5 worse things a patient can do ...

ang75 · Jun 2, 2004

I have no idea what she was planning.The only thing close to her was a bottle of lotion. I told her the Vicodin would stop her up and that we have remedies for that. Actually, now that I think about it, wouldn't it be nice if all of our patients gave themselves their own enemas? Of course, with the proper equipment, not a NG. It would sure make my job smell better.

Do we really have to limit it to just 5?:chuckle
1-hyperventilate-that drives me up the wall!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I used to try to calm them down forever. Now, tons of drunken dramatic college girls later, I just tell em to keep going and that eventually they will pass out and stop breathing on their own. This usually gets em out of it.
2-Really and I mean REALLY enjoy a foley. How gross!!!
3-Have fam or friends smuggle in booze. (and not share, HA:rotfl: )
4-Leave AMA and then come to the ER 2 hrs later because they can't take the pain anymore.
5-Steal your roomates NG tube in order to give yourself an enema. Yes, i really had this happen. I couldn't even speak I was soooo shocked. I don't know how she thought she was gonna accomplish that. And what was she gonna do with it when she gave up? Give it back? NASTY NASTY NASTY people.

CCU NRS · Jun 2, 2004

Do we really have to limit it to just 5?[/Quote]
I guess we can add 5 more if you have them.
5. Smearing Feces
4. Projectile Vomitting
3. Projectile Defication
2. Projectile Food/Plates/Tray
1. Projectile Spitting

SCRN1 · Jun 3, 2004

How about a patient who is perfectly capable of moving themself deciding to just lay there dead weight while we strain our backs to move them from a stretcher to the bed? Or to try to do anything to them?

I've had some who've been gotten up for the first few times depend on us to hold them up while they ambulate to the bathroom, to a chair, down the hall, etc. when all they had done was something like shoulder surgery. No clue what happened to their legs during that surgery, LOL.:rotfl:

tinnekke · Jun 4, 2004

1. constantly on the call light for no good reason-one man told me he was lonely when i answered his light
2. get tired of using the call light and just yells "nurse, nurse!" q 5 min.
3. spitting(i always get these)

You just described the day-to-day behaviors of one of our Residents. (I work LTC.) The woman is NOT demented. She is a little hard of hearing, but that's it. She will hit the call light say she needs a nurse NOW, and when I get there she wants her slippers or she wants her blinds closed. One time she called the midnight shift saying she needed to get to the bathroom. When the CNA got there, she asked the young woman what time it was. When told it was just barely midnight she told the CNA (and I am not kidding) "Go away, I don't need you." When she's out in the common areas, she will just yell "nurse, nurse" whenever she wants something, and if you try to find out what might be up with her, she loses all patience with you and tells you to go away. One time she knocked a PRN med that she requested out of the hands of one of the staff because she decided after she asked for it that she didn't want it. I tell you, my days would be much more relaxed if I didn't have that woman as a daily thorn in the collective sides of all the staff. :angryfire She really drives me crazy. Each day I go in telling myself today will be different, and inevitably, no matter how calm I keep myself, at some point that woman has me needing to go outside and get some air before I yell or cry. She rode me so bad one day, even the CNAs felt sorry for me. I was so close to tears, she even noticed and let up on me, and actually asked me why I was so upset. I finally got to tell her that I just get incredibly frustrated because she will complain about not feeling well and not let me do anything to help her, but get more and more unpleasant because she isn't feeling well. Oh well...

Cletus · Jun 11, 2004

1. Rude pts or family members

2. pt's who insist on going to smoke while on narcotics

3. throwing of any body fluid

4. women who deliver drug + babies

5. pt's who refuse all treatment (why are you here wasting our time?)

not in any particulair order

Long Term Care Columnist / Guide · Jun 11, 2004

1) Allow themselves to be spoon-fed by their mothers

2) Expect the nurse to jump right on their request for an extra soda pop/blanket/pillow/chair for visitors/pain pill/fill in the blank when she's got one patient going to surgery and another one coding down the hall

3) Expect the 3-11 nurse, who hasn't even got report yet, to immediately fix everything the 7-3 nurse didn't get to all day

