Why did they use the call bell?

**CalicoKitty, BSN, MSN, RN** · May 18, 2016

I guess I ran out of edits? LoL.

01:54 - straighten out bed (not sure what # of times this is).

NOADLS · May 18, 2016

This is why I advocate for having CNAs present. These tasks should be delegated to CNAs as we are above them.

**CalicoKitty, BSN, MSN, RN** · May 18, 2016

The guy called 2x more times during the shift. (reposition, fix blankets).

We have CNA's, but they have more patients. I alternated answering the call light with them. Teamwork!

I don't wanna consider myself "above" my PCT's. They work really hard for half the pay.

jdub6 · May 18, 2016

Oh lord. Well off the top of my head...

1. (18:45) pts daughter who is spending the night at bedside: "i wanted to let you know i think my dad will be needing a pain pill around 9."

2. (Also a family member): her breathing seems very labored and it's making a funny noise is that okay? (pt snoring sound asleep, no distress)

3. "Can you call the float pool and see it they can take me outside to smoke?"

4. (Hands me an empty cup). "You can dispose of this, I'm done" (this person rang for individual pieces of trash about every hour despite have a trash bag at bedside)

5. (0500, pt sleeping, son walks in and wakes her up then hits call light) : "my mother says she's tired. Did you give her something to sedate her?"

6. Found the (confused) pt using the call button as chapstick (unsuccessfully obviously)

7. "Is there someone here who can do my hair and nails? "

ladedah1, BSN, RN · May 18, 2016

Don't know which is less preferable... someone who gets excessive with the call light... or when they stick the most "interesting" patient right in front of the nurses station, lol! Oh, wait, yes I do! Delirium... schizophrenia... dementia... most interesting of the bunch, a combination of all three, lol. While it may be great for a giggle when it comes to interesting "self talk," you know that something HORRIBLE will happen if you aren't on the ready to respond every five minutes.... :rolleyes:

... or if you aren't spiderman... and cant jump the desk the second you see a urinal moving in a motion most often used for drinking...

allnurses Guide · May 18, 2016

I had a patient with progressive MS who had no control over arms, legs or bodily functions. This unfortunate individual was exceptionally (understandably!) anxious and literally was on the call light before you were two steps out the door, for everything from moving a limb a fraction of an inch to wanting chapstick and wrinkle cream applied. Wanted to be fed the second the tray arrived. Demanded new tray if food got cold. Wanted ingredients on things read to them. Head up. Head down. Legs up. Legs down. Roll side. Roll other side. Prop foot. Prop arm. Prop head. Change channel. Straighten blanket. On and on and on. I truly felt pity for this person. Family would come, stay a short while but leave swiftly, obviously having trouble with the helplessness of their parent. Eventually I had to call a family meeting, as they were calling up to the floor wanting to know why Parent is stating nobody is answering them when they call....which was not true. Just could not seem to grasp that there were four other critical patients to care for too. Finally had a very productive meeting with family and patient. Lots of therapeutic crying (on their parts, not mine...at least not while at work). They agreed to hire a personal caregiver to stay 24/7 at the hospital, since we aren't staffed to provide all the attention this person needed.

Patient admitted they were terrified of being forgotten in that room and having no way to call for help. Asking what else you could do for them prior to leaving didn't work, as they would come up with a list that literally would take 1.5-2 hours to accomplish and you STILL would finally just have to tell them you had to go see the other patients. And if you left, I kid you not, no matter what, the second the door closed they hit the light. Patient was demanding things like special seating to be brought in, their electric scooter to reside in the room (absolutely NO room for that in there), food prepped a certain way and only certain portion sizes....definitely did not seem to grasp that the demands were unrealistic.

That was a couple of the hardest shifts I ever had....very torn, being that exasperated and exhausted providing care, yet feeling such compassion, pity and understanding toward the patient. It was really, really difficult emotionally.

NightNerd, MSN, RN · May 18, 2016

Some of my favorites:

-Family member of unresponsive hospice patient: "She coughed!" or, "He sighed!" Yes, they are allowed to do that sometimes (as long as you're not trying to feed them).

-Perfectly able-bodied family member of ambulatory patient: "Can you move those flowers to the other table?"

-Confused LOL: "I lost my call bell! Can you help me find it?" *clutching it to her chest*

Call lights aren't my favorite, but what really grinds my gears is when my patients refuse to use them and just send me back and forth when I round on them. I had one guy the other day on scheduled Dilaudid q4h, but I rounded on him q2. He denied pain between meds, but then would be like, "I'm a 6/10 now. Can I get some extra?" with scheduled stuff. :no:

asmallangrycermet · May 19, 2016

Dementia patient buzzes every time someone walks past the room: Call the Foreign Legion!... to this day I'm still torn between reorienting and just agreeing to do it.

All of this happened in an open 4 bed bay by the way. Same patient had his bell taken away from him temporarily because he was swinging it around his head and using it to beat the man in the bed next to him (a sitter was assigned to the room)... patient starts calling for help (during handover) in German (confusion plus dementia) whilst sitter is in the toilet with another patient (unbeknownst to me)... run into the room immediately and find another confused patient pooping on the end of his bed... too busy dying from shock and stifled laughter to assist - night shift were in for a treat that night.

Ah. Nursing.