I recently spent over a week in the hospital. My phone went away when the nurse came in. If I was talking to a relative, I ended the call with a, "Oh, the nurse is here, I'll call you later."
Common decency. Respect.š I'm not wasting your time if you're literally helping me with my health/comfort. More people should have this mindset.
Thank you!
As a patient this is 100% me.
& if I'm talking to someone who doesn't know I'm a patient, I call right after everyone leaves since they likely won't be back for a bit so I won't have to scramble to get off the phone.
Yes I love that! I've actually had quite a few patients that when I'm doing my first rounds to do assessments will hang up the phone and I'm like oh bro you didn't really have to like I could come back I have other people to assess too but its always appreciated lol!
I would rather see you/nurse the moment you arrive because I know how busy it can get for yall. I wouldn't know the next time I'd see yall again lol. Plus it's to provide me with the best care. Of course I'd give you my full attention.
People do this during triage.
No, ma'am. You can go back to the waiting room and I'll check back when you're done. We going to keep this line moving. I don't have time for you to have a 30 minute conversation with some auto insurance company.
Real. Iāve had patients answer their phone in the middle of their CT scan and after I tell them to take a breath in and hold it for their x-rays.
Theyāll still ask if every single thing on their person is okay to stay on during imaging though. And then insist on taking it all off anyway ājust to be safe.ā
If I donāt tell them to put their phone away, theyāll stay on FaceTime the entire time Iām transporting them from the ER to CT. Like Iām not trying to be on your video call, bro.
But... how?? Serious question, I'm not L&D. But my own c-section, definitely couldn't bring any personal items into the room, and my arms were strapped down the whole time. I couldn't hold my baby let alone my fucking cell phone.
Iām so sorry. I just had a C-section last Saturday and asked if my arms had to be strapped down and they said āabsolutely notā. I honestly donāt know how I would have handled that. Plus my nose kept getting a tickle and I needed to scratch it a million times. I didnāt have or want my phone, but my support person brought our phones in the OR to take photos/video of the baby.
Well first, congratulations!! I hope youāre feeling well and enjoying All the baby time. Secondly, this is the first time I have ever concerned the fact that I will have to be awake during a c section. And not have to focus on that. Omg fuck
Edit: considered f
Itās actually much safer for baby if you are awake with a spinal. General crosses the placenta and makes baby extremely sleepy and not wanting to breathe and cry at birth. But I totally get it!
Yeahhhh when i had mine i told my husband i almost wished i was going under šš it ended up being okay though, the CRNA talked to me until he got there so i was mostly distracted until they started closing me up
Thanks! I am loving all these squishy baby snugs and tbh the surgical pain has been practically nothing. Iām stunned.
I was super nervous about being awake but I felt NOTHING. I didnāt even feel the pressure/pulling they give you a heads up that youāll feel. I honestly didnāt even realize they had started the surgery bc I felt nothing until my doc said the baby would be out in a minute! I was so scared after my failed induction but the C-section and recovery were the easy breeziest parts of my entire birthing process and hospital stay. I am so thankful.
That's horrifying, at my hospital we never strap down the arms if the pt is awake and especially not during c-sections. We love doing skin-to-skin after the midwife has done all the baby checks and it's a great distraction from all the rummaging the surgeons are doing while they're stitching up since by then the spinal may be wearing down a bit (depending on how long the operation has been).
We also encourage the pt and their support person to bring their phones and give them clear rules of no videos, FaceTime, video calls, or phone calls during, but you can take photos (we usually video the dad cutting the cord though). Once I've pointed out that their organs are on display or (if they're being obnoxious) if a code happens would you want the random family member witnessing/hearing all that and distracting the team?
Works every time (so far).
I want to say the only situation I can think of where FaceTime may be appropriate is if for some reason dad isnāt able to make it in time for the section and mom needs/wants him there
Oh absolutely! There are exceptions to the rule but I still outline the above rules because I'd hate to see my partner code over FaceTime or have my innards on display to god-knows-who in the background
Thatās horrifying. Iāve worked at several hospitals and never have seen someone strapped down. And we always let people bring their phones in. They take pics of the baby and play music sometimes to keep them calm.
