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.
Gosh, hearing all these stories, I must be a dream patient, then!
"I'm having tachycardia, I'm having a bit of trouble breathing, I've been nauseous all day, I'm type 1 diabetic, and my blood sugar's been more than 250 all day. Here's my arm for the bp cuff, here's my insurance card, I take Lantus 13 units twice a day, and Humalog up to 30 units per day on a sliding scale. My doctor is in the building next door, it's Dr. ******."
I've had a couple of nurses like this. I told them not stick me in the hand yet they know best and did so. They hit a valve. By the time she is done it's bruised. Had one that kept digging around in the same spot for a vein. Hurt like hell but she didn't care. It was all to prove she knew what she was doing. In the end they wound up sticking me where I told them to and got it the first time.
This is kinda a darned if you do, darned if you don't situation. I appreciate people who tell me where their best veins are. However, I have had people tell me "it has to be there (pointing to an area of scar tissue on their forearm); they always get me there." Sorry, you have been gotten there for the last time. Also, some people demand a hand vein. Well you are getting a CTA--sorry can't be the hand. Period. They won't do it.
However, I have had people tell me "it has to be there (pointing to an area of scar tissue on their forearm); they always get me there." Sorry, you have been gotten there for the last time.
Also, some people demand a hand vein. Well you are getting a CTA--sorry can't be the hand. Period. They won't do it.
Same with our chest CTs with contrast. The IV needs to be in the forearm or higher. Pts get mad when they demand a hand vein but I look elsewhere. If I ever remotely suspect that a patient may end up getting a chest CT, I always shoot for an IV in the forearm or higher. I explain to the patient that I am trying to plan ahead and would rather use a larger gauge IV in the forearm (or AC or whatever) than to stick them in the hand and have to start a SECOND IV because they can't use hand IVs for CTs. Patients usually understand after that.
When my co workers make authoritative comments that are not true and end off the conversation like that's all that exists, ie, "She has a right to refuse."
Well giving the consequences of their refusal is not abuse and is actually the appropriate action.
Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.
My pet peeves:
-How long is the wait?
-How many people are in front of me?
-I need a medicaid cab back home (after coming to ER via ambulance for toe pain X 1 year)
-I can't breathe! (As they are yelling to the top of their lungs)
-I have 10/10 pain (while on the phone, laughing, chatting with other pts in the waiting room)
-I've been having this issue for 2 months (what makes it an emergency at 0300 AM on a Saturday night?)
-I need a bus pass (after observed outside smoking and buying coffee from the vending machine)
Just the ones from the top of my head right now. But I have plenty.
What made this an emergency at 0300 on a Sunday morning is that the bars have just closed, her husband is going to be coming home stinko and he's a mean drunk. The emergency room is a relatively safe place for her to be until he's passed out. I can't say that I've ever gone to the emergency room for that purpose, but there was a time when I used to hang out in convenience stores right outside the gates of the military base we lived on to give my then-husband time to pass out before I'd go home. I was working 3-11 in those days, and when it became 3-0100, there was a very real chance that my husband would conclude that I'd been "cheating on him" after my shift ended. Sorry -- didn't mean to step on your vent thread. Carry on!
I have a new 1. The pts who come to the window, looking good. With vague complaints like, my leg hurts. They don't want to wait with the 1 person that is ahead of them so they say, ah ya, I have a heart history and ya I guess I'm having chest pains... For 2 days.
Since I didn't get excited and whisk him back right away. He proceeded to yell and scream in the waiting area and exclaim how he was going to die in the waiting area and sue us all because he said he had chest pains and that didn't get him whisked right back.
It always amazes me when pts will say they've had issues for days and I'm a 'insert various cuss words here' because I don't jump up out of my chair and get excited when they come to visit.
I have a new 1. The pts who come to the window looking good. With vague complaints like, my leg hurts. They don't want to wait with the 1 person that is ahead of them so they say, ah ya, I have a heart history and ya I guess I'm having chest pains... For 2 days. Since I didn't get excited and whisk him back right away. He proceeded to yell and scream in the waiting area and exclaim how he was going to die in the waiting area and sue us all because he said he had chest pains and that didn't get him whisked right back. It always amazes me when pts will say they've had issues for days and I'm a 'insert various cuss words here' because I don't jump up out of my chair and get excited when they come to visit.[/quote']
Ugh. We EKG all chest pains in the waiting room, then an attending determines if they need to be whisked back immediately. Most don't and get angry. We have a sign at the registration desk that says "Tell us if you have chest pain." So 75% do thinking they'll get a room faster.
Also, yelling at the top of your voice "I can't breathe and you are going to let me die in the waiting room!" Tends to not help your waiting time.
Discharged a fellow RN's patient while she was busy with another. Mid 30ish female, unkempt hair, barely opened her eyes, very minimal response to my communication and discharge process...I get the wheel chair to the curb where her ride is waiting, I lock the wheels, she HOPS RIGHT UP, eyes wide open, and walks as steady as can be, opens the door and gets in without any difficulty...what?!?!?! I wish it would have been on film, I must have had the "deer in the headlights" thing going. Finally I just headed back inside chuckling to myself.
)
liketheairport
97 Posts
Gosh, hearing all these stories, I must be a dream patient, then!
"I'm having tachycardia, I'm having a bit of trouble breathing, I've been nauseous all day, I'm type 1 diabetic, and my blood sugar's been more than 250 all day. Here's my arm for the bp cuff, here's my insurance card, I take Lantus 13 units twice a day, and Humalog up to 30 units per day on a sliding scale. My doctor is in the building next door, it's Dr. ******."