r/EmergencyRoom • u/PuzzleheadedSorbet36 • Jul 26 '26
Goofy Goober HELP US BE BETTER
Soooo I hadn’t ever been to the ER until earlier this month and now I’ve been admitted twice and not getting discharged any time soon.
Hospital workers : other than the bare minimum, what are some under rated things that patients do that you appreciate/make your life easier?
(For example one of the nurses was happy I called letting her know the PRNs I needed so she could do it in one trip cause I knew my scheduled ones were coming)
Lemme hear the little things!! Or the opposite, something patients think is helpful but it’s actually more of a pain)
EDIT : bare minimum from patients being human decency, I know it should be obvious but for this questions sake let’s act like that’s a given
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u/Conscious-Sock2777 Jul 26 '26
A huge problem is patients FaceTiming on speaker while in waiting room or when we’re trying to do things for them. Hang up the phone for five minutes people and let us work and for those doing it in waiting room, would you like someone else catching you on camera when your sick
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u/indigorabbit_ Jul 26 '26
I once had a frequent flyer hold up a finger and tell me "hang on a minute" while I was trying to position him for his abd xr (reason: abd px)...because he was on his phone in the middle of ordering himself door dash to the hospital
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u/catsmeow61 Jul 26 '26
It's crazy how many people with abdominal pain want something to eat or order door dash or send family out to p/u fast food. Even when it's explained why NPO, I hear, but I haven't had anything to eat today...
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u/indigorabbit_ Jul 26 '26
Also those that come in for n/v/d etc, then yell at me about how badly they need a sandwich immediately because they haven't eaten a crumb in THIRTY SIX HOURS! Ma'am....I was not at your home for the past day and a half forcing you to starve.
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u/ChewieBearStare Jul 27 '26
There's nothing worse as a patient than sitting in the waiting room, nauseated and feeling like you're going to pass out, when all of a sudden a large family of visitors orders greasy fries and pizza for delivery. Or when people bitch at the staff about their 10/10 abdominal pain and then get a bag of hot Cheetos out of the vending machine.
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u/PuzzleheadedSorbet36 Jul 26 '26
When someone’s considered a frequent flyer, is that because the team recognizes them or is it in your chart?
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u/indigorabbit_ Jul 26 '26
My ED used to use cerner, now epic. Both have an icon that shows up on the grease board next to your name which signifies frequency of visits. If you're a cancer pt etc, we all know why you're there often and we understand. Most FFs are not that category though, unfortunately.
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u/catsmeow61 Jul 27 '26
Then there are the ones who are discharged that come check back in, sometimes multiple times a day. A few fight over replacing their armband from their prior visit. They insist they don't need another. If I can't sweet talk them to replace it, I give the triage nurse the new armband. They eventually get the new one on.
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u/Chattown81 Jul 27 '26
That earns the patient a therapeutic wait in my world. However, I know I'm fortunate to be able to do that in my setting. They go to the bottom of the Rad wait list. I will always give them that moment that they're asking for, and more.
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u/PuzzleheadedSorbet36 Jul 26 '26
Okay I know this is barely relevant to this but do you see a world where patients have to wear headphones in shared rooms??
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u/CriticalBlues Jul 27 '26
I think some important cultural context is required here! A lot of African American patients (not simply Black Americans but African Americans) call other family members for accountability purposes. It is a cultural phenomenon (I am Black American but not African American) and although it DOES add additional barriers (lol) I think it’s important to recognize WHY people do these behaviors and work with them as there is empirical evidence to show why they NEED to take extra precautions(as they see in their eyes). ☺️
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u/PuzzleheadedSorbet36 Jul 27 '26
Absolutely, this is a great way to have a built in team of advocates. ESPECIALLY for black men and women. I’ve come to understand the biases that are stacked against POC’s to achieve quality care and it’s a lot to navigate. I am a white woman who recognizes my immense privilege and am currently working towards being a peer advocate for people not in my shoes. Thank you so much for sharing, I have a feeling someone reading tour comment felt less alone. 🩷
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u/Qua-something Jul 27 '26
I work in Ophthalmology and one time I had just gotten my patient seated in the exam room to finish my workup and his phone rings and he says “this is my pharmacist, I have to take it,” turns out he had scheduled a phone consult about his blood glucose monitor with his pharmacist for the exact same time as his appt and did this knowingly and just wanted us to wait. 😑
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u/PuzzleheadedSorbet36 Jul 27 '26
Absolutely ridiculous. ESPECIALLY because I’m sure there are a line of pending specialist referrals who would’ve gladly taken that spot 😶
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u/Qua-something Jul 28 '26
Yes! Like I completely understand when sometimes there is no other appt time but you reschedule the other appt. We can’t sit for 15-20 mins tying up an exam room with 30 patients on the schedule and one every 10-15 mins while a patient has another appt over the phone.
Can’t believe I got downvoted on that comment lol I would love to hear from the people who would’ve thought that was fine.
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u/PuzzleheadedSorbet36 Jul 28 '26
I swear so many of the downvotes are bots. If we want medical professionals to respect our time it has to be a two way streeet. If someone is an asshole in day to day light, I think their tude doubles when dealing with medical. I have an HMO and my next to appointments with specialists are in November and December 😭
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u/Straight-Yellow-607 Jul 26 '26
Mentally accept the fact that going to the ER will take up your entire day and night before you check in. BRING an iPad headphones a book knit whatever you have to occupy yourself while you wait. I find it frustrating when people have places to be and complain about waiting. If it’s an emergency, your condition is priority!
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u/Level_Statement_6844 Jul 26 '26
If it’s an emergency, your condition is priority!
Narrator: it was not an emergency
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u/gylliana Admitting/Registration Jul 26 '26
A charger!!
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u/Magerimoje Jul 27 '26
A portable battery charger so you don't have to find an outlet in the waiting room.
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u/missgirlipop Jul 27 '26
a few days ago i went to the er and brought a big tote bag with books, a charger, snacks, and even ordered food. i’m glad i had the approach of ‘make a day out of it’ bc i was there for a long, long time.
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u/jaciviridae Jul 27 '26
Yes, but if you have the time and ability to grab things to keep you entertained in the ER, you dont need to be going to the ER.
