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55 Things Patients Do To Help Their Doctors And Nurses But They Have An Opposite Effect
People trust doctors; after all, they've gone through years of education and training to take care of us when we're possibly having the worst days of our lives. Some even want to be as little of a nuisance as they can be. For example, 74% of patients in a 2020 study agreed to let medical students participate in their care because they thought it would be helpful.
However, sometimes that willingness to help can become rather pointless or even bothersome. Patients may think they're doing medical workers a favor but are actually making their jobs way harder. To shine a light on that topic, one netizen recently asked medical professionals online: "Doctors and nurses of Reddit, what is something patients do that they think is helpful but actually makes your job harder?"
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
Psychiatrist here- Using jargon or medical terms that they've decided describes what they're going through rather than describing the symptoms themselves. They may think it saves time or makes it easier for me, but are sometimes irritated that I will ask them to tell me what they mean or give examples of every single one. I'm not doing this to make life harder or challenge a patient, I actually need to know what a patient means when they say they "get manic." Most of the time, the term that the patient has used isn't accurate.
So many medical terms have basically been hijacked by social media and twisted or diluted to the point of being meaningless, and most people don't see serious mental illness up close to appreciate what certain terms actually mean in a clinical sense. TV and movies are notorious for showing inaccurate portrayals of mental health conditions. And overall, there seems to be a wildly idealistic expectation of what "normal" looks like, to the point that people think they are severely mentally ill because they're not a happy, perfect, productive robot 24/7. .
Tara Noe 4 hours ago (edited)
This should be higher. I'm 50, bipolar and autistic and people just do not realise there's a huge difference between being 'off' and being mentally ill. It's not subtle. Just tell them what's going on. "I haven't slept in 3 days, I can't stop giggling, and I cleaned everything in the house including the light bulbs and OOH I bet if I jump out this window I'd land on my feet" means a lot more than "I read something on Facebook and think I'm manic".
RELATED:
#2
When I try to assess my patient and the family members won’t stop answering
Edit: I don’t want to keep replying individual - I’m talking about, for example, if I’m trying to ask questions to a patient in an acute care ward of a hospital to assess their neurologic status - I don’t want anyone else but the patient to answer. Or if I go into the room and mention something that happened overnight to the patient to start a conversation where they can try to tell me what happened, and a family speaks first, it doesn’t help me assess the patients orientation, memory, cognition, speech pattern, gaze, affect, what their perception is, their understanding, where I need to educate, etc. I’m asking questions for many reasons other than what it seems. If I finish asking the patient and they’re a poor historian, we will PAY family to assist (jk but I wish, caregivers are saints). We love family, we love family collaboration.
someonebesidesme:
We had the opposite problem. Our mother lived to be 96, and during the last several years of her life, the doctors would ignore her, and ask us questions about her — even as she was sitting RIGHT THERE. We consistently had to tell them that she was the patient, and they needed to discuss her issues with her. She was sharp and alert right up to the end — could rattle off all her medications, dosages, side effects, etc., but the doctors would still try to engage us instead.
Vix Spiderthrust 3 hours ago (edited)
Having this problem with FIL, who has been getting assessed for dementia, but because he's not compliant with using his hearing aids (and never has been), MIL tends to answer questions for him - which is fine for some medical issues but not much bloody use when we're trying to see if he's forgetting things
#3
Ophthalmologist here. Sometimes family members will help give the correct answers on the eye chart, especially when the patient is their child.
Me: What letters can you read on the chart?
Child struggles.
Parent whispers: It’s OFLCT.
Me (not out loud): Huh??
Shoddy_Signature_149:
I saw that a LOT while evaluating for concussion and clearance to return to sports. “You know, I already figure your brain is working OK. I need to check on theirs, though.”
#4
Please take your regular medicines before your appointment! I can’t titrate your blood pressure meds if I’m only seeing your unmedicated blood pressure. There are times when you might need to hold meds before a procedure or surgery, but when you’re coming to see your primary care doctor, take your meds like normal.
Also, we almost never have people fast before bloodwork any more. It doesn’t make my job harder but I do feel bad when people are hungry for no reason. .
Its_Curse:
Dude what they tell me to fast before blood work every. Single. Time. I guess we're doing different blood work?
WoodsyAspen:
There are reasons to do fasting lipid panes and glucoses. It used to be a bigger deal before we developed some alternative ways of detecting diabetes, and we also used to think it impacted lipids a lot more than it actually does (except for triglycerides - I do actually have one patient with bad familial hypertriglyceridemia who I ask to fast). So, depending on your situation it might make sense. You also might have an old-school doctor or healthcare system who hasn't evolved with the times.
