hahahahahaha and the offender was in their early 20's too!

Specializes in ED, CCL, PICC placement, Education.

How about back pain for 3 years? Then when you asked the patient why he came in after 3 years he says "something to do on a saturday afternoon"

I can think of plenty of things to do on a saturday afternoon than spend it in an emergency room.

Turns out when he saw the doctor, he demanded percocet for his CHRONIC BACK PAIN and when the doc wouldn't write for it, he walked out of the ER.

Figures.

I am in triage right now. it's 0130.

A man just called. He was seen here a couple of days ago for a sunburn. Apparently we sprayed something on his back. He wants to know if he can come back to have it sprayed on his back again.

This is not he dumbest thing. Just the most recent.

Does anybody think that these people would come in for this stuff if it cost them anything?

hherrn

We have at least 3 patients and up to 7 who come in to sleep (they walk in and are "overserved) because they were kicked out out the shelter for a period of weeks or months because of violent behavior.

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