ER Etiquette

[ccpb1214]

For visitors of friends/relatives: Be aware of the rules regarding flowers/gifts.

Some places (like the wards dealing with respiratory disorders) don't even allow flowers.

And if you are allowed to bring them, bring one low-maintenance bouquet. The nurses are not florists. They don't have time to regularly trim your Bonzai tree.

[JoanOfArc]

Good topic! 
For Staff: Please believe patients when they tell you their medical history.  For a patient in pain, having to swear that a fact is true over and over again is really annoying and it delays treatment.  Looks can be deceiving.  A 'young' person can have a disease normally seen in older folks. 

Tend to the privacy of your patients.  If all the rooms are full and you have to do care in the hall, have other staff hold up a sheet or block the view. 

On that note, if doing an intake in the hall, speak softly. Patients do not want their history publicized! 

If a patient is conscious and the situation doesn't require immediate action, consult your patients as to their wishes about treatment. 

Pain meds can be great, but sometimes a patient won't want them or, at least, not huge amounts.  Respect that refusal. 

If you are conducting a test and see something bad on the test, don't say "Oh deity" or something like that in front of the patient, then refuse to explain what is going on.  Seriously folks, that just makes the patient twice as anxious. 

Joan

[kherbert05]

If there's a sign saying no cell phone use, it means no cell phone use.


It doesn't mean secretly using it and speaking quietly when the security guard isn't looking.

Even if the staff is using cellphones. One hospital sis worked for had these phones with bright yellow covers that were allowed to be used. These were tested to not interfere with the equipment.

[flo]

Don't jump ahead of other people in the line to sign in.  They are also there for an emergency.

[loner]

If you are visiting someone in the ER. Try not to hang out in the hallway outside the room they are in.  Patients need to be moved to other departments and beds are hard to maneuver around.  Plus patients usually feel uncomfortable when they are seen by others when they are sick/injured.

[L.A. Lady]

Please do not try to bribe anyone to get you seen faster. It rude and possibly illegal.

Do not make up phony ailments to get attention faster. If you are at the ER because of a rash, don't complain of chest pains.

Do not come to the ER for prescription refills or medications to make you high. Certain situations are exempt.

Speaking of medications. Please know what medication you are taking, along with the dosage. "Some sh*t for blood pressure." doesn't help the doctors. If you don't know, bring the bottle with you.   

[Twik]

On the other hand, the etiquette rule that the only polite response to "How are you feeling?" is "Oh, I'm fine, thank you very much! And you?" does not apply in ERs.

[scap64]

Don't get angry if the doctor won't prescribe you what you want. He or she takes into account your allergies, other medications, symptoms,etc to determine what will work best.

On this one: doctors do sometimes prescribe what they are given incentives to prescribe (just google "clinical marketing" or go to this link:

http://news.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/05/09/doctors-getting-paid-to-prescribe-drugs/  )

Besides, heavy TV drug advertising/marketing also contributes to this problem.
It's a fine line between trusting medical advice and standing up for your patient/consumer rights.

[Giggity]

And one from the point of view of the customer:

When I'm ready to check out, you be ready with an invoice for me. If I have no insurance and am therefore a self-pay, and I have my checkbook out, that means - as per your sign on the check-in desk - I am ready to make payment at the time service is rendered.

[kitty_ev]

Don't get angry if the doctor won't prescribe you what you want. He or she takes into account your allergies, other medications, symptoms,etc to determine what will work best.

On this one: doctors do sometimes prescribe what they are given incentives to prescribe (just google "clinical marketing" or go to this link:

http://news.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/05/09/doctors-getting-paid-to-prescribe-drugs/  )

Besides, heavy TV drug advertising/marketing also contributes to this problem.
It's a fine line between trusting medical advice and standing up for your patient/consumer rights.

Depends on the country you're in whether or not this happens. In the UK we're put under lots of pressure to prescribe generic drugs rather than branded ones. The only instances we can prescribe branded drugs are if it's a medication for epilepsy or one or two other instances I can't remember at this particular moment.

This may be a more pre-ER rule, but please don't call for an ambulance if you just want a cup of tea making or the curtains pulling shut (it happens!).

Don't shout at staff. It won't make us see you any faster. We're already working to time targets.

The ER or hospital admissions are not the time to bring up all the little niggles that you've been putting off going to your regular doctor about. Go to your regular doctor once you've been discharged. Hospital doctors are usually specialists not generalists so your regular doctor will probably have a better idea about appropriate treatment for your non-specific foot pain.

[kherbert05]

From the patient's side - please don't argue with me about my atypical reactions to medication and tell me they aren't possible. Really I can't take a OTC allergy med that people sometimes give kids on trips to make them sleep. It really makes me hyper - last time I decided I could fly off a 3rd floor balcony.

When I was given a sedative for surgery - I tried to punch out the RN and the Doc.