Corvus 1 hour ago (edited)
Ugh, I once made the mistake of not only fasting, but also not drinking any water before a blood test. So they stuck the needle in me and... nothing came out. Like I was bone dry inside. Not a single droplet. So the nurse tried drawing blood from several other spots - nothing came out. Tried on my other arm... and at that point I blacked out for several minutes. Gave the poor lady a bit of a scare. Anyway, lesson learned - never ever skip drinking water before a blood test.
#5
Lie, minimise symptoms. As Dr House says, “ everybody lies”.
WelfordNelferd:
I was doing an admission assessment on a patient and asked if they smoked cigarettes. They said "Only when I drink". Then I asked how often/much they drank, and they said "Every day, all day".
flockyboi:
Yeah, feels like some people haven't heard the whole "always lie to the cops, never lie to your doctor" thing.
Gold Monkey 43 minutes ago
The guy who said "only when I drink" was just having some fun. Nothing wrong with humor. They were being admitted so of course they knew they were going to be asked how much they drink.
#6
This is more for relatives but: when a patient brings a family member/friend to translate, I need them to translate, not speak for the patient.
I get that you think you're saving time, but I need to hear from my patient in their words, and they need to understand the specifics of what I'm asking or telling them.
Also, it's super dehumanising for us to just talk about a patient in front of them in a language they don't understand.
summer-lovers:
This is why I always use the translator for anything more than stopping in to ask if they need anything. Otherwise, I just don't have any confidence that family isn't interjecting their own ideas and observations
Queenpunkster:
It is strongly recommended to use a medical interpreter for anything in medicine, even with bilingual friends or family available.
One reason is that a layperson, even an intelligent person, is not going to have the medical terminology to appropriately explain things to the patient and to assess understanding. This even applies to doctors who speak the language, who did not have their medical training in that language. For example, a native Spanish speaker who had their medical training in English, should not be translating for Spanish speaker unless they’ve had additional training in medical Spanish.
Another reason is that a friend or family member does not have a legal obligation to interpret accurately and may not do so due to cultural or personal reasons.
Is the patient insists on using a family member, they’re supposed to have a waiver that they have declined a medical translator. This is a huge legal liability.
#7
This is mainly a frustration towards the lack of health literacy in today's society, but when patients have an allergy list a mile long, but none of them are actually allergies. You are not allergic to benedryl because it makes you sleepy, that's a side effect.
And yes, some side effects are truly awful. But they aren't allergies, and sometimes the side effects are worth dealing with short term to fix the problem you're having.
EDIT - since this is being missed, and people are getting defensive, I'm not talking about critical intolerances or severe, life threatening, side effects. I'm talking about common, known, mild, side effects of medications being misunderstood as allergies. Antihistamines makes people sleepy. Adrenaline makes your heart race. Caffeine can make you jittery. Antibiotics can cause mild GI upset. Niacin can cause facial flushing. None of these need to be in the ehr as an allergy or intolerance.
catrosie:
I also wish eHR would have a consistent section for intolerances, not just allergies.
Neon_Green_and_Pink:
I'm in the same boat. I have epilepsy, and while I'm not allergic to bupropion, it gives me seizures. It's still listed in my online chart as an allergy because apparently my doctor's online system doesn't have an option for "adverse reaction" or "intolerance".
I just tell new medical staff I see that I'm intolerant and not allergic and let them know what happens when I take it. Not any skin off my back but I imagine it might be easier for them if they were able to see it on my chart.
FlamingoPanda 4 hours ago
Also if you dislike a food please do not claim you are allergic to it especially in restaurants.
#8
Coming to the nursing station instead of using the call light. Family members standing in the hallway staring at you instead of using the call light.
Also adding: this post isn’t about UNANSWERED call lights. This is about just not using the light at all. Everyone and their mother has a story about their call light going unanswered, myself included. This is about the family that stops me mid med pass in the hall to ask to fix the sink dripping. Use the light and the unit clerk can page engineering. .
icouldbeeatingoreos:
I tried to give someone a hint last week by politely saying oh hello family member standing in front of my workstation, I have to go answer this call bell but once I’m finished I can come back and speak with you. They did in fact disappear back into the room.
I don’t love being summoned with a bell but I like it more than someone coming up directly to where I’m trying to chart and staring at me until I look up and then them going “oh you’re not busy ok can I…”. My love I am very busy it’s just all on computers now.
Lauren Caswell 5 hours ago
I get not not liking 'being summoned with a bell' (have worked reception etc, the bell tones can be annoying), but also dont like that simply because as they are saying: please use the bell, don't do other things. Then mad a bell is used (which I'm sure we've all been on the short end of, my first time being shouted at was 6yr old, so I didn't ring again and puked on my bed, which I was also growled by the nurses for 🤷♀️). Can't win for trying.
#9
ER nurse. People walk into to triage with no or poor knowledge of their own medical history. No knowledge of the meds they are taking or what they are for. It’s absurd. I’ve had fathers bring in their children who don’t know their history, if they have allergies, some don’t even know their birthdate.
