1. Ambulances for clearly non-emergent conditions (my personal most notables are of dental pain and a "possible UTI" but I know they're used for far more silly complaints than that. Just the two I've seen myself).
2. Chief complaint of fever, yet they have not so much as taken a temp at home, and if so, even taken tylenol or ibuprofen
3. Mom who brings in all 3 kids because they all have colds at the same time.
4. I'm allergic to tylenol, ibuprofen, codeine, aspirin, hydrocodone, oxycodone, morphine, and zofran. All of them have caused anaphylaxis.
5. The patient that claims their police report PROVES their medications were stolen.
We have a fast track section and 1 is a main room converted. The cart is usually moved over, jacked up and rails up. It grinds my gears to see people climb 4 feet in the air to get on the cart, especially if they aren't the pt.
actually had a mother give me a long sob story in triage how she couldn't afford Tylenol to treat her child's fever, doc orders 8 free doses to send home with mom, while I'm in med room getting her free Tylenol, her boyfriend brings in breakfast for the whole family and coffee from McDonalds!!!
I too get many fever complaints, but no verifiable temp taken or meds given. Drives me nuts! I tell the parents that Dollar Tree has both Tylenol and Advil and write out the genetic names for them.
I think my #1 is patients who come in with their own plan of care, and/or refuse anything we advise, particularly blood work. This just baffles me. Patients come in with chest pain, abdominal pain etc and become shocked and agitated because we wanna draw their blood. How on earth do they expect us to help them if we can't gather any diagnostic info? Just look at them and provide a diagnose with pain-free treatment?! And really, it's blood work. This is not invasive surgery. It's a tiny pinch and done. Just wish ppl would grow up a bit...
I think my #1 is patients who come in with their own plan of care and/or refuse anything we advise, particularly blood work. This just baffles me. Patients come in with chest pain, abdominal pain etc and become shocked and agitated because we wanna draw their blood. How on earth do they expect us to help them if we can't gather any diagnostic info? Just look at them and provide a diagnose with pain-free treatment?! And really, it's blood work. This is not invasive surgery. It's a tiny pinch and done. Just wish ppl would grow up a bit...[/quote']
The phrase "I know my body and (fill in the blank with a normal finding that they insist means that they are imminently going toward the light)".
The phrase "my doctor said it (some current or past condition) is/was the worst he's ever seen". This one ... I don't know why it gets under my skin so badly, but I can't stand it. It's just not something that I can imagine any physician I've worked with saying, ever. Nor have I ever heard it uttered to a patient or family member -- even for those terrible mangled fractures that make us say "oooh" when looking at the films from a trauma, or AAAs that show up on the CT scan that make us trip over each other calling the vascular surgeon and the OR, STAT ... it's just not something that you say to a patient. What would be the point -- to ramp up their anxiety even more? But at least a couple times a week a patient or family member will discuss past medical history using that phrase. What are the odds that all of y'all have something so truly exceptional to warrant that description? Not likely.
I think my #1 is patients who come in with their own plan of care, and/or refuse anything we advise, particularly blood work. This just baffles me. Patients come in with chest pain, abdominal pain etc and become shocked and agitated because we wanna draw their blood. How on earth do they expect us to help them if we can't gather any diagnostic info? Just look at them and provide a diagnose with pain-free treatment?! And really, it's blood work. This is not invasive surgery. It's a tiny pinch and done. Just wish ppl would grow up a bit...
I'm fairly new to the ED but I will never understand how some people don't bring a change of clothes, a jacket or shoes when coming to the ED via ambulance from home (for non-emergent or non-urgent cases). I've had to discharge patients with merely a hospital gown and their own socks far too often because either they have no family members, no one can bring anything, or they didn't think they'd be getting discharged... We unfortunately don't carry used clothing in all sizes so we may not always be able to help, but it's not our responsibility to clothe you before we street you.
Sassy5d
558 Posts
You guys nailed all my big ones.
We have a fast track section and 1 is a main room converted. The cart is usually moved over, jacked up and rails up. It grinds my gears to see people climb 4 feet in the air to get on the cart, especially if they aren't the pt.