Pretty much every time I've been given a sedative I've at best spent hours crawling the ceiling at worst tried to hurt myself or others. Then several hours later I crash so hard people check to see if I'm still breathing.

On the flip side give me meds that have an upper effect - I'm crashed out asleep in no time flat.

(For some reason people are always telling me they want to see me drunk - No You Do Not)

[Mopsy428]

8.) It is a bad idea to use the ER as a Doctor's office. If you have no insurance, check to see if your county/province has a low-cost clinic for uninsured patients. You can also call a Dr. and see if they offer assistance programs for those who are low-income or no insurance.

ginlyn

edited for spelling...because yes, I do know the difference between patient and patience.

I'd just like to add that in some situations, you have no choice. My sister has health issues. She was at college in a different state. She was hospitalized last fall, and then hospitalized a few weeks ago. She's under my parents' insurance, but her PCP is in this state. Loooong story short, my mother talked with the doctor at the hospital, and he said that college students from a different state who don't have a PCP in that state should use the ER for situations like hers (needing an antibiotic, etc., etc.)

[vorbau]

Please remember that the ER staff is there to save your behind, not kiss it. Or as Auntie Venom said in another thread, nurse =/= maid.

Do not swear at, spit, hit, slap, punch or kick any medical staff. This is assault and you *will* be arrested and charged. They have jail wards, you know.

[Allie003]

From the patient's side - please don't argue with me about my atypical reactions to medication and tell me they aren't possible. Really I can't take a OTC allergy med that people sometimes give kids on trips to make them sleep. It really makes me hyper - last time I decided I could fly off a 3rd floor balcony.

When I was given a sedative for surgery - I tried to punch out the RN and the Doc.

Pretty much every time I've been given a sedative I've at best spent hours crawling the ceiling at worst tried to hurt myself or others. Then several hours later I crash so hard people check to see if I'm still breathing.

On the flip side give me meds that have an upper effect - I'm crashed out asleep in no time flat.

(For some reason people are always telling me they want to see me drunk - No You Do Not)

Absolutely. I've ended up in the ER a few times this pregnancy because of complications of severe morning sickness (there's a fancy Latin name I can never remember). Anyway, I've learned that one anti-nausea medicine makes me extremely paranoid and gives me panic attacks. So I always tell them I can't take it because of these reasons. My husband usually tells them. What happens last time I'm in the ER waiting on a room? The nurse gives me this med, although we both verbally told her and wrote on the admission paperwork. I spent two hours having a panic attack severe that the only thing that kept me from tearing out my IV and running out of the hospital was my husband holding me and telling me it was going to be alright. DH flipped out, and the nurse claimed it was standard procedure to give that med. I was livid, once I was convinced that no one was coming to kill me or my baby.

Also, that same OTC allergy drug turns me into a hyperactive three year old, so I'm feeling you there.

[kitty_ev]

From the patient's side - please don't argue with me about my atypical reactions to medication and tell me they aren't possible. Really I can't take a OTC allergy med that people sometimes give kids on trips to make them sleep. It really makes me hyper - last time I decided I could fly off a 3rd floor balcony.

When I was given a sedative for surgery - I tried to punch out the RN and the Doc.

Pretty much every time I've been given a sedative I've at best spent hours crawling the ceiling at worst tried to hurt myself or others. Then several hours later I crash so hard people check to see if I'm still breathing.

On the flip side give me meds that have an upper effect - I'm crashed out asleep in no time flat.

(For some reason people are always telling me they want to see me drunk - No You Do Not)

Absolutely. I've ended up in the ER a few times this pregnancy because of complications of severe morning sickness (there's a fancy Latin name I can never remember). Anyway, I've learned that one anti-nausea medicine makes me extremely paranoid and gives me panic attacks. So I always tell them I can't take it because of these reasons. My husband usually tells them. What happens last time I'm in the ER waiting on a room? The nurse gives me this med, although we both verbally told her and wrote on the admission paperwork. I spent two hours having a panic attack severe that the only thing that kept me from tearing out my IV and running out of the hospital was my husband holding me and telling me it was going to be alright. DH flipped out, and the nurse claimed it was standard procedure to give that med. I was livid, once I was convinced that no one was coming to kill me or my baby.

Also, that same OTC allergy drug turns me into a hyperactive three year old, so I'm feeling you there.

You're likely thinking of hyperemesis gravidarum.

If you have an allergy to a medication, please don't get cross if you're asked exactly what happens when you take it. Some people have been told that they have an allergy to certain antibiotics because they had a bit of a jippy tummy after taking it. This may be a recognised side effect. Allergies are more serious. Giving you a different medication may be inappropriate and give you poorer treatment.

If there are alcohol gel rubs around, please use them. Hospital cleanliness is everyone's business, not just hospital staff. Also, don't give staff dirty looks when they prompt you to use it- you'll be the first to complain if your loved one ends up with a preventable infection.