Alicatsidneystorm:
I will never forget the guy in the bed next to me and poor nurse is taking his history which was not easy. As nurse is walking away he yells: “oh I forgot about the kidney transplant.”
notreallylucy:
Not a doctor. I don't know how grown up adults with no brain problems just walk around not knowing what meds they're taking.
#10
So one of the most common thing patients often do, thinking it helps, is self diagnose and come in completely attached to that diagnosis. It’s totally understandable, people Google their symptoms because they’re worried, but when someone is fixed on one idea, it can make it harder for doctors and nurses to properly assess the situation with an open mind...
swvagirl:
The flip side to that is that women will sometimes go to a lot of doctors for pain or something else and get told its anxiety, or we should lose weight. So we turn to Google to help. Granted we should take it with a grain of salt, but knowing possibilities of potential diagnosis is important too. Now if you can sit down and say definitively no its not X because you don't have Y then great.
Charming_Garbage_161:
The ONLY reason I was diagnosed with endometriosis was bc I had a hernia repair and they saw my intestines were stuck to my abdomen and the hernia, so they took a sample and tested it. This was after years of painful periods and basically hemorrhaging every month if not twice a month. Within the year I went to a specialist and got my uterus yeeted. It doesn’t solve the problem 100% but at least I feel less sick every month bc I was bleeding an oz about every hour and ten days straight.
Kira Okah 3 hours ago (edited)
Erf, when my issues weren't fully understood and it was thought that all my problems were OCD (I have it, but that wasn't the main problem). Trying CBT, and the docs suggestion was to eat after touching a thing to prove that the thing wasn't going to cause harm. Doc didn't know that the thing is actually quite poisonous, poison that will transfer to skin and anything that you subsequently touch and eat. The suggestion would have sent me to the emergency room, probably with a severe heart attack, that could kㅤill someone. Wouldn't listen to me when I pointed out that the thing was actually poisonous, would not hear of a no to the suggestion. Took two weeks and another doc pointing out "yeah, those things are poisonous, that could kㅤill someone" before finally believing it.
#11
When heavily incontinent patients try to help you clean themselves and end up making it ten times worse. I get it, sir, you’re used to your independence and I am all for letting you do what you can..But in certain situations, I really just need you to lay back, keep your hands to yourself, and let me take care of you this time, because you got poop all over your hands and bed rails and pulse ox and the bottom sheet! Nooo— i couldn’t avoid the full bed change :/
As I like to quote Lloyd Christmas “this is a lot easier if you just lay back!”.
#12
Using Chinese / Alternative/ Herbal / Traditional / Faith Medicine to “remove” or “melt” tumors that should have been surgically excised… And… using all that before coming to the good ‘ol surgeon, sometimes at late stage disease already (wherein the mass is already to dangerous to debulk).
Dry-Stop1629:
That black salve thing that was going around for a while.
#13
Stop watching Fox News. Can't tell you how many patients I've had that listened to bad health advice on Fox News that think that they are going to come in and teach me how to do my job. I have a degree in my field. Fox News does not.
Kira Okah 3 hours ago (edited)
Or anything on the tv/internet that recommends medical stuff or health advice; whether an ad, news/publication article, or other sources. Those are probably paid for ads by the manufacturer/scams/fearmongering, using faulty data or very bad/skewed for particular results methodology, and are likely to be completely unsuitable for what is ailing you or even dangerous.
#14
Dentist here. I hate when parents tell their scared kids that if they don’t brush their teeth, I ( the dr) will have to give them a “big shot”. It’s usually accompanied with side eye to me and a look that says I’m the devil. Like my job isn’t hard enough!! Please STFU!!!
nicbloodhorde:
Parents: the dentist is evil and will punish you if you misbehave!!!!
Also parents: why is my child afraid of the dentist??????
PracticalCandy:
I tell my 5 year old if she doesn't brush her teeth everynight than the toothfairy won't give her much money for her teeth because she doesn't like teeth with cavities and decay. So far it's worked every time.
LakotaWolf (she/her) 3 hours ago
I had an amazing pediatric dentist, luckily. While my mother and my ex both have crippling fear and anxiety about the dentist and have to be sedated before a visit, I've fallen asleep during teeth cleanings before XD It really makes a huge difference when the child has a good, supportive, calm pediatric dentist and the parents also treat it as normal and not use the dentist as a "threat". (It probably also helped that my dentist's office gave out little wooden tokens at each visit, and after you got a certain number of them, you could turn them in for prizes like a balsawood glider plane. I LOVED going to the dentist XD )
#15
Go to the bathroom by themselves and dump the “hat”
“I didn’t want to bother you” … yeah, you’re here for CHF and we’ve told you a dozen times need to measure your output. Please stop doing that.