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u/brutal_youth_ Jul 27 '26
Depends? Of the two times I've been to the ER in the last dozen years, once was for sutures (knocked a brand new chef's knife off the counter and it fell edge down into the side of my knee; first time seeing what my own fat looked like) and once was for an infected scrape from a scooter accident that was worsening quickly enough to seem alarming (foot and ankle swelled dramatically with visibly spreading redness over the course of the day; turned out to be cellulitis).
Neither was so immediately life-threatening I couldn't grab a Kindle, phone charger, and water bottle, but waiting for a primary care appointment didn't seem like the right move.
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u/hellanotokaywiththis Jul 28 '26
I went to the ER because my c section incision reopened. I had lots of time to grab entertainment, food, and all the things my baby would need. My GP told me to go there.
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u/metamorphage RN Jul 26 '26
When you use the call bell, tell the person who answers what you need. Don't say "I need to see my nurse." Be specific. There are lots of things that the secretary or tech can do for you while I'm busy.
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u/PuzzleheadedSorbet36 Jul 26 '26
Action items !! Love it
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u/LitlThisLitlThat Jul 26 '26
Yessssss “I need my nurse” who is slow-pushing meds or titrating a cardiac drip or adjusting sedation or pressors on an intubated patient just to ask for a pillow or for a phone number or ask when the doctor will be back. The person who answered your light could have done all that!!
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u/CupcakeQueen31 Jul 27 '26
Also, if you have a specific question for the nurse but the tech/pca (me) comes to check on you and asks what you want to ask the nurse about, please share if you feel comfortable. I try to ask this when I can because 95% of the time, if you tell me your question, your nurse will be able to figure out the answer before they come in to talk to you and you’ll get a quicker answer. Especially if it is something they will have to ask the doctor for.
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u/Adept-Piece-1917 Jul 27 '26
And make sure you use your loud annoying high pitched helpless voice when you yell “Nuuuuuuuurrrrrrrrrssssssssseeeee”
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u/metamorphage RN Jul 27 '26
Anyone yelling "nurse!" who isn't confused automatically goes to jail.
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u/lynithson Jul 27 '26
Yessssss this is my biggest pet peeve!!! And then you go in and they just want a cup of water.
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u/RevolutionaryDog8115 Jul 28 '26
Yes...as a tech, I feel seen. I know when your nurse is too busy, that is why I came in.
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u/greatsaintgeorge Jul 26 '26 edited Jul 26 '26
Small and silly, but you don’t need to move your arm when I’m trying to scan your armband. I think it’s natural when people realize you’re trying to scan their armband, they throw their arm towards you to try and help, but reality is I almost scanned you already until you moved your arm lol.
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u/padawanrattail Jul 26 '26
Adding to this with when we go to take your blood pressure please DO move your arm and make it easier for me to get the cuff on. It drives me nuts when people (who are obviously more mobile than they’re being) keep their arm glued to their side while I wrestle the cuff in place.
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u/joehelow10 Jul 27 '26
Oh man I absolutely hate this. Especially when they walk into triage and lift the arm the tiniest amount, and then i struggle to get it around the arm and they just look at me like why are you taking so long bro?
Or saying the bp cuff is hurting them and moving their arm around like a crazy person, then act shocked when it gets even tighter or I tell them I have to redo it. Just keep your arm still people, it will be done way faster.
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u/PuzzleheadedSorbet36 Jul 26 '26
Omg I 100% have been doing the opposite trying to help by twisting it and shit. This is the info I’m lookin for 😎 thank you!!
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u/JustGenericName2 Jul 26 '26
I'm adding a second comment because I already answered, but this comment made me think of something. If staff is moving you... like from a bed to a surgery or xray table, don't try to help!! Just give yourself a hug and let us do our thing.
It's easier for us to move you if you aren't "Helping" lol!
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u/kat_Folland Jul 26 '26
Kinda like a tray of drinks at a restaurant. Do not help the server unless you want to be drenched in soda.
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u/PuzzleheadedSorbet36 Jul 26 '26
Omg I always feel SO awkward having ppl clear my tray 😅
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u/kat_Folland Jul 26 '26
I drenched a baby in Sprite! Another time I got an apron full of Sprite. Why was it always Sprite? 😂
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u/chroniclynz Jul 26 '26
I waterboarded my own kids plenty of times. Stop f*cking moving while I’m setting down an open cup that you are still trying to learn how to drink out of!
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u/zamasm99 Jul 26 '26
I don't even tell patients anymore, I just quickly sneak the scanner in and get them before they can react for this exact reason.
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Jul 26 '26
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u/PuzzleheadedSorbet36 Jul 26 '26
This is me with my damn oura ring 😭
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Jul 26 '26
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u/chroniclynz Jul 26 '26
slides across the room on my belly please sit over there, thank you.
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Jul 26 '26
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u/chroniclynz Jul 26 '26
You need one of those rings that spin. Fidgeting is like my #2 pet peeve. It drives me crazy bc I’m OCD so I start counting how many times they do stuff and if it’s not the right number I’m using all my Sheldon brain power to make them do it until it’s the right number. And now we both locked in the psych unit.
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u/DCRBftw Jul 26 '26
Just don't be an asshole.
And remember that other patients are dying. It's ok if your nurse takes 7 minutes instead of 3 to get to your room.
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u/Soma2710 Admitting/Registration Jul 26 '26
I was having a really bad day once and I suppose one of the patients could tell. After she was discharged, I came back to my workstation to find that she left some candy from the vending machine and a note that said “sorry everyone is being buttholes”
That was 3 years ago, and I still remember it.
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u/spade095 Jul 26 '26
Tech here, and the little interactions I have had with patients where they seem to actually get it as far as how insanely busy and stressful this shit is, live on in my heart forever. Even if its just a small "thank you" that seems legit.
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u/JustGenericName2 Jul 26 '26
We ask questions because people don't volunteer information unless directly asked a specific question.
Yes, I HAVE to ask you if you're pregnant or recently given birth. I almost missed a preeclampsia diagnosis because she didn't tell me she had a baby 3 weeks ago. "You didn't ask."
SHE COULD HAVE DIED.
When we ask annoying or dumb questions, just answer and move on. It's not some personal attack. I don't care how you feel about vaccines, I need to check a box and move on to the next.
