ER Etiquette

[Larrabee]

So I guess what I'm saying is don't be afraid to advocate for yourself. Three hours at a 9 to 10 on the pain chart had nearly out of my mind, and it really irritates me that it could have ended a lot sooner. 

Didn't you have a call button by the bed?  I'm sorry you went through that but nurses aren't mind readers, why didn't you tell them you were in pain and ask for relief?

My rule of ER etiquette, if you see nurses stood in a group together, don't assume they are chatting and ignoring patients, they may well be discussing your care or trying to organise something which will require several staff.

At that point, I couldn't even be sure I had feet, but I think there was a call button. IIRC, we used it, and just got a cursory visit from the nurse that didn't do anything.

I was in excrutiating pain when I was admitted, so they didn't have to be mind readers to know I needed relief. I was admitted BECAUSE I was in so much pain.

Fair enough, if you asked for pain relief and didn't get it that's bad. 

[kitty_ev]

Speaking of creative cussing, it's good for everyone to try to exercise patience.

People in pain/on meds/etc don't always have full control of their 'filter' or their bodies or anything else. 
People should do their darndest to keep control.  People who are subjected to them should try to have a bit of understanding and patience.

I think Mr. Dawbs (then the pre-Mr. Dawbs)has STILL not forgiven the nurse/tech/whomever who gave him a hard time for saying "it hurts like hell".  He was using INCREDIBLY mild language, considering...he had broken a his radius.  The last 2 inches of it had, when he fell, moved out of place and was now residing up in his wrist, close to his thumb.  He was trying to be polite, that sort of nitpicking did not help his filter.

On the flip side, our local urgent care bumped me to the head of the line when I dived past a nurse to steal her trashcan to be sick--she told me how much she appreciated the effort. (it was a kidney stone.  I didn't know that yet though, I was still thinking I might die)

I always give people a free pass for swearing about their pain e.g. "this hurts like *!?*$". I also don't mind swearing just because it's hurting, though I really dislike hearing the f-word thrown about. I only really and truly object to swearing when it's actually directed at me e.g. "oy you fat ******* ******* *****" which got thrown at me once (by a child! with parents present! who said nothing! Egads!) because personal comments and insults are really unnecessary. Swears as an adjective for severe pain I can let slide.

[Twik]

When is it not rude to throw up on the ER personnel?

Probably never - since you have a MEDICAL excuse - but if they are trying to tell you that you AREN'T sick, then at least you know that they needed the lesson in recognizing a sick person when they saw an atypical presentation (DD did not like the guy's attitude - I believe she was aiming for his spit shined boots [military hospital]).

Conversely, if they are debating whether you are DEAD (when actually it's their BP machine that has passed to the great beyond), throwing up on them settles the matter nicely. 

[NotTheNarcissist]

Is this an ER etiquette list? Here's one.

Do not rummage through the trash of a family member who declined to add you on the HIPAA list to try to figure out what medicine the injured family member has been given.

(My SIL did this to her sister, rummaged through the trash in the ER room to glean any details possible, esp. medicine, since her injured sister was not comfortable opening up to her with the details.)

[heathert]

Definitely understand that most of the time, you will get help as soon as possible and there is an order to things. However....

I went to the ER once with gall bladder pain. (I think we were just on the verge of verifying that's what it was.) I'd taken a Percocet and it didn't even take the edge off. I was between a 9 and a 10 on the pain scale and had been for an hour and a half by the time I got to the hospital and got put in a bed. And then I waited. And waited. And waited. It got to the point where I was begging the friend who drove me to find something heavy and knock me unconscious, and I was completely serious. It was excrutiating. After an hour and a half (I think; she had to tell me because I was in so much pain), she went to the nurse's station where some nurses and doctors were hanging about chatting. She explained the situation and said, "You need to give her something NOW." Within minutes, they came in, gave me some IV drugs, and all was well. It took less than 5 minutes; they couldn't have done that just a wee bit earlier?

So I guess what I'm saying is don't be afraid to advocate for yourself. Three hours at a 9 to 10 on the pain chart had nearly out of my mind, and it really irritates me that it could have ended a lot sooner. 

This is what frankly miffs me quite a bit about ERs. If it's packed and busy, I understand waiting waiting for a while but when they are obviously gossiping and chatting about the staff goings-on, that seems unconscionable.  The question is, why?

[Ruelz]

This is more hospital/doctor's office related than the ER in particular...

But I was rather irked, to find posters all over the reception area in our hospital, that requested that the clients be polite and kind and not to call names, etc.

Ex. "Rudeness will not be tolerated!"

Yet the staff were chit-chatting about their weekend, munching on cookies, and otherwise taking it easy while clients were waiting and the line-up was getting longer.  And no, it wasn't break time...I know they are supposed to break in the coffee room or elsewhere...not in the work area.
 
Why can the staff be rude if the clients can't?

[Larrabee]

Generalisations and stereotypes about healthcare staff aren't really appropriate for this particular thread surely?

[Ruelz]

Are you asking or telling?

[Larrabee]

Are you asking or telling?

Stating my opinion, hoping others agree.

[Wonderflonium]

I didn't notice any generalizations; I just saw people pointing out specific instances in which they were bothered.

[Ruelz]

Thank you.  It was an observation.

[kherbert05]

I'm forever thankful to the triage nurse that told off a doctor. I had come into skin contact with peanut butter. Per standing instructions from every doctor I've had - I went directly to the ER. I was already having some symptoms.


Triage nurse took my information - fast tracked me to a bed and an O2 monitor. Doctor calls me a hypochondriac and implies I'm drug seeking. Nurse hears and practically  drags him out by his ear. She asks him if he even looked at my O2 levels which were dropping. My throat was starting to close. She must have called for another doctor - because  one came in told the other doc to wait in the office. Gave me epi watched me for a while. Then he went into the office and lit into the other doctor.


One question that I never got answered. Do people really drug seek for Epinephrine? I mean I like the I can breathe and my skin condition improving (that might be the follow up steroids) - the other effects not so pleasant in my book. 

[Wonderflonium]

One question that I never got answered. Do people really drug seek for Epinephrine?

Reading your post, I was wondering the same thing. I've never heard of anyone trying to scam epi.

[Black Delphinium]

One question that I never got answered. Do people really drug seek for Epinephrine?

Reading your post, I was wondering the same thing. I've never heard of anyone trying to scam epi.

Well, the wiki page mentions so-called "adrenaline junkies", maybe people do it for that fight-or-flight high?

[heathert]

Personally, I wasn't posting to upset hospital staff, I really wanted to see if they might have answer to the question as to why they would chat in the ER that we may not realize.