Alternatively, go to the bathroom themselves because “they didn’t want to bother us”, but disconnect multiple wires/machines in the process of doing so and now we gotta straighten everything out.
Ik it can be hard to get someone to come in for the bathroom and that’s justified to go solo if nobody comes, but not asking at ALL to even give a chance for someone to come is so frustrating.
#16
When they say “nothing has changed” when reviewing their meds and allergies. They think it’s helpful because the list is long and it will save time, but I need you to verify everything.
Don’t tell me nothing has changed, then I have to add 4 meds to your list because your doctor prescribed you new meds 3 weeks ago. And shrimp isn’t on your allergy list even though you just told me you had a severe allergic reaction to it at your niece’s wedding last week. How do we not have that on the list? Well, you went to a hospital 2 states away when you were out of town at the wedding. Hospitals don’t have some national system they all share.
Huge thanks to all the people who patiently go over their meds and allergies without complaint. Also to those who bring a written list, a list in their phone, or even pics of their meds. You’re the best. .
#17
This is gonna sound awful but I’m in the ER, we have a ton of stuff to do and patients will come in telling us everything under the sun. We don’t really have time to sit there for 20 minutes listening to every little side effect and history unless we ask for it specifically.
owlanalogies:
As a patient, esp. a woman, this one is tough because we're often misdiagnosed for lack of context or have symptoms ignored for years.
Relevant_Struggle:
This is my mom
She's 80 and in a decline. She wants to explain everything in detail about everything. I try to stream line her as best as I can, but unfortunately, she is a talker. I went with her to get GP recently and I stopped her like 3 times from rambling. She has fallen. I mentioned she wasn't using her cane. Dr told her to use the cane. She starts going on about how her left leg is weaker and if she builds it up it will get better. I cut her off. With mom use the cane
Poppy 4 hours ago
I work for an ambulance service in the control room and patients (or the caller) will often ramble on about how they had pain in their leg for 20 years and it was never resolved but their leg doesn't hurt right now - ok so what made you call for an ambulance today? Oh I have chest pain radiating down my left arm and I'm clammy and sweaty and I feel like there's a elephant on my chest. PLEASE lead with that next time!!
#18
Deciding not to take your medication, or starve, or not drink before a test "just in case it interferes with the test". We send out appointment letters with clear instructions. Unless you are specifically told to stop something, you should carry on as normal. If you randomly stop things, it's much more likely to result in the test not going ahead.
#19
As an ER nurse, please medicate your children for a fever. I don’t need to “see it.”.
#20
Joking around when I am trying to ask straight forward admission questions. I know you want to be funny, but these are important and I don’t want to miss anything. I also don’t have the time to drag answers out of you. So if I ask, “Have you fallen recently?” and you say, “I think I’m falling in love with you” or if I ask, “have you had any thoughts of harming others?” and you joke “well I sure want to” just know that you are making my day infinitely harder. PLEASE just be an adult and say yes or no.
Eshlau:
Years ago we all had to tell my 90+ year old grandma that she needed to stop joking when asked questions like "do you feel safe at home" when she would go to the doctor. On more than one occasion she thought it would be funny to say that her adult sons beat her when they're angry. Thankfully the nurses were understanding, and my grandma was usually chuckling or winking when she was saying it.
Her sense of humor was pretty impressive. My grandpa passed away from cancer on their 66th wedding anniversary, and when a nurse heard about that day being their anniversary and said that she was so sorry, my grandma said, "it's ok, I think he probably did it on purpose to get out of taking me to dinner!"
Bewitched One 5 hours ago
lol grandma is like me, she jokes to avoid conversations about her feelings
#21
Save antibiotics for later when some else needs them!
skynolongerblue:
My ex’s dad would never finish his antibiotics. He considered them a super medicine and horde them for other ailments.
“I had a headache but I took an antibiotic so I’m good!”
I wonder if he’s alive now.
goddessofentropy:
My urologist gave me backup antibiotics because I have a uti basically 24/7. Like, a second, larger box in addition to the ones for the acute uti. Told me she trusts me to know when I need them. Which, I think I mostly do because I know what severity of symptoms has led to a prescription in the past, but I have no idea for how long to take them. They're expired now, was way too scared to diy them. Have to take them to a pharmacy one of these days so they can safely toss them.
Unrelatedly, I had the flu a few years back (during covid funnily enough), and the GP asked if I wanted antibiotics. I was like, didn't you say flu, as in the actual flu, ie influenza virus? He said yeah sure, but it makes some people feel better if he sends them home with antibiotics. Wild.
#22
I'm neither but I do coordinate surgeries.
Please stop making your surgical clearance appointments before we've called you and then get upset when we tell you that the appointment was scheduled too soon and has to be rescheduled.
And don't lie to us. If you say you have an appointment made, we will follow up. If your surgeon requires medical clearance and you don't do it, you don't get surgery.