4) Throw a fit when they can't get a hot meal at 2200 from the kitchen that closed at 1900

5) Give you a bad eval on the Press-Ganey because you wouldn't take them outside to smoke 5 minutes before they were due to go to surgery

Purple Princess · Jun 11, 2004

I'm a CNA and just started a new job at a nursing home.The other aides have worned me that the residents know I'm new and will do everything to get me to cater to them and tell me how to do my work, oh they usually do it this way... lots of pillow fluffing, snack runs, and tonight when we were still doing care a woman wanted a knife to cut the skin off her apple, omg like that's a life or death need! The kitchen was closed and I wasn't searching the unit for a knife to cut her stupid apple. And others want all their things put in a special spot just perfect. And there's only me and two try to bug me at the same time. I just had to tell one woman to wait til I was done cause I couldn't do them both at the same time. Last week it took me an hour to get someone showered cause she's one of those prissy types that wants things done a certain way and tends to become conveniently helpless. So I feel your pain. Oh yeah, last night someone needed to go potty and needed 2 assist and the two aides that could have helped me were eating while the rest of us were working. We wait til after dinner is done before any of us go to lunch. How annoying.

DG5 · Jun 11, 2004

Family members who provide whistles for the resident so they can blow the whistle every five minutes instead.

wannabemw · Jul 28, 2007

My #1 this week: Dementia pts w/o any daily or prn meds for anxiety (or they don't work) & insist on calling out/shouting "nurse, nurse" and "help me, help me, would SOMEONE please help me?" (and the shift nurse & cna have been into the rm several times). This kind get's old fast & is trying on everyone in the unit, day & night.

Diary/Dairy, RN · Jul 28, 2007

My top 5

1. Pillow fluffers and their cousin, the person who calls for one thing then keeps you for an hour to do other menial tasks.

2. Overprotective/aggressive family

3. Removing unwanted items (IVs, tele, clothing, etc, etc)

4. Expecting things stat....when they are on a floor and I have 5 other patients.

5. General rudeness....

BeenThereDoneThat74, MSN, RN · Aug 3, 2007

You know, I was thinking about starting a whole new thread on this. But when I got my e-mail about a new response on this one, I figured I'd tack it on here.

I recently had a loved one in the hospital. It was my boyfriend. Now, I'm sure almost everyone here has been in that position at one time or another. And if you haven't, then you just won't get it. Just a few things that I observed (as the bitchy family member :) )

Patients have no concept of time, or the fact that you have other patients. This will likely never change, even if they are in the healthcare profession. I was taught you are never to tell them how busy, short-staffed, or how many other patients you have. They are sick, injured, tired or in pain. And yes, just like your children, it is 'all about me'. In many cases you are their lifeline. When there is no family member around, and they need something, who do you expect them to call? I was actually pretty impressed by the response time of the callbells. But there were a few times where the person answering would say, "I'll tell your nurse" and the nurse claimed that no one told them. Do I buy that? Sure, I've been that nurse that didn't get the message and had to deal with an irate patient. One night, his nurse did not come in to assess him for at least 2.5 hours (I left at 9:30). I wasn't keeping track, and I figured she was a bit busy with higher acuity patients. But what if he had to og to the bathroom? he had back surgery, and still needed help getting oob. He toold me everything at night took longer. And as a nurse who once worked nights on an orthopedic floor, I know it.

I know it's not possible to go into work every day and put yourself in yuor patients shoes. But like i tell my students, who try to get out of changing diapers, bedbaths and head to toe assessments: 'what would you want for your family member?'

Just something to think about

OLDCARTS · Aug 4, 2007

Family members who provide whistles for the resident so they can blow the whistle every five minutes instead.

Are you serious?! I'm a nursing student and can only imagine how annoying that'd be! WoW! :nono: What ever happened to the call bells? lol!

The worst thing, in my opinion, is when patients refuse recommended treatments and therapy. I've had countless patients who refuse PT. I know it can be tedious and all for ailing pts, but they often don't appreciate how much of an improvement that hour out of bed each day can make!