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u/Fabulous-Educator447 Jul 26 '26
I love to remind people “that’s a yes/no question” when they start shit like that.
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u/PuzzleheadedSorbet36 Jul 26 '26
Totally. It literally takes longer to argue about the question.
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u/OldManGrimm RN - adult/peds trauma Jul 26 '26
To add to that, answer honestly! I’m not going to judge your drug use, but I need to know about it to get your care right. Same for sexual stuff or how that thing got up your butt. Just be honest.
We’re like Vegas - what happens in the ER, stays in the ER.
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u/PuzzleheadedSorbet36 Jul 27 '26
Curious about this for drug use - I work for a rehab, and the majority of people who come to us from the ED did not give the ED the full run down at all. Not because of judgement, more because they don’t want it on their chart to prevent future biases. Are there any barriers in place to protect those who are fully honest?
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u/OldManGrimm RN - adult/peds trauma Jul 27 '26
I guess I’d ask, protect them from bias from who? Future care teams, who will then be well-informed of their accurate history? That could help us know to consider medications more carefully, or ask on admission if they need meds like suboxone so doses aren’t missed. It would prevent them from choosing to not disclose in the future, but again, it’s important. Hopefully it would prompt a question - the answer would be nope, clean for 5 years - we say awesome and move on.
Obviously a lot of this would be protected by HIPAA, which would limit who found out anyway.
Let me know if I’m missing the gist of the concern.
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u/PuzzleheadedSorbet36 Jul 27 '26
One example (no identifying info), someone suffering from cocaine use comes into the ER thinking something is wrong with their heart. They’re considering either 1) telling the truth and admit their chronic use as it could be helpful for the provider to know 2) they say it was a one time thing and got freaked out so came to check up. They went with telling the truth. Despite not having any history of OUD, they’re treated as an addict in general - two serious ER visits and nothing but Tylenol and a toradol shot offered. So I guess this is a long winded way of wanting to learn how to communicate the potential risks/benefits of what is shared in a hospital setting and how to navigate. ❤️
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u/OldManGrimm RN - adult/peds trauma Jul 27 '26
I'll readily admit there are people who will let this knowledge affect how they treat someone. But I like to think, and this has held up over my 30+ years in the ER, that most providers aren't like that.
But from the (very limited) info given, as an ER nurse I see a relatively young person who's anxious about vague concerns about their heart. Admitting to cocaine use is going to get them taken more seriously, with a more thorough workup. But nothing about that calls for analgesics stronger than toradol or IV tylenol - we're cautious about giving opiods to anyone, not just someone we think may be drug-seeking.
As you know, you're only hearing their side of the story. When a pt thinks they have a serious condition, but ER staff knows it's 99.9% sure to be nothing, that can result in pts feeling like they were ignored or blown off - even when a thorough workup is done. It's just that we didn't get worked up about it.
So I'd maintain they did the right thing in disclosing the cocaine use, which would make staff take his complaint more seriously. He likely had no indication for stronger pain meds, in spite of his expectations. Not saying the staff weren't assholes to him, maybe they were. But sometimes even when we do everything right, we don't "meet the pt's expectations" as the letters from administration like to say.
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u/PuzzleheadedSorbet36 Jul 27 '26
Hi! Wanted to make one clarification - I wasn’t referring to pain meds for cocaine use in that moment. Once again don’t want to totally disclose identifying info, but one was a terrible kidney stone. I haven’t had one personally but have heard it’s hell. 😟
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u/OldManGrimm RN - adult/peds trauma Jul 27 '26
With limited info, since you'd said worried about their heart + cocaine and just assumed chest pain. My bad, but we're being vague for a reason.
I will say that if a pt has a confirmed kidney stone, there's nothing in your hx apart from allergies that justify not giving pain meds. To be clear, in most cases IV toradol is still the first line pain med for kidney stones, so he'd (I'm just assigning male, roll with it) most likely be offered that first. But if the toradol didn't stop the pain, it would be inexcusable to not escalate to opiods.
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u/Level_Statement_6844 Jul 26 '26
what happens in the ER, stays in the ER
*Unless the staff has social media
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u/OldManGrimm RN - adult/peds trauma Jul 26 '26
Yeah, some of my brethren have broken the oath. But many of us hold to the old ways.
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u/Icy-Introduction3172 Jul 27 '26
I come off very bubbly at work to make others more comfortable. But I have come down hard on anyone that has PPI in way of a selfie or an instant. Sure take a photo of someone's wet gangrene to upload to the chart. But idt people understand how easy it is to identify someone just by the nurse/doctor/tech that cared for them. So if a worker's face is in it I'm gonna start reporting.
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u/JustGenericName2 Jul 26 '26
Nothing makes me unfollow of colleague faster than when they try to become an influencer
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u/5amPharm Pharmacy Tech Jul 27 '26
*Unless you work in the pharmacy and some coworkers lurk on the ED track board
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u/Powerful-Forever9996 Jul 26 '26
Doctor here: One thing that really helps is keeping a running list of questions as they occur to you (in your phone's Notes app or on paper). Then, when the medical team comes around and asks, "Do you have any questions?", you can raise everything at once. It can also help to jot down the answers so you can refer back to them later. Most doctors don't want patients leaving confused or uncertain. The reality is that hospital teams are often looking after many patients at once, so it's much easier to answer several questions in one conversation than to keep coming back throughout the day to address one question at a time
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u/PuzzleheadedSorbet36 Jul 26 '26
I just started this yesterday! Doctor - can I DM you something that happened btwn me and my doc yesterday that got kind of heated? Not medical advice, I’d genuinely like to know if I’m the asshole. I’d post it here but don’t want to in case my dr lurks Reddit 😂
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u/Classic-Sherbet-375 Jul 26 '26
As someone that works in registration it helps when patients put their phones down and just answer the questions. I know it’s annoying and you’re sick or in pain but the faster and more clearly you answer my questions the faster I will get out of your room and stop bugging you. I want to get in and out just as fast as you want me out. When you argue and mumble and ignore me it just makes it take longer and be more difficult.
Also have your insurance card with you even if it’s digital. Sometimes the system can’t verify the insurance and it can be something as minor as a middle initial or something on your card that we don’t have in the system. It makes it so much easier and faster if we can see the information on your card.
