Why do patients..??

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Why do patients seem like they always wait until the last possible moment(6:30 when change of shift is 7) to tell you something that they should have told you 11 hours ago?? EX: This morphine that you have been giving me all day hasn't worked at all and my pain is 10 out of 10. I've had the worst headache of my life for the last 6 hours. Oh by the way, I forgot to tell them when I was admitted that I have a chronic issue and i am on 900 medications that I never mentioned to anyone (exaggeration, but you get my point). Does this only happen to me? I mean I do all my assesments and I always ask the patient several times throughout the day if they have any problems/concerns and they never seem to have any until change of shift. Sorry I guess I just had a rough day :uhoh3:

This is just ridiculous. Why do patients treat nurses like this? It's like people don't have any manners!! :uhoh3:

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Specializes in Telemetry, IMCU, s/p Open Heart surgery.
Some of my coworkers think I'm nuts because I try to tape my end of shift handoff reports at least 3 hrs before end of shift (I can always revise or update them if necessary). But I've found it starts getting weird about 2 hrs before end of shift and just gets weirder and weirder as the shift winds down. No way I can tape a coherent report in the last hour of my shift.

that's the same thing I do! :)

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Specializes in Med-Surg, Transplant.

And why do allll of the IV pumps start beeping (NOT in sync, of course) the minute shift change happens???

:lol2:

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Specializes in Med/Surg, DSU, Ortho, Onc, Psych.
Answering questions about pain seems to puzzle many of my patients.

Me: Are you having any pain or discomfort at all?

Pt: Well that's why I'm here.

Me: I understand, and right now are you having any?

Pt. Well, that other nurse gave me a shot.

Me: Did it ease the pain, did it help?

Pt: Was it supposed to?

Me: I am interested in what kind of pain you are having right now. Can you rate in on a 0-10 scale.

Pt:Oh, I don't like that scale thing.

Me: Are you having any pain right now?

Pt: Well not so much, just that pressure feeling in my chest, but that's been going on for a couple of hours. Do you think it's my heart?

Me: And the pressure, would you say it's very uncomfortable or mild?

Pt: Its pretty bad, that's why I'm here. Can I get I nitro? I used my last one a half hour ago, I been taking those things like candy. And a sandwich, too, if you have one.

I had to laugh reading this. I like the patients who's pain you ask them to rate from 1-10 (they know the scale system, they've had to do it b4). And they say: well my arthritis pain is 10, my hip pain (from their op) is 5, my headache is a 4 and my knee pain is an 8!

U just have to laugh somedays.

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Specializes in Hospice, ONC, Tele, Med Surg, Endo/Output.

How about the patient who has a massive code brown just as you are finishing report and sooooo close to running for the elevator and you look back and your CNA is already gone?!

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Specializes in ER/Ortho.

I had a patient last week who was horrible. When I got oncoming report they told me her family complained about the day shift nurses not doing anything for her during the day. I was determined to not get a complaint. This was a 29 year old princess who thought she was the only person in the hospital. If she wanted a snack it was far more important then the code down the hall. I was in that room for than my other 5 rooms combined all night long.

Guess what the next morning I heard I got a complaint too. It appears I never checked on her, and responded to her needs. REALLY!!!

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Specializes in Med Surg, ER, OR.

Wow! The patient you are caring for isnt the only person in the whole hospital? Boy I am glad you all shed some light on that for me :) I have been telling them this for a long time, and they never seemed to listen to me, lol. Funny how they never understand the 0-10 pain scale that is asked before and after every intervention, how they ask for the sandwiches, juice, cookies, etc. But, the best is how they expect us to know everything about their condition, diagnosis, history, life, etc when all they give us is that they had gas 30 minutes before letting us know. From that, we are to gather their h/o of HTN, DM, high cholesterol, anemia, CABG, chole, lung biopsy... lol!

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Specializes in LTC, med/surg, hospice.

How about when you are doing your last rounds and:

the patient suddenly declares the IV has been hurting for hours

the tube feeding is clogged or the patient pulled out their NG

somebody falls

you have 3 critical labs

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