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

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 ?

JWaldron said:
Well, there's a lot of truth to what you say, but the really sad thing is that an awful lot of these people just don't have a primary physician, and this is their only entry into the health care system. We have all these ridiculous things being brought to the ER, and we also have the people coming in who should have had medical treatment long ago, but have no MD and no insurance and no $ for health care.. Pretty sad state of affairs.

Savvy

Well, I don't disagree with what you say, but I think it is more than not having access to a primary care provider. I live in a very rural area in the deep south, and even here we have a Public Health Department, a federally funded clinic for the indigent and working poor as well as a community mental health center.

Unfortunately, I think many folks come to the ER for other reasons:

- Convenience (no need to make an appointment, and where else can you get your kids' runny noses checked out, your vag bleeding evaluated and your mom's migraine treated all at the same time and place? I mean, what ER nurse hasn't heard "While I'm here....")

- Ignorance

- Entertainment

- Avoidence (you can't hardly go back to your pcp for more Lorcet when you just got your 'script filled yesterday)

- The system: some people must have that dreaded doctor's excuse to go back to work after only one sick day and if you live in an area with no urgent care, what can they do? Also, I think we've taught people over the past few generations to rely on the system instead of thinking for themselves (so of course you bring you kids to the doc if they vomit once).

- Lack of funds (like we're not going to ask them to pay and then follow-up on it)

I think the answer is going to depend on a change in the whole health care system, and pardon my cynical attitude, but that ain't gonna happen any time soon.

RainbowSkye said:
Well, I don't disagree with what you say, but I think it is more than not having access to a primary care provider. I live in a very rural area in the deep south, and even here we have a Public Health Department, a federally funded clinic for the indigent and working poor as well as a community mental health center.

Unfortunately, I think many folks come to the ER for other reasons:

- Convenience (no need to make an appointment, and where else can you get your kids' runny noses checked out, your vag bleeding evaluated and your mom's migraine treated all at the same time and place? I mean, what ER nurse hasn't heard "While I'm here....")

- Ignorance

- Entertainment

- Avoidence (you can't hardly go back to your pcp for more Lorcet when you just got your 'script filled yesterday)

-the system: some people must have that dreaded doctor's excuse to go back to work after only one sick day and if you live in an area with no urgent care, what can they do? Also, I think we've taught people over the past few generations to rely on the system instead of thinking for themselves (so of course you bring you kids to the doc if they vomit once).

- Lack of funds (like we're not going to ask them to pay and then follow-up on it)

I think the answer is going to depend on a change in the whole health care system, and pardon my cynical attitude, but that ain't gonna happen any time soon.

Hi Rainbow,

I don't think that it's a cynical attitude at all, but a realistic one. Yes we have created a dependent society w/no personal responsiblity encourage. Really, calling 911 for head lice is such an abuse of the system and such a downright stupid reason that the paramedics should have the right to refuse something if it isn't truly life threatening. Phone calls to the ER's are still free and any nurse would rather answer a nurse advice call rather than putting up with a head lice 'emergency'. Part of the problem, IMO, is this McDonald's mentality that TV shows, etc., have created. I want what I want when I want it, and I want it all now. It isn't fair to the kid who got hit by a car or the grandmother of 12 who's having a silent MI or that person who walked in to Triage and gasped "I think I'm having a heart attack". And codes on the ER cart faster than you can say "EKG".

And it's really not fair to the Triage nurse, who has to listen to these people who c/o 'waiting' too long for their head lice emergency in the Triage area. That's why security is there in front -- since the fine folks who utilize our McER have been known to be violent when 'precious' is c/o vomiting once yet running around in bare feet eating chips and drinking coke.

There's a running joke in our ER about the sickest people being the most considerate. The ones who are well enough to complain about every little thing are too healthy to be in the hospital in the first place and must be there to serve some other purpose, whether it's entertainment or a mental health issue or drug-seeking.

I'm not talking about those who have become among the many w/o health care. I'm talking about healthy people who aren't sick in the first place. It doesn't appear to be a regional problem but truly an issue that has a large impact on all of us, since our tax money is paying for this nonsense. We have our own collection of FF and just plain abuse the system folks here in Chicago, too.