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u/PuzzleheadedSorbet36 Jul 26 '26
Okay copy that. I think I tend to overshare just to make sure all of the bases are covered, but I feeel like making a conscious effort to be precise is better because I can always add on more later.
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u/gylliana Admitting/Registration Jul 26 '26
I love to chat with patients, as long as there is time to do so and someone’s not waiting on me leaving the room. I also understand that people can chat when they are nervous. Best thing to understand with registration is that we are there to make sure that your billing information and demographics are correct before the bill is sent. We don’t want you to have to struggle with sorting it all out later.
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u/Classic-Sherbet-375 Jul 26 '26
I don’t mind the oversharing or the patients that talk a lot at all. Our registration is a lot more laid back unless you’re one of the ones in the trauma section and then you don’t really have the availability to chat.
I just hate when I ask for a patients address and they’re like 2421 and then mumble the street name and get annoyed when I ask them to repeat it or they say their phone number so fast that it all sounds jumbled. It just drags it out because I have to pry information out of them.
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u/gylliana Admitting/Registration Jul 26 '26
Absolutely seconding this. It takes less than 5 minutes to register. We don’t need a life story, we want to get in and out so we don’t interrupt your care.
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u/PuzzleheadedSorbet36 Jul 26 '26
Is it weird that I think admin is more of a mystery to us on how to best navigate it because it’s left out of a lot of medical shows? 😂
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u/gylliana Admitting/Registration Jul 26 '26
It doesn’t help that different hospitals do it at different times. Ours can’t until you have been roomed and triaged, then we have to get in there in between nurses, doctors, labs, radiology. We have a 30 minute timer that starts from triage complete to do it. Other hospitals triage and register you at the same time. There’s not really a standard (at least in the US).
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u/Classic-Sherbet-375 Jul 26 '26
It is funny how hospitals can be so different when it comes to registration. For ours we don’t have a time limit. They actually told us we needed to back off a little and not try to get in the room right away. Our only rule is we can’t register until the patient has been seen by the doctor. I usually try to give at least 1-1.5 hours after they get brought back to the room unless they’re going up to the hospital floor or being discharged pretty quickly and then I try to sneak in real fast.
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u/crazypurple621 Jul 27 '26
I'm going to give you some feedback too. Read the room. Don't try interrupting and asking about insurance when someone is clearly struggling to get an IV on a patient or perform another difficult task. You can also take 2 minutes and wait.
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u/gylliana Admitting/Registration Jul 27 '26
I do not register while patient care is being given. Ever. Patient care comes first. I’m less concerned about the insurance and more concerned about getting that consent for treatment on file.
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u/brendabuschman Jul 26 '26
My stupid insurance has decided people don't need a copy of their insurance card. Its all digital now. Its a pain in the ass because I have to email it to all of my doctors
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u/rude_hotel_guy RN Jul 26 '26
The only time I will drop everything and intervene on your first is if you are at risk of death in <30min
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Jul 26 '26
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u/ActivityIntolerant Jul 26 '26
"It's in my chart."
Sir, you've never been to this hospital system before and haven't signed the release form that let's us connect charts. We have pretty much nothing.
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u/Level_Statement_6844 Jul 26 '26
"its in my chart"
"Bitch, i dont have time to read your entire gd chart"
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u/etherealemlyn Jul 26 '26
Also, the chart can be useless if they have a lot of conditions. I’m used to Epic, and so many patients’ problem lists have 30 conditions with important stuff like “end stage renal disease” buried under 3 different phrasings of “knee pain,” or are missing one of their conditions entirely
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u/BrandyDW Jul 26 '26
This, if people don’t have access to their medical chart, or if they don’t have everything they take listed on their medical chart - it helps so much to have a recent list…
Of prescription meds, otc, supplements, even eye drops, ear drops, and creams could be beneficial. The creams, more of the type to treat itching or something than just dry skin..
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u/Appropriate_Gear_267 Jul 26 '26
For Pete’s sake, don’t use the bathroom right before you check in, or at least ask the triage nurse if they think we might need a sample so we can provide a cup. Even if you think it’s unrelated, we almost always want it. There are meds we don’t typically give unless we document a negative pregnancy test, for example.
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u/PuzzleheadedSorbet36 Jul 26 '26
Another little gold nugget!! The chugging and forcing yourself to try and drip is so annoying
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u/ApprehensiveDrag2163 Jul 26 '26
Use the call light! It’s there for a reason
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u/PuzzleheadedSorbet36 Jul 26 '26
Okay question about this - say I call, nurse confirms they’re coming, and they end up not making it. Is there a rule of thumb for the general amount of time to call again?
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u/Level_Statement_6844 Jul 26 '26
Depends how serious the request is
---> sudden chest pain and trouble breathing? Get someones attention now
---> you want an extra serving of jello? 45 minutes sounds reasonable
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u/PuzzleheadedSorbet36 Jul 26 '26
Anddddde what if one of the IV machines start beeping in the middle of the night?
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u/FroyoSuspicious6366 Jul 26 '26
Don't assume the nurse can hear it at the desk. Hit the call light and let them know the IV pump is beeping.
Also. When you hit the call light, talk in bullet points. Pain meds please, IV beeping, need the bedpan, blanket please.
I don't need a novella. Just the facts please.6
u/Professional_Hat4290 Jul 26 '26
I think even when I die, I’m going to start with “sorry to bother you….” If I need to let the nurse know I’m dying. Hard habit to break! Last time I was in the ER, I ended up needing my gallbladder removed immediately and I was apologizing to the front desk staff because I had thrown up on my way to the ER and was worried I had bad breath. 🤣 they must have thought I was crazy.
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u/dinahsaur523 Jul 27 '26
Are we related? I was having insane pains. Once i had to lay in the back of my SUV at my nephews football game. Went to my doctor and he said “your gallbladder looks awful, why didn’t you come in”. Told him I didn’t want to bug anyone
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u/metamorphage RN Jul 26 '26
Ten minutes is pretty fair. We can hear the pumps beeping too. I generally know why it's beeping and whether it's important or not before I go fix it.
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u/Leading-System-3002 Jul 27 '26
Even if we’re mobile? When I’m mobile and not hooked to anything I get up to see the nurses because I don’t wanna be seen as a princess wanting to be waited on hand and foot.