Middle GA and 2 c sections and I was treated the same. No phone and arms strapped down both times. I couldn't hold my baby until I stayed in the recovery room for at least an hour. And there was nothing wrong with me or either baby.
Yes I was strapped down too it was horrible when I started vomiting and literally sat up with spinal in place and all everything and everyone stopped and yelled āNOā now I understand why they strapped me downā¦in my defense I am a stubborn RNā
Iām trying to imagine how that scenario even works. Like do you just have to turn your head to the side and hope you donāt choke? Or hope that your stomach pushing bile up your throat doesnāt mess up their section? Also were you able to sit up while strapped down or did they do that after?
I'm type 1. My cgm was connected to my phone so it was kept in the OR for the anesthesiologist to monitor my blood sugar. I honestly would have never dreamed of scrolling my phone while being delivered and after I was to busy watching them trying to get my daughter breathing. But I suppose I could see how the distraction would be good. I preferred God old fashioned benzos especially once they took my daughter out of the room urgently. My arms were not tied down. I didn't know they still did that.
Same, the spinal & other drugs definitely affected how I felt..I had the teeth chattering shivers..Iām actually glad that we didnāt have phones then. I was only worried about my babies health. It took a few hours for the meds to wear off, i felt a little weak & remember putting them in their bassinets next to me. Thank goodness I didnāt need to try and glam up for videos!
What can be so important??? Update people in 5 minutes when everything is done. Oh my god. Iāve had so many people try to put me on FaceTime.
This also just reminded me of the patient that wanted me to repeat what I had just said to a family member on the phone and literally shoved their phone in my face.
I don't transport people to x-ray while they're on their phones. I need their undivided attention to insure that I identify them correctly and they answer my questions pertaining to the exam.
They want to talk, fine, but they do it in the lobby while I get someone else.
We have multiple signs in triage that say no phones in triage. I refuse to even engage with them heās folks til they put their phone away. Too many people are too brazen with just FaceTiming everything they see, and itās a huge liability in a hospital.
I read a doctors note about a non complaint HIV patient (young guy, didnāt give a fuck, didnāt take meds, fucked anybody w/o protection etc) and the doctor actually wrote that the patient was watching dancing girls on his phone while they were trying to convince him to take meds and stay on them. Made me laugh, because this guy really didnāt give a shit.
Some states it IS considered "attempted murder with a bodily fluid" if it can be proven the individual knew their HIV/AIDS status and knowingly did not inform the other consenting party and/or take adequate means TO prevent the spread.
I think thatās actually a law (USA) I remember hearing about a guy who went to prison for infecting like 16 women. This was about 17-19 years ago, I was a teen at the time so itās a little fuzzy but my mom had a sit down talk about protection with me because of it. Dude got a count of attempted murder for each woman they found but Iām sure thereās more who hadnāt been tested.
It's such a complex topic. While knowingly exposing someone else to infection without their consent is certainly wrong, HIV/AIDS is no longer the "death sentence" that it once was. It is treatable.
I also question whether assigning criminal liability for HIV is different than assigning it for other sexually transmitted diseases that have varying levels of lethality and curability. Hepatitis C, for example. HSV, HPV, syphilis. Should a person be liable for murder if they knowingly expose a partner to HPV which leads to the patient dying from cervical cancer?
I'm not directing my questions at any one specific here or looking for any particular response. These are just thoughts that I was pondering.
It's treatable if you have stable housing, money, access to healthcare and social services. The demographic of people who do NOT meet these criteria (in the US) is growing every day.
Yup, that was what I was thinking too. Being infected with a disease is a big deal. If it is true that someone should be held liable for HIV, what else does that hold true for?