AND STOP EATING THE DAY OF SURGERY
I understand having to be NPO until 1pm sucks but like...they make clear pre op drinks to help.
cicadasinmyears:
I really wish that the medical team explained the rationale behind the NPO pre-surgery more often: I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard “but she was so hungry!” from the parents of younger children.
Like, ma’am, the reason this is a pre-procedure requirement is so that your beloved child doesn’t aspirate part of their stomach contents during the procedure, not because the medical team wants to make your child uncomfortable. It can result in very serious complications. Do not cave to the whining and complaining, even if it’s difficult.
#23
I’m a dental hygienist. This is a light hearted one but when patients turn their head super far to the side facing you as soon as they lay their head back.
Yea, we can’t see when you do that haha. If you’re reading this, please wait for the hygienist or dentist to direct you how to turn your head. Don’t guess because that makes our jobs a lot harder (we can’t see).
lawl-butts:
I want you guys to move my head like a mannequin, I'm tired of this gentle "please move to the left. A little more, nope, a little back, yep there"
Move my head and I'll keep it there.
I feel like the last few times I've been to the dentist it's been this way, just manhandle me please
NieceyBabe:
Dental hygienist here. I absolutely love what I do and I enjoy getting to know my patients on a personal level. But it's the folks who think that I'm a licensed therapist and they want to use my time to dump on me every single little event that has happened in their lives over the past six months. There is so much that I need to do in my hour that I have with you that I can't spend it all with you chatting me up the entire time. And I know that I can just 'shove my hands in your mouth' and keep you from talking, but some folks just truly don't get it and will continue to chat the entire time.
Another peeve of mine is after I've spent the better part of a hour discussing dental needs with you are the patients who wait for the doctor to come in for the exam at the end and all of a sudden they want to tell them about a tooth that's been bothering them on and off for months now or a weird sore that comes and goes. When I ask specific questions throughout the cleaning about things like that and a patient doesn't say anything, it makes me look like I haven't done my job at all.
Oh, and medications. When I ask you what medications you take and you respond with 'nothing that affects my mouth or nothing you need to know about', that's complete bullshit. I absolutely need to know your health history because the vast majority of Rx meds can have effects on your oral health, or the types of anesthetics that we use in the office. Men are the worst at this because they don't want to disclose they take viagra or cialis or meds for their prostate. Get over it. We don't judge you for it.
I have way more things I can list about my career that I love versus what I hate, so I'm grateful for that. But please, before you come in for your dental cleaning, brush and floss your fucking teeth. Don't tell me on the way over to the office that you just ate chicken curry in your car and you figured that I could 'just get it all out'. I will absolutely 100% judge you for that.
#24
Please stop blaming and being angry at the nurses for everything. We are part of a team, not THE team. We aren't dietary, transport, social work, pharmacy, respiratory, bed control, or the Dr - and we don't work FOR any of them, we work WITH them, and we can only do so much. If you are frustrated about something, chances are we are, too, and we are trying to rectify it. Please talk to us like adults - yelling/chastising/threatening/calling your adult children and having them call us from home is not going to get you faster results.
Also, if you are a family member in the ER, please do not walk into a room where CPR is being performed and ask what is taking your mother's ginger ale so long. Yes. This has happened. More than once.
ZoraTheDucky:
Saw the frustration of nurses first hand when my mother was in the hospital a couple years ago. Basically the in house GI team was trying to defer to my mothers pre-existing GI doc and the pre-existing GI doc was more or less just not answering the phone. Wasted a whole day. Eventually got through to the pre-existing GI doc (on day 2 of trying to get through to them) who declined to treat my mother further and it got punted back to the in house GI team and things eventually got rolling...
A couple nurses were really pissed off that my mother was in the hospital for a full day with absolutely nothing being done but waiting on a phone call because the in house team wouldn't do anything without hearing from the pre-existing team first.
My mother changed doctors after that.
Esteraceae:
Hey i have an explanation for that - in my country, some private specialists are very protective of their patients. Going against the private dr can be met with their disapproval and also the risk of changing their treatment plan drastically. Not to mention that private records are not kept on the public system, so sometimes its hard to figure out exactly what is happening with the patient without chasing their records first. And sometimes, the patient themselves may prefer to be transferred over to the private dr's care for the rest of their admission (sounds like that wasn't the case here) That's probably why they wanted advice from the previous doctor first.
Yes it can be frustrating to get through to private dr's as they may not be at work every day of the week, or may be on leave. I once had someone's cardiologist call me back while they were at the airport about to board a plane!
#25
Random vitamins and supplements are probably more likely to give you medical problems than help you. I don’t know what’s in those. You don’t know what’s in those. They aren’t really regulated, and whoever told you to take them is probably just trying to sell you their brand of wellness activities/supplements/ideology.