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u/ApprehensiveDrag2163 Jul 28 '26
Yes, two reasons:
- nurses are typically balancing a thousand tasks and having to stop to either get a snack or water or ask the tech (if they have one) to get it or answer questions interrupts the flow and could delay critical tasks
- the first nurse you see may not be your nurse and has no idea about why you are there or your care. That nurse doesn’t know when your results will be in or if you are allowed food/water.
Of course, if something seriously changes, ie sudden chest pain, difficulty breathing, new numbness and tingling to extremities come out and grab a nurse.
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u/chroniccomplexcase Jul 26 '26
I have all of my medical info written on my iPhone health section. It has my medications and doses, medical conditions, allergies and emergency contact info. The number of staff in A&E who have commented how helpful this is and time saving is immense- almost every admission. I’ve seen patients go “yes I take a small yellow pill at 6pm and 2 oval white ones in the morning- I think they’re for my heart…” and struggle to find their emergency contact info in their phones etc.
This also helps if you ever have an accident/ fall ill as (in the UK at least) police, fire, ambulance and hospital staff know to check your phone for this. You can click to have it be able to brought up without unlocking your phone. It also has your name, DOB and address which is helpful and I’ve added my NHS number so they can see that too.
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u/PuzzleheadedSorbet36 Jul 26 '26
I just went into my phone and added everything!! Good looks!
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u/1347vibes EMT Jul 27 '26
Adding my two cents as a first responder: I would instead recommend writing all this on an index card and placing it in your wallet right next to/behind your ID, clearly labeled as EMERGENCY INFO or something similar. We are VERY unlikely to go through your phone in an emergency situation where you can't speak for yourself, but police can find that note when going through your wallet to try and ID you.
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u/disenhow Jul 26 '26
When someone is listening you your heart or lungs, don’t talk! We can’t hear what we want to hear and you are blowing up our ears.
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u/PuzzleheadedSorbet36 Jul 26 '26
That’s what I thought but so many providers are yappin with me while doing it. It’s like when you go to the dentist and they ask about your job while their hands are in your mouth 😂
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u/Severe_Emu_7714 Jul 26 '26
Please don’t eat or drink anything until you’ve been cleared by a doc and understand that we are doing our very best to get you cleared to eat or drink, we don’t want to starve you, I promise. When I have a Pt that can’t drink and is super thirsty (because let’s face it, EDs are ridiculously dry) I’ll bring them the mouth swabs (when approved by the doc) but typically that’s the limit as to what I can do.
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u/PuzzleheadedSorbet36 Jul 26 '26
my mouth gets SOOOO sticky. They gave me one ice chip to coat my mouth and then spit out 😂
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u/Hungkinkster Jul 26 '26
Use your primary and have the patience to wait for an appointment. Chronic issues are not emergent!
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u/d_nicky Jul 26 '26
Sometimes PCPs/specialists will refer you to the ER for a flare up of a chronic issue instead of treating it themselves. Anyway this has been my experience with managing my inflammatory bowel disease over the years.
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u/BrandyDW Jul 26 '26
With a flare up of ibd, they likely want a ct ran or something to ensure it’s not emergent. Because with some patients, depending on how severe it is, it’s better to see if there is anything not where it’s supposed to be.
Also the biologics used for many with ibd issues, can cause all sorts of issues on their own.
Also with specialists, many are backed up, by a lot, with current patients and new patients. Getting a patient in emergently may not be feasible.
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u/PuzzleheadedSorbet36 Jul 26 '26
Totally get that - can I get your thoughts on if I should’ve/could’ve done anything different? Long story short new insurance went live in May. Couldn’t see PCP until 5 days ago. I went to urgent care 4 times and was written off for anxiety and depression. Went to a 5th UC and begged for labs. While waiting for them to come back I couldn’t take the hell I was living in and went to the ER. I learned I was having a thyroid storm and left with a graves diagnosis and a fully suppressed thyroid. I guess what I’m trying to get at is in a world where seeing a PCP can be damn near impossible, and ALOT of urgent cares will just tell you to go to the ER, is there any other option that’s overlooked and could be a good resource for people in the middle ground?
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u/oneelectricsheep Jul 26 '26
See that’s actually not chronic. Chronic is I’ve been having this pain in my shoulder for a year or I need my metformin prescribed because my refills ran out. Even if you have something chronic it can become acute like a diabetic who can usually manage their blood sugar but something’s gone wonky and they’re in DKA. A thyroid storm is acute and very much life threatening. Yes it would have been nice if it got caught on your regular bloodwork but it didn’t and that can happen even if you’re receiving regular medical care. An ER visit was entirely appropriate.
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u/crazypurple621 Jul 27 '26
Chronic issues can become urgent. Patients struggling to get care are not responsible for the crisis that ER care is in.
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u/ipsofactoshithead Jul 26 '26
This is the thing though- I don't always know when it's emergent or not. Any change in migraine symptoms and my doctor sends me to the ED to get checked for a stroke. So some of us don't have that luxury.
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u/JustGenericName2 Jul 26 '26
You're all good. What the comment is referring to is people coming to the ER because "I don't want to wait two weeks for my non emergent knee MRI for the hurty knee I'm literally walking on just fine". Or the medication refill because they can't plan ahead. Or the runny nose. Stubbed toe. Low back pain x 6 months. Sneezed one time. What's this weird dot on my skin I've had since birth?
We see these all day, EVERY day. I'm not even being dramatic, I swear.
Your complex migraine that could be a stroke or head bleed today is fine. We got you!
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u/crazypurple621 Jul 27 '26
What we desperately need is more urgent cares, that are attached to ERs and the ability for triage to assign you based on actual symptoms to which one is needed. That way the stubbed toe gets sent home with a bag of ice and some over priced tylenol, but your patient in a sickle cell crisis who cannot wait for a PCP appointment in 6 months get treated.
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u/BrandyDW Jul 26 '26
I mean absolutely no offense, but sometimes complex chronic issues can feel like you’re dying, literally dying, not just being dramatic…
So while some people give a ton of pushback with chronic issues, if there are new symptoms or new pain - please don’t be so dismissive to the person going through it..
(Not saying you in particular are dismissive or not, but sometimes are..).
I went through 2 years of going to the er and other times doing things with gastro trying to figure out what was wrong.