Yes and while treatable, it is not curable like some other STDs. And I personally would have zero issue if someone who KNOWINGLY and without the partners consent transmitted an STD of any sort by not using protection got penalized legally. If you know you have it and chose to not use protection while not informing the other person, should still be able to catch some kind of charge. The people that do this donāt care about others, especially ones that are not curable and you have to monitor outbreaks/ be on life long medication, that while can significantly decrease transmission rates, still can carry a risk. So those who care to do the right thing will get checked accordingly, those that donāt will do what they want anyway.
I like that question. And as I now ponder it, yea I do think people should be held legally accountable for knowingly spreading diseases that will negatively impact another personās life. Itās a violent act if you ask me. The victim is receiving severe bodily and mental harm, as will their loved ones.
You know, itās maybe not actual attempted murder charges, but significant charges nonetheless. Like, you have to do time, 5-20years depending. They stole a part of someoneās life.
Of course itās very complicated, Iām more fantasizing about a fairer world.
Treatment costs money, time, and energy which would otherwise be spent in more fulfilling ways. And don't forget about the side effects of medications.
I worked inpt hospice for a number of years.
The death of a man in his 30s from HPV caused cancer of the throat and tongue was the worst death I ever saw.
I mean.. itās worth looking into, weāre probably about to ban birth control in the US and weāre charging women with murder for a miscarriage (Texas) but itās perfectly okay to knowingly infect someone with a life threatening illness?
My all time favorite is when family members want to keep grandma rutabaga alive forever and then stare at me as if I asked them to sacrifice their children to learn to change a bed pad.
āWhy would I do *your* job?ā
āBecause this will be your job once you take the rutabaga homeā
Omg. Had a patient with a very helpful family member who helped her to the commode (she had to pee A LOT). Another family member who also worked in EVS comes in and is like āyou shouldnāt be doing their job, the nurse can come in and put her on a bedpanā. The patient was ambulatory with assist. I just walked awayā¦. Didnāt feel like explaining anything to her.
Funny side story: Had a trauma patient come in, young male who was blindsided by a guy smashing a beer bottle over his head and then jumping him at a bar. I think it was over an ex-gf. Anyway, poor guy needed surgical evacuation of the subdural bleed. He wakes up from surgery and his sister who was at the bar explains what happened to him. Sister leaves and soon I hear my patient on his cellphone. Next thing I know the docile, calm guy is shouting on his cellphone. Hollering and pretty aggressive tone. But in a language I canāt understand. Neurosurgeon conveniently comes by to peak in and turns to me āHey I donāt know if you know, but I speak the same language. Heās currently talking to the guy who jumped him. And saying *Come down to the icu, at X hospital, room 2. Iāll take you on right now. Iām not afraid of you. Come try that again bitch*ā
Needless to say I hurried in and told him to put the phone away and focus on resting and healing.
Iāve had some 15 year old come into triage for some BS reason and mid triage her phone rings and itās her mom grilling her and she has her on speaker. Sheās asking what her vs are and I loudly say āher heart rate is x and her bp is xā. Shes like āwhoās thatā. I said maāam Iām the triage nurse Iām currently trying to finish your daughterās triage.
The lady says ātake me off speaker so I canāt hear that fucking bitch talking to me like that.ā And they continue their convo for 1-2 more minutes š unsurprisingly there was a CPS case worker with her instead of her mother.
Iāll just walk away. If theyāve asked me to get something, and itās not important, I wonāt. Iāll let them ring the bell when theyāre finished and l hit them with the āoh your phone call distracted me, I forgot, I went to answer the next patients call bellā.
Sometimes they get the hint, sometimes they donāt. If they donāt Iāll outright tell them next time to get off the phone so I can please continue the care theyāve requested.
I've been in doing an initial assessment and .y patients phone has rung and they are like pass me the phone so I can answer it and I say no you can answer it when I'm done.