There are reasons you would need to be prescribed vitamins, but the average person taking multivitamins doesn’t fit that category.
Redditheist:
My sister was looking for a new chiropractor (yeah, I know) because hers was retiring. She asked hers what to look for in a new one, and he said:"if you walk in and there's a wall of supplements they're selling, walk out." He also told her one time, "if I can't make you feel better in 3 visits, you need to go see a MD." Her husband was practically disabled and they (his work comp) had him doing chiro for over a year before they investigated further.
Bartlet for world domination 1 hour ago
Well I know what I want to be taking (and why). I buy most of my supplements in Germany where regulation is strongest.
#26
Parents who start grabbing their young kids faces and saying don’t look, don’t look when I would need to remove a cannula.
Kids who were totally fine before this and very likely would hardly register it was being removed in the couple seconds it would have taken me, go into panic mode, start crying and go into high alert from their parents.
#28
Shaving their site too soon before surgery. some patients will shave their leg, groin, or belly a couple days or the week of surgery. alot of the time this causes the site to be irritated and even start ingrown hairs by the time u get to us. thats actually not ideal for surgery, its an infection risk, depending on what youre having done. ive seen a doctor cancel a knee replacement over an ingrown hair that looked infected. causes issues on both ends, for us its rescheduling, losing time and money from wasted supplies. for the patient, its just super inconvenient id imagine, they probably have to reschedule all their post op care (ride to and from, time off work, etc) and depending on how far out they get reschedule redo all their pre op things too cause labs and H&P need to be within 30 days at most facilities.
#29
When the REALLY nice ones don’t ring, and then all of a sudden they actually ring. Then you go in, and they’re like I’m sorry to be a bother, I’ve been uncomfortable most of the night, or I couldn’t sleep all night. Girl/ma’/am/buddy/ms./whichever, you should have called to let me know. My job is to make sure you are comfortable, and taken care of. You are not a bother because you don’t ring at all for anything, and now I have to check up on you more often, because I lowkey feel bad that I didn’t do my job.
I love these patients by the way. They make my job a little more tolerable, because they truly need my help.
Shouya_Ishida1288:
Omg this was so my mother the one night I didn’t stay with her after her double stroke. “Oh i felt symptoms again, but didn’t wanna bother you” LIKE GIRL PLS. Thankfully when I got there in the morning the nurse was already telling her off for me. Loved him, he’s an amazing man.
Suitable-Risk-1795:
“Ive been having chest pain since midnight but I didn’t want to make a fuss” MAAM! Why didn’t you tell me when I took your vitals at 12:30!? Or when I took you to the bathroom at 3am!? Now it’s 6 and the doctor is gonna ask why symptom onset was midnight but the first EKG is at 6am!
285q6dgq6d 5 hours ago
This one is hard. I’ve had nurses clearly make me feel like a burden or that I’m overreacting. I once had a catheter inserted incorrectly. The pain was worse than labor. The nurse dismissed my pain and rolled her eyes. We eventually got help. The same thing happened when my bp had skyrocketed and I had preeclampsia. My husband had to escalate it to my obgyn before someone would take it seriously. This was even though they could physically see my numbers. After that, I had a hard time not being afraid the nurses wouldn’t just think I was overreacting.
#30
Me? I am just a medical imaging tech. Been doing nuc med for 34 years and nothing patients do, except for showing up late, irks me. Took me a little to understand that I am working with people who are nervous and scared.
permabanmaybe1:
“Understand that I am working with people who are nervous and scared” is such a big winner here. I get that people are annoying, rude, and entitled but so much of this comment section is so whiny because they’re just tired of the nervous and scared reactions from patients. I’ve been the one yelling at any poor soul in my path and guess what, I also work a very stressful job where I’m yelled at for things out of my control. So, thank you for your post, and thanks to everyone out there taking the extra time to have patience and empathy.
ZweitenMal:
As a patient, I learned the best thing I can do is be calm and cooperative with techs. I've seen people really light up when I ask them to tell me more about what they are doing. They are not allowed to diagnose or really even describe what a test is showing, but I've found they will let you look if you ask nicely. MUGA scans are incredibly cool. And it's nice to get a peek at your PET so you can prepare yourself for the wait to get the full report.
PunnyPanda 4 hours ago
Nervous and scared- for sure. That empathy os so wise and appreciated. Its the entitlement that becomes a problem. Though I suppose thats also a defense mechanismism for some folks... either way, the compassion in these posts is very heartening.
#31
Complain about other people “going back already” when they were “here first.”
It’s not that simple. In the outpatient world, there are generally multiple providers and providers can get behind easily (see above story going all the way back to 1893). I’m much faster (appropriately) and I work with a physician who takes a looooooong time with patients. I could see two of mine while she’s still asking about the patient’s cousin or telling them about what all of her kids are doing. That causes animosity because people don’t understand it if they’re waiting for her.