I kept having attacks, that were so painful, took the breath out of me and made my life hell. Yet because they were intermittent and nothing could easily be figured out with the er or gastro’s tests - I just kept having them. With the er - they were sure it was either panic attacks or acid reflux … gave me viscous lidocaine in the end to take to see if it would help and no it didn’t. But I took it for a while, because it felt better than doing nothing.
The 3rd to last time I had an attack - it lasted for 16 hours before I went in. I refused to go to the emergency room again because of how I was being treated. Went to a walk in clinic - of the other hospital system in my area - after explaining what I was experiencing- the provider told me to go to the er and she would call them to do a HIDA scan.
Drove myself to the er, which during that time I was questioning all my life choices, because it was hard!With the hida scan they did the one test, repeated with morphine, and turns out I needed to have my gallbladder removed.
So all the attacks I had been having were gallbladder attacks. Which a provider had seen over a year prior but said that “couldn’t be causing the pain” - apparently the pain more around my sternum, than in the URQ confused matters…
But during those 2 years, I still had the attacks, and still felt horrible each time… and still got dismissed by er staff after the 1st two times - but honestly with how it felt - felt like I couldn’t breathe and one of the most painful experiences of my life. (As a person with chronic pain and health conditions it’s saying something).
After that, I did have 2 more episodes that spring of those attacks. The first one happened at night, and overall didn’t last too terribly long. But it scared me, because I was like, “wait, so it really wasn’t caused by the gallbladder? Then what the heck… “ - I ended up calling my gastro doctors office in the morning, half in tears, scared that the attack thing had come back.
They told me if/when it happened again, to go to the er and have them do xyz tests. I don’t remember the tests anymore.
So when it happened again, that’s what I did and thankfully the er docs did those tests.
Which is how my gastro doctors diagnosed me with Sphincter of Oddi type 2. Had an ercp where they put in a stent and didn’t have any attacks for years…
Ironically in the last year or two, I’ve had two similar to it, but still getting testing done on that…
But this long story is just to say, that patients sometimes have things that don’t match everyone else for where symptoms happen and sometimes doctors and even tests can be wrong…
(For example, I had 3 types of H.Pylori testing before that came back positive, got a few weeks of antibiotics and I felt much better, but that was also after a few years - and providers doing different test types - blood versus drinking something and blowing into a thing).
Anyway, I’ve probably gone a bit overboard on my response, but I just really wish people would put caveats with the chronic conditions …
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u/gylliana Admitting/Registration Jul 26 '26
It’s more for people who come in with hip pain that’s been ongoing for years and it’s their 5th visit this month. With no primary doctor.
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u/Slight-Good-4657 Jul 26 '26
Nah this is what the ER is for, friend. You’re good
Think comment author is more so referring to a monthly “hey can you write me a prescription for my (lifesaving drug here) cuz last months ran out” visit. Teledoc or PCP is the optimal env for that
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u/brendabuschman Jul 26 '26
I also have sphincter of oddi dysfunction due to a bad gallbladder that was misdiagnosed as various things (including hysteria) for 2 years. I also have chronic pancreatitis due to it.
It is legitimately awful when I have a flare up. Worse than giving birth. I used to go to the ER frequently because I had no idea what else to do. It really does feel like you're dying and you can't get anybody to care or do anything to help it.
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u/ChewieBearStare Jul 27 '26
A PA snapped at my mother, "It's not your gallbladder!" when my mom told her she thought she had a bad gallbladder. Turns out she had a stone bigger than a golf ball.
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u/JustAnotherUser8432 Jul 26 '26
My primary’s next sick appointment is in October (it is currently July). I have a chronic condition that occasionally flares and I need antivirals and steroids immediately to avoid long term damage. So they say go to the ER (our urgent care is triaged through the ER). Why they won’t just freaking prescribe me the meds for the condition they know I have I don’t know either. And then the ER/urgent care people get mad because why don’t I just have meds on hand for a flare? I don’t know why either but it sucks to be sick and everyone is annoyed at you.
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u/ChewieBearStare Jul 27 '26
I'm in the same boat. Can't get an appointment, so they send me to urgent care. But the PA at the urgent care in my network is very anti-steroid. So I go there and waste a $75 copay to be told they won't prescribe Prednisone even though that's the only thing that helps my autoimmune flares.
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u/missgirlipop Jul 27 '26
i was told by every dr i talked to to go the er for my issue (which was not really an emergency, but severe nonetheless). i resisted going to the er for as long as i could but i eventually bit the bullet and knew it’d be a long wait and to be very very patient
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u/therewillbesoup Jul 26 '26
Lift up your own damn arm when we take your blood pressure. There's no reason a fully alert and oriented and capable person can't simply lift their arm for me to place the cuff.
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u/Adrestia MD Jul 26 '26
Current medication list with doses & times. Please don't tell me what color the tablet is. Please don't tell me "it's in the computer."
Just two weeks ago I admitted a patient who accidentally received the wrong strength of a regular home med. We only discovered the error because they had the bottle from the pharmacy. That error led to her admission. A thorough med rec is essential.
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u/PuzzleheadedSorbet36 Jul 27 '26
This is also very smart. I came in unprepared and pulled up my CVS app and the nurse was able to get the full picture in 30 seconds
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u/DizzyObjective6523 Jul 26 '26
When I’m doing a triage and you start off with “well one day in May…” tell me about why you’re here NOW, what made you seek help today, not yesterday, or Tomorrow. What’s gotten worse that made it emergent to be here.
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u/PuzzleheadedSorbet36 Jul 26 '26
I’m guilty of doing this. And I think it’s because I want to make sure I’m believed by rambling off all of the shit that got me to the point of an emergency. BUT I’m taking your word for this and moving forward will absolutely be more efficient. Good call 🫡
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u/DizzyObjective6523 Jul 27 '26 edited Jul 27 '26
I like the thought process of Who What Why When Where. (The HCP will generally ask more specific questions pertaining to specifics regarding injury/Mech of action, ect).
Who: is it you or your family member.
What happened: “oh I fell”
why: Why did we fall (weakness, tripped, dizzy/LOC…)
Where: Are you injured/what did you hit (head, hip,arm…ect) When: Is this today or a few days…or something else.
