man candy saturday

please don't drink the water

There is a phenomenom in this country.  Apparently no one can drink water anymore.  Even people who aren't nauseated can't drink water.

Just about everybody that comes to the ER these days gets an IV whether they need it or not.  They will also get a liter of saline.  Its like a "when you don't know what else to do, give them a liter of saline" type of mentality.  Do you know how many liters of saline are poured into people daily in this country? Thousands. I'm sure it makes the saline liter company very happy.

The days of having someone actually drink a few glasses of water are gone.  I mean the hospital has bought all of these IV catheters, IV fluids, tubing so we have to use them. The amount of saline we waste in the US could fill a river from one end of the country to another.

So if you come to the ER, be prepared to have a couple of needle sticks. You ARE going to get an IV. And damn it we will poke you til we get it. We are good little nurses following orders.


Ridiculous order #657

For 50 points: "Whats wrong with this picture?"

1) Start patient on bipap.

2) Have mental health come and talk to patient.

cuckoo cuckoo

Man I have had some really weird patients lately.

Someone ran out of their room, heading for the door and was tackled by security. Almost hurtled over a bed coming around the corner. After the patient in the bed saw the person running, they got up and ran to the main lobby thinking that some criminal was escaping.

One of my patients through a phone receiver into the wall as hard as they could.

Then there was the person who doing acrobatics on ER cart in a fit of rage. Of course they took their clothes off before the acrobatics began.

I had somebody who was out of it and would literally not sit still. Restraints weren't an option.

People yelling at the top of their lungs because they didn't get admitted/didn't get the narcotic script they wanted, having to be escorted out by security.

People smoking in the bathroom.

Scary ex convicts with a history of violence needing to be restrained.

All this in the last 10 days. Has the world gone nuts?

screw Hippocrates

Lots of ERs have started to post policies about narcotic prescribing.  We have one in our ER. It is in triage next to the triage chairs.  It is a full page, single spaced, in other words, not reader friendly. It says that we do not prescribe narcotics for chronic pain.  We don't refill prescriptions.  You have to have an ID to get a narcotic prescription.

In essence this is what it is: A JOKE.  Our doctors don't follow it. They don't follow a corporate wide policy.  They do give scripts for chronic pain.  They do refill prescriptions.  You don't have to have an ID for a narcotic script.

The argument from doctors would be: it is up to the individual provider to decide what to do.  Its funny, there are nursing policies that we have no choice about following, but apparently doctors are exempt from following them.  They can pick and choose.

Therein lies the basis of the prescription drug abuse epidemic in the US. Gutless doctors.
Doctors who, rather than do the ethical thing, take the easy way out. They don't want to say no and have to deal with the angry patient.  They don't want to have a complaint against them because the patient wasn't happy.  Patient satisfaction and all that garbage.

So it goes on and on. Part of the hippocratic oath states:

"I will follow that method of treatment which according to my ability and judgement, I consider
for the benefit of my patient and abstain from whatever is harmul or mischievous..."

When you overprescribe narcotics so much that prescription drug abuse is an epidemic in this country,  kills thousands every year, are you benefiting your patients?

Hippocrates is rolling over in his grave.

man candy saturday one day late