Also, when I worked as an RN in an emergency dept, I don’t care if you’ve been waiting for four hours; if all of the other patients coming in have legitimate issues which make them a higher acuity, they’re going back first. Many people use the ER like a walk-in clinic. Think “I sneezed once today” and no other symptoms. Of course you can see a provider but the folks who can’t breathe are going back ahead of you.
#32
Im an EMT and work on an ambulance but my silly one is hyperextending your arm to take a blood pressure. I tell all my patients that when the cuff is inflating to keep their arm straight but relaxed, itll inflate too far if your elbow is bent but if youre flexing your muscles to keep your arm straight my auto-cuffs wont work.
Follow-up point since I know there have to be people here looking for things to do/not do, *a ride in the ambulance DOES NOT guarantee a room in the ER!* Your route of entrance plays zero part in your triage category. If youre bleeding out and you come in through the waiting room, youre gonna get seen sooner. If you come in on an ambulance complaining of some random pain, you can still end up in the waiting room. I couldnt begin to tell you the amount of patients ive had that got mad at me because ER Triage said they had weren't critical enough for a room right away. I feel for these patients, but these were days the ER was full and previous ambulances had brought in several people from a nasty car accident.
Calling EMS does not get you a room faster than the waiting room, so *if you feel safe enough* to take yourself to the ER, you wont be getting seen slower. Making the call to take yourself or call for EMS is hugely nuanced, and no ambulance will be rude if you decide to call just in case, so if youre unsure absolutely call.
Edit: rewriting my second point.
#33
Telling me your great aunts sister’s daughters health history from 1974….basically telling long stories that have nothing to do with why you presented to the ER today.
#34
They come in for pain.
"How long have you had it?"
I don't know
"Can you describe what it feels like?"
I don't know
"Has the treatment you received helped?
I don't know.....
#35
I had a patient that wouldn’t stop trying to help me make his bed. I told him several times that it is my job and I would prefer if he would sit in his chair.
He ripped his IV out on the bedsheet and bled all over :) turned a one minute job into a 20 minute job and I had to poke him again. He was nice, but god, dude, let me work lol.
#36
"I didn't take any painkillers so it wouldn't mask the problem when you saw it"
please just take them. It's not masking it.
dreadwitch:
Strangely I did take painkillers and the dr said I'm clearly not in that much pain so it's not a serious issue and sent me away. I was in hospital the next day.
#37
"Are you having any pain right now?"
Patient: "No, no pain. I'm good."
-Later during rounds
Doctor: "Okay, have you been having any pain?"
Patient: "...Oh, yes. All the time."
This happened so many times I started asking why they didn't just tell me, their nurse. Many said they didn't want to bother me. Others lied because many wanted to "prove" to the doctor that they really are sick.
Please, just tell me. I don’t want you to be in pain and having it just delays healing anyway...
#38
It’s such a minor one, but asking me a question about what they need to do and then ignoring my answer. I work in medical imaging and it’s not the end of the world, but a constant time waster. Patient comes in for a head CT or a chest xray, asks if they need to remove their watch, belt or shoes, I say nope we aren’t imaging those areas so no need, and they hit me with “I’m going to take them off just in case.” Just in case of what?? If those things end up in my image, then I’ve done a really poor job. I’ve had people try to move part way through their CT because they remembered some change in their pocket, after I already said their pockets were fine. Not only does it make my job harder, but it makes it longer. A chest xray takes like two minutes, but now I have to stand there waiting for the patient to tie their boots and put everything back in their pants pockets before I can free up the room for someone else. It essentially doubles or even triples the time I’m in the room, and it’s such an unnecessary delay.
I think a lot of people get hung up on “no metal for MRI” but do you really think I wouldn’t ask you about metal before we go into the room? Anyone who has had an MRI knows you are asked about metal a million times before you even get close to the machine. I’m also the professional here. If I say it’s fine, it’s because I know it’s fine. It’s not helpful to disregard that.
#39
A patient (85) would make her bed even if she just left for tests so the nurses wouldn't have to clean up a messy room. A wee bit of dementia but cute as a button.
#40
When they come in with their home meds to show you that's great. When they bring their home meds in their purse and take them without telling you, Not great.
#41
Shave before surgery. Don't worry about your hair. We'll shave what we need. But DO clean your bellybutton.
#42
Not stopping certain medications in time for their surgery day; think blood thinners, GLP1s, certain blood pressure meds and diabetes meds. I provide anesthesia, so now I have to keep a tighter leash on their vitals during their surgery because:
-some standard anesthesia meds will further lower their bp and HR.
-some surgeries will have to get cancelled because they did not stop their blood thinners in time, and if it’s an invasive procedure like spine surgery, ortho etc, risk of increased bleeding is not worth ignoring this red flag.