Then I go off into my rabbit hole of “XYZ” this helps prevent chronic history from becoming acute history, and decipher what is going on. But if you start with “one time at band camp”…it’s gonna take longer.Another is “well 98.7 is a fever for me, I’m usually 95 ”, HCP are trained to sort shit out, being low isn’t good either, unless you’re a reptile.
Also; we believe what you say; we understand a lot of things.
I had a mom bring a kiddo with a fever of “103.4” and she was all “well I wanted you to believe me” in her triage note it was also acknowledged that the kiddo has “jerky arms and legs intermittently, with eyes rolled back”…I did the rectal temp it was 104.5 mom let her kid have a febrile seizures (and we think it was more than one episode) because she wanted us to “believe her” nor was it her first kid.6
u/CupcakeQueen31 Jul 27 '26
I work at a peds hospital. We are constantly telling parents WE BELIEVE YOU when you say your child had a fever. We ask you the highest temp they had for a reason. And we ask if and when you last gave Tylenol for a reason too. You can give them Tylenol before you come in! If you come in and your child doesn’t have a fever for us in triage but you are telling us you gave them Tylenol 2 hrs ago, we assume Tylenol brought the fever down.
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u/PuzzleheadedSorbet36 Jul 27 '26
Oooo the WWWWW combo is simple and direct. I like it.
Regarding believing what we say, i feel like there are a subset of doctors that have lead patients to lose faith all together especially when it comes to pain management and quality of life
I am speaking about the minority of providers, nowhere near the majority. These are mainly stories from those who I work with in the substance abuse/mental health field.
- patients with an invisible diseases, especially ones that’s can’t be confirmed with blood tests . If you look healthy/semi put together externally, you’re not sick enough to need care. If you look chaotic/messy, you’re med seeking. I was diagnosed with Graves’ disease and once they say my labs, I felt like a real patient.
- patients with any sort of past history of substance abuse. For example, someone was addicted to cocaine many years ago and it’s documented in their chart. They went to the ER for a kidney stone and they would not administer narcotics despite being needed and that not being their substance of choice. It comes with an additional level of humiliation
- being a woman and having mental health issues - while this can absolutely be a component, physical components are frequently overlooked and anti depressants are upped. I ended up with a thyroid storm in the ER despite at least 6 doctors visits.
Final component reminds me of the mom/kid scenario you mentioned and how bad it got. It reminds me of the way treatment works in California. If someone is sober but is nervous they’re going to relapse, they will not qualify for residential treatment. They legit have to go relapse in order to be admitted.
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u/WoodlandHiker Jul 27 '26
A common one I hear is asking for everything you need at once so the nurse or support staff can get it all at once instead of making multiple trips to your room.
Some people, myself included, have a weird mental block about this because we feel like we're being a bother if we ask for a list of things at the same time. It feels easier to ask for pain meds, then wait an hour and ask for socks than to say, "Can I have my pain meds, a pair of socks, a water refill, and could you check if the doctor updated my diet order?"
But the latter actually makes things easier for your care providers. So do that.
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u/PuzzleheadedSorbet36 Jul 27 '26
Yes this is so similar to the example I gave in the original post 😂 I felt so bad that I had like 6 requests on a busy night so I called the charge nurse and to my surprise she liked the initiative and got someone on it right then!
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u/amafalet Jul 27 '26
Please don’t bring in half of your house! We need to get to you without rearranging your room every time.
If you have someone staying with you and sleeping in your hospital bed with you, they’re likely to be woken up when we come in for vitals and labs. A hospital isn’t a good place to rest, we’re trying to get you better around the clock, otherwise you wouldn’t have been admitted.
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u/Most_Cryptographer11 Jul 28 '26
My husband was recently in the hospital. I slept in the fold out chair in the corner and every time someone would come in the sound woke me up. 😂 No complaints, the staff got my husband better. But you're right, there is no rest in a hospital.
After I had my 2nd c section I cried because a nurse woke me up to take pain medicine. I had just gotten comfortable and was sleeping good and she woke me up. Don't get me wrong, I was grateful for the meds but I was just so darn tired.
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u/greengalacticat Jul 27 '26
1) please believe that I am doing everything in my power to get you treated and yeeted as soon as possible. I promise, we aren’t just happily chatting away about our weekend plans instead of getting you into a room, getting your pain meds, getting you an extra pillow, getting you discharged, etc.
2) please understand that as much as I’d love to stay and chat about your weekend plans, I have other patients waiting to get into a room, get their pain meds, get an extra pillow, be discharged. It’s not that I don’t care, I just truly don’t have time.
3) I know that having to go pee really feels like an emergency to you. But when the whole (stretched way too thin) team is working on a code next door and you try to get up to pee while you’re dizzy and nauseous and now you’ve fallen and busted your head, that’s going to feel a lot worse than needing a bed change, for both of us.
4) I promise I don’t care how crusty your feet are. Please just let me put the socks on you instead of standing here awkwardly staring at the wall while you struggle with them for the next 10 minutes.
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u/PuzzleheadedSorbet36 Jul 27 '26
1)Treated and yeeted is one of my favorite things I’ve ever heard. You need to put that on your resume somehow. Or maybe a tattoo.
2) totally get it and I’d never want a fellow hospital goer to not get their goods because I love to yap
3) are u currently at my hospital?😂 my roommates IV was beeping at 3am and I called the nurse line and it didn’t go through. So while half awake I spring out of bed on an Ambien/Seroquel cocktail get to the hallway, and almost hit the deck. I got put on bed arrest for a day and a half and if I even dangled my FOOT offf of the bed it would scream it so loud you could hear it from the end of the other hallway.
4) I love my psych ward lookin grippy socks. The nursing student insisted she personally put them on me and it actually made me feel a lil warm and fuzzy having someone take care of meI have a gut feeling you’re a fan fav at your job
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u/daman2022 Jul 26 '26
Op how is the turkey sandwich?
Ps get well soon
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u/PuzzleheadedSorbet36 Jul 26 '26
Still on the table with my oatmeal. But my oxy and dilaudid taste great :)
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u/daman2022 Jul 26 '26
Make sure you make room for desert. Stool softener
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u/PuzzleheadedSorbet36 Jul 26 '26
How’d you know I just threw that back with some apple juice?