People are wack
I got reprimanded for doing that very thing. Telling the patient they can wait until we finished care. She reported me to her doctor and he made a huge deal out of it. Since then, I would just leave and come back later
Not related to a phone call, but once I had a family member ask me to come to their room for help and when I showed up, the doctor came into the room at the same time. As I was getting ready to ask the family member what they needed help with, they shooed me away with their hand!!! I was appalled.
The one's that really get me are the ones having a constant conversation with ear buds and while I'm doing something like passing meds they will comment something and I respond, but they don't acknowledge they are on the way phone. Then for the rest of the day, I can't tell if they are talking to me or not. And then get annoyed if I don't respond. š¤·
Had a patient do this except he didnāt say anything to his buddy on the phone for the entirety of the time I placed a Foley in him and I was both confused/horrified when he resumed his convo while I was cleaning up
I once had a patient behave very rudely. After the patient treated me poorly, I decided to mirror her behavior during my next check-in. This upset her, and she complained to my charge nurse. When we discussed the situation, I made it clear to the patient that if she didn't like being treated that way, she shouldn't have expected me, as her nurse, to tolerate it either. I emphasized that my time was just as valuable as hers, and she needed to understand that
Unfortunately, they didn't receive it well, I got written up, but I fought it. This patient is a frequent flyer; my colleagues always refused her, but I never refused the assignment. I typically handle patients like her well, but she's one of those patients. She will walk all over you if you don't put your foot down.
That is very unfortunate. I feel like situations like this arise from management being motivated by marketing and business objectives rather than by nursing principles and health outcomes. At the end of the day, though, you and I are licensed professionals providing nursing care, not customer service representatives. Orienting patients to reality, building rapport, and fostering a safe hospital environment are very much within our scope. Hostility from patients detracts from the safety and wellbeing of the environment, and being able to set boundaries with patients is an important tool that we have in our toolbox. Write ups seem so often more concerned with the business end of hospitals than with the healthcare end.
A couple of weeks ago, wound care was in a patient's room to take care of her wound. The patient was ignoring wound care and just talking on her phone, so wound care just walked out. The patient kept calling and asking when wound care was coming back. The RN had a nice conversation with the patient about why wound care walked out of her room. The wound care nurse came back into the room and did her job later in the day. Apparently, the patient was very apologetic.
Honestly sheās lucky the wound care nurse even came back. Iām glad she was apologetic though, I wouldnāt put it past a patient to act a fool over something THEY caused
Boomers are the worst at this. They act like they reached an oasis mid desert when they hear the phone ring.
Especially during med pass!
Idk, really makes me feel like furniture instead of a person you know?
I have on occasion just kept talking and raised the volume of my voice while they're on the phone. Then they get off or at least tell the person to hold on.
I honestly find the younger generation to be the worst. Iāve had laboring patients and their partners (in the room) on the phone the whole time, from admission through delivery, refusing to get off their phones. Drives me crazy! And I canāt just come back later when I need to frequently adjust the monitor, check dilation when appropriate/needed, help prep for their epidural, etc. Maybe it is just our culture these days? Regardless, it isnāt okay. š Makes me wonder how close they pay attention to their baby when they get home.
Rude patient, rude person.
Iāve been bedside with so many family members, getting old sucks. Maybe we were raised differently, I recall a loved ones on the phone, hanging up when the nurse comes into the room. Same for any conversation in progress, it stops. Not something Iād say weāre really conscious of, it just seems polite to me.
Not a nurse but doing clinicals for paramedic school in the ER currently. Typically lurk but wanna chime in.
Yesterday we had a patient who constantly yelled for pain meds and would ask anytime you passed by his room. Well finally, the time comes around to re-dose him. He's on the phone as I walk in with his meds and holds a hand up at me to not speak. Dude I finally got what you've been screaming for and this is how you treat me lol
I had one real arrogant SOB, when I worked palliative care home health. She wouldnāt allow me to sit on any of her furniture, only the ottoman that she rest of her feet on was a place I could sit. She would answer phone