OK, back to your regularly scheduled post. Didn't mean to hijack, just vent a little.

Specializes in Government.

This was more of a patient education problem, but still...I worked nights on a head injury floor in a large pediatric hospital for 10 years. Our night time admits were house overflow.

Over and over again we'd get normal infant admits...kids would look great, hydrated, healthy, etc. Problem? You know that jerky, nerves- not- quite- connected movement that infants make when they stretch or yawn? People were assuming their kid was having a seizure. And they'd bring the child in at 1 am and insist that he/she should be admitted. We'd explain to the Parents what the ER already explained. When the sun came up then the pediatric neuro would explain it again and send the kid home.

Well, I don't disagree with what you say, but I think it is more than not having access to a primary care provider. I live in a very rural area in the deep south, and even here we have a Public Health Department, a federally funded clinic for the indigent and working poor as well as a community mental health center.

Unfortunately, I think many folks come to the ER for other reasons:

-convenience (no need to make an appointment, and where else can you get your kids' runny noses checked out, your vag bleeding evaluated and your mom's migraine treated all at the same time and place? I mean, what ER nurse hasn't heard "While I'm here....")

-ignorance

-entertainment

-avoidence (you can't hardly go back to your pcp for more Lorcet when you just got your 'script filled yesterday)

-the system: some people must have that dreaded doctor's excuse to go back to work after only one sick day and if you live in an area with no urgent care, what can they do? Also, I think we've taught people over the past few generations to rely on the system instead of thinking for themselves (so of course you bring you kids to the doc if they vomit once).

-lack of funds (like we're not going to ask them to pay and then follow-up on it)

I think the answer is going to depend on a change in the whole health care system, and pardon my cynical attitude, but that ain't gonna happen any time soon.

I agree w/ every one of your points. The health care system has to change to get better, but I also don't see it happening any time soon. Too many people want cutting edge medical care for minor needs, and not enough people get it when it's really needed. We don't put enought funding into well-baby clinics in inner-city and rural areas, there is not enough mental health services, this country has the highest health care costs, but we don't have the highest infant survival rates, the greatest longevity rates..... There's something wrong w/ this picture. But this forum is about weird stuff coming into the ER rather than sounding off about the problems in the health care system in the US. And there is plenty of weird stuff!

Savvy

Specializes in 6 years of ER fun, med/surg, blah, blah.

That is a great reason to go the ED. You should not have waited so long. That's what the ED is all about. Glad you feel better & drink your H2o.

:p

As a matter of fact, in the wee hours of Monday morning, I woke up with severe pain on my left side front and back and radiating down my groin. I also had alot of pressure to urinate but when I tried could only void a very small amount. Also had vomiting and nausea.

Well, the pain would not subside. Any Tylenol I tried to take for it was vomited up.

Finally after 3 hours of this, I dragged my aching body to the car and drove down to the ER at 4:30 in the morning. I could not understand what could be causing the pain and was, understandably, afraid.

There was blood in my urine and they did a catscan, but the nurses had already figured out I had a kidney stone ("doing the kidney stone dance").

They put an IV in me for fluid and pain medicine and when I was awake enough let me go home with vicodin and suppositories for nausea and vomiting. Doc instructed me to see a urologist in the next couple days.

I hope the ER staff didn't think me coming down with a KS was silly. I live alone and just have myself to depend on. They sure did help me out - the pain was unbearable.

Just a little anecdotal story.

I like the pt who came into ER via EMS hyperventilating after doing shots, and sucked some down the wrong way.

How about..... I just received my new TennCare card (like Medicaid) and wanted to see what it would get me. :uhoh3:

I love these tales, they are so painfully true. :o

The whole bottom line (in NC anyways) is they don't HAVE to pay, period.

If they don't have Mediciad, which most do (which is why I pay $1700.00 a year tax to live in a 100k house{tax value, prolly couldn't sell it for 75)), they just don't pay PERIOD. They don't work, you can't garnish them, they don't own, you can put liens against, etc. etc.

I did ED for about 5 years and boy, this thread has made me laugh AND sigh.

People are soooooo sad, it's really pathetic.

I had a lost tampon story too, but she DIDN"T EVEN KNOW IT :eek:

CC: Vag D/C and " odor" YA THINK???????