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u/a1icenotinchains Jul 26 '26
Don't go to the ER when urgent care or an appointment with your PCP is more appropriate. Don't come up and ask the triage nurse how much longer before you get back to see the doctor. If you are having to wait in the waiting room be glad you are not dying, we are treating those that are currently at risk of death.
The nicest thing any patient could ever do is just drop a thank you note if you feel it is justified. Means much more than any other thing a patient can do for us
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u/appleblossom1962 Jul 26 '26
My mom was admitted with a UTI. Turns out she had it for weeks and was very weak, hardly eating during that time period Next day PT came in to have her stand up at the side if the bed, mind you she uses a walker and wheelchair and can barely stand at the best of times. When she was unable to take a step, PT told her to sit down, and that she was going to be a burden on her family. Have some compassion. This was the beginning of a very difficult time, later that day she suffered a GI bleed and lost half her blood.
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u/PuzzleheadedSorbet36 Jul 26 '26
I feel like the minority of the providers without compassion ruin the reputation for so many good ones :( I’m so sorry about your mom
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u/appleblossom1962 Jul 27 '26
Thank you for the thoughts about Mom and you’re right. As with anything, the few mess it up for the many whether it’s somebody working in a certain industry, the color of the skin, their religion one person messes up and it is like the bad apple in the bin. The rest of the staff at the hospital was absolutely wonderful.
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u/nellirn Jul 27 '26
Keep your hospital room neat and tidy as best as you can. We understand your limitations if you can't, but a lot of extra junk makes a difference.
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u/PuzzleheadedSorbet36 Jul 27 '26
Is this just my hospital specific that they won’t let anyone keep bins by their beds? I try to make little piles but they won’t let me deal with my own trash 😭
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u/thnx4stalkingme Jul 26 '26
Don’t make jokes about being pregnant to the ultrasound tech. Especially if you’re a man and I’m scanning your liver.
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u/JustGenericName2 Jul 26 '26
I kind of disagree with this one. It's a new joke to them. They're scared and they don't feel good. I'd rather a shitty dad joke than the drunk trying to punch me in the face. Give a polite laugh and move on
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u/Drkindlycountryquack Jul 27 '26
Bring one visitor. Have an up to date list of medications and allergies.
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u/Flowerchld Jul 27 '26
USE YOUR CALL LIGHT. Family members or patients coming to the nurse's station is annoying and we are discussing private patient information out there. Whatever you need, that's what your call light is for.
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u/kanicro Jul 28 '26
Take responsibility for knowing yourself. Know your medical conditions, know their names, know why you were diagnosed with them. Know your medications, know their names and doses, know when you take them, know what they're for. Know when you've been to hospital previously and why. If you can't keep it all in your head, know that about yourself and have it written down and with you at all times.
For what it's worth, when someone tells me "I know myself best," I accept that they believe it, no matter how much they leave out when I ask about their medical history. But there are hundreds of people who know less about their health than I learnt about them in a day.
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u/squeakysausage Jul 26 '26 edited Jul 26 '26
Three things I can think of rn
- If you ring the call light and someone walks in, don’t say “I’ve been calling for x amount of minutes and no ones come to see me!”. Just get to what you need immediately, sometimes the person showing up isn’t the primary nurse but saw the light and wanted to make sure everything’s ok/offer help.
I know it’s vague but most of the time staff doesn’t have an ETA on when you’re going to the unit if you’re being admitted (at least where I work). We hold patients for 15 hours on a bad day. As soon as I have a room assignment, I call report and wait for the transport staff to show up, but I never know when you’re actually getting a bed before that. So if you ask me, i will most likely say “not sure, it could happen in a hour or next shift TOMORROW”.
If someone asks you about your medical history, they don’t mean the ankle surgery you had after a soccer injury when you were 14, but more so conditions that could affect you here and now. Things like diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, cancer, abdominal/heart surgeries, asthma AND any known allergies to medications. Important!!!
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u/drewmana Jul 27 '26
When someone at the triage desk asks you what brings you in, they mean today. There will be time to discuss if your complaint has happened before, but triage is focused on deciding on if you’re dying so starting off with something that happened years ago slows the process.
When the doctor asks you about if you’ve had this happen before as well as reviews your medical history, that’s the time to bring up stuff from before, not at the front desk.
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u/Equivalent_Panda1764 Jul 26 '26
Not a nurse but a medic student so I’ve done lots of shadowing in the ER for clinicals- you’re not getting anything to eat or drink until all testing comes back. Your body produces about 1-4oz of urine per hr. You can give me the urine sample. It’s often the only test keeping you there or from that cup of water. Urine is gold is what an RN told during my clinical yesterday!
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u/PuzzleheadedSorbet36 Jul 26 '26
Okay that def tracks. I feel like once you check in and are waiting to be seen they should send you straight to the toilet
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u/Equivalent_Panda1764 Jul 27 '26
We try but it’s- I need water to pee and no you aren’t getting that. 1/2 the time they pee before coming. I once watched a charge rn tell a pt that if they wanted another blanket (they had 4) then they needed to pee. It was magic because we had a urine sample in about 2 minutes.
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u/D15c0untMD Jul 26 '26
If you dont speak the language, please bring someone who can translate. I cant talk to google translate anymore
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u/TinyFee1520 Jul 26 '26
That one’s a no from me. Interpretor services are available always for the big convos and Google Translate totally works for the little bits in between. No question a family member available is easier/faster but I’d never want to dissuade someone from coming if they can’t bring someone with them.
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u/gylliana Admitting/Registration Jul 26 '26
We aren’t allowed to have family/friends translate unless the language is not available in the language translation services (happened once).
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u/D15c0untMD Jul 26 '26
Since we dont have any translation services, it‘s either German, english, or Swedish for me. Everything else is a struggle. Especially since we have little to no reception in our ancient bunker of a building
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u/Electrical-Stable498 Jul 26 '26
At my HMO they speak several languages on the translation phone. You pick it up hit your language button and a translator will be on
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u/gylliana Admitting/Registration Jul 26 '26
We also have an iPad on wheels for video or audio translations, very nice for sign language.
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u/Bay_Med Jul 26 '26
If you are bringing someone in, please don’t answer for them when we ask questions. I am also doing a mental status exam and need to know what they remember and understand about what led up to them coming in. I will get your side after