-not stopping GLP1s 1-2 weeks before surgery puts them at higher risk of aspiration (vomiting, possibly into their lungs) under anesthesia. So, my choice of airway protection goes from possibly an LMA to more likely a tube (especially if they also have reflux and DM).
-recreational d**g use also affects anesthetic choice considerations, especially if it’s been partaken really close to surgery day. Even smoking cigs makes your airway more reactive (sensitive) and increases your risk of laryngospasm, especially when we’re putting you under anesthesia (induction) and waking you up (emergence).
Gotta have a backup for your backup plan, for things that are preventable.
#43
I become a Speech Pathologist in June after I graduate from my Master's program. I'm in my advanced placements now (Externships basically) so I've been seeing patients for a while now.
Number 1 unhelpful thing: PARENTS. STOP TRYING TO CORRECT YOUR CHILD DURING AN EVALUATION! Please, please, stop trying to interject while I'm giving your child an assessment. It doesn't matter if they're saying "a glove" or "a clown" over "glove" or "clown" because I'm only judging the word itself.
Stop trying to interject and tell your kid "slow down, take your time.". I NEED TO HEAR THEIR AUTHENTIC VOICE. Do you want your kid to get services or not? I can't correctly assess their language or articulation abilities if you're trying to change how they speak!
Number 2: Please, if your child is in feeding therapy, and we tell you to send in foods your child doesn't like alongside foods they do; stop sending ONLY foods they like! In a similar vein, send foods that THEY are curious about, or food that looks appetizing.
I cannot effective get your child curious about food they don't like the look of! Sending in cooked chicken that has visible gristle, bloody bits, and is *grey* is a recipe for your child continuing to question it.
Number 3: Have concerns. Please. For the love of God. If your child is *clearly* delayed or experiencing a disorder in Speech or Language ACKNOWLEDGE IT!! You are not helping your child by putting them in therapy but refusing a full diagnosis. Nor are you helping by not carrying over treatment at home hoping it goes away.
If your child sees a Speech Pathologist, it's because they medically qualify for a concern that is affecting their development in some way. Please, please, just acknowledge it. I know it's scary, I know it's hard; I know it feels like the floor is going to drop out from under you. But your child *deserves* parents who have those concerns and are actively trying to help them recover or resolve their delays.
#45
Patient currently OD’ing “I didn’t take anything”. Now is not the time to lie to me.
#46
This one seems silly, but when I go to scan your wristband, just leave your arm where it is. I can see the barcode, moving the target doesn’t help. OTOH, if I need to put your BP cuff back on, please do lift your arm up and away from your body so I can wrap it around without having to wrestle with a limp arm while trying to line everything up.
#47
Making changes to their medication plan. Like, I prescribed you that for a reason. If you are having side effects or something, talk to me rather than just doing your own thing and hoping it’s ok. I had someone crushing tablets that shouldn’t be crushed then dissolving it in a cup of coffee to drink.
#48
Trying to bully the doctors and nurses into giving “better care” for their family member via being confrontational and aggressive. It usually makes it harder to provide care not easier.
#49
Aspirin 81mg daily. Do not take if you have not been told to do so for an event. The events can be stents, heart attacks or strokes to name only the top three. Do not take because ‘it’s good for my Mother, and I think it would be good to start. This causes headaches all around if you now need surgery for an elective type surgery.
#51
When they go down rabbit holes. Some people just word vomit and it takes 20 minutes to get 2 minutes of useful information. Sometimes it’s just more efficient to answer specific questions than to give me a full narrative beginning with what you ate for breakfast 8 weeks ago.
#52
"Tell me more about why you came to the ER today"
"Well, 45 years ago..."
Please start with the most relevant details up front, we can work back from there if need be.
#53
I worked with Doctors in public health. All of them hated patients saying “I have a high tolerance for pain.” It’s the doctor’s job to get rid of the pain.
#55
Exaggerating pain levels, saying your pain is a 10/10 when you are calmly sitting there, having a snack and checking your phone. Please try and accurately rate your pain. 10/10 is we need to admit you pronto.
Kira Okah 2 hours ago
Another thing that is not helped by the vagueness and lack of common knowledge of the specifics of the pain scale. Asking for a description of the pain is usually better than asking for a disconnected number. Also something that a lot of people don't get, the pain scale starts at zero, no pain, and zero is the baseline for what ordinary people are feeling every day. So many people going "oh, same as pretty much everyone feels, like 2 or 3", most people feel no pain at all in their day, if 2 or 3 is regular for you, that might actually be chronic pain.
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Nadine Debard 2 hours ago
I carry a list of my medical history, current medication, surgical history, intolerances... in my phone and I hand it to any new doctor. They absolutely love it.
Nadine Debard 2 hours ago
I carry a list of my medical history, current medication, surgical history, intolerances... in my phone and I hand it to any new doctor. They absolutely love it.
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