Also the sweet couple who came in with the dueling clap. She got her 2.4 mils PCN w/ that ole #18 (you can tell how long ago this was), then she had to join him and "watch" him get his shot for "punishment"

I was so sick of them both that I was a "bad" nurse and didn't make him lay on his belly, just let him stay on his side, and when I popped him with the trusty #18 he yelled "yow" and jerked his hips forward RIGHT OFF THE NEEDLE :rotfl:

I said aaawww, geeeee, whizzz, whadja do that for, now I'm gonna have to stick ya again :rotfl:

I don't miss it, It's for young folks! Hat's off and God bless ya'all that can hang with it! :)

Specializes in Psychiatric.

Wow, TMPaul, do you know my husband's sister? Sounds EXACTLY like something she'd do! LOLOL :rotfl:

Specializes in NICU.
There's a running joke in our ER about the sickest people being the most considerate.

Gotta love healthcare. We have a running joke in my NICU that the sickest babies always have the nicest parents.

Specializes in Emergency room, med/surg, UR/CSR.

That will start next week, and I'm wondering how it is going to effect our stupid is as stupid does patient load. People with insurance or private pay will be escorted to the finacial counselor upon being dismissed from the exam room and then the FC will ask them to pay some amount and set up payment arrangements. They will not receive their discharge instructions or prescriptions until they have finished with her. I imagine people that really need to be in the ER for things like lacs, and fxs won't blink twice, but I am hoping that it will at least discourage the repeat visitors we have coming in for stupid things time after time. I am hoping that once they have to face the FC once and get asked how they plan to pay the bill, then they won't want to face that again. Unless they figure out that we have no FC during certain hours and time their complaints to correspond with that time. How long do you think it will take for them to figure THAT out?!?!?! Anyway, it will be interesting to see how it works. All I know is that I wouldn't want the FC job for ANY amount of money! I can't imagine how nasty some of these people are going to get.

JMHO, Pam

    kids

    kids

    1 Article; 2,334 Posts

That will start next week, and I'm wondering how it is going to effect our stupid is as stupid does patient load. People with insurance or private pay will be escorted to the finacial counselor upon being dismissed from the exam room and then the FC will ask them to pay some amount and set up payment arrangements. They will not receive their discharge instructions or prescriptions until they have finished with her. I imagine people that really need to be in the ER for things like lacs, and fxs won't blink twice, but I am hoping that it will at least discourage the repeat visitors we have coming in for stupid things time after time. I am hoping that once they have to face the FC once and get asked how they plan to pay the bill, then they won't want to face that again. Unless they figure out that we have no FC during certain hours and time their complaints to correspond with that time. How long do you think it will take for them to figure THAT out?!?!?! Anyway, it will be interesting to see how it works. All I know is that I wouldn't want the FC job for ANY amount of money! I can't imagine how nasty some of these people are going to get.

JMHO, Pam

Let us know how it works out.

They tried this in my area a few years ago and got nailed for it within a couple of weeks.

The problem was their holding the discharge instructions until payment arrangements were made.

Something about their being a publicly funded hospital and having to treat regardless of the ability to pay...so they could not discuss money until after treatment (and discharge is part of threatment).

Now they treat & discharge but you can't physically exit the building (thanks to a remodel) without passing thru the financial department.

Specializes in Medical/Surgical/Maternal and Child.
Gee, let's see:

-broken acrylic nail

-child vomited once, now sitting on mom's lap eating chips and drinking coke

-laceration too tiny to be seen by the naked eye ("it was bleeding just a minute ago" as patient squeezes the alleged laceration trying to make it bleed again)

-totally well, but needing a work excuse for a sick day sometime last week

-child sleeping all day (up all night crying the night before)

-prescription refill (could be anything from bp meds to oxycontin)

-viagra request

-mosquito bite (yup, just a plain old mosquito bite with no allergic reaction or infection)

-child "lethargic" (mom's words) as kid is running up and down the hall and, you guessed it, eating chips and drinking coke

Oh Wow Rainbow, I wouldn't count out that mosquito bite now with the threat of West Nile Virus and other yukky things mosquitos can cause...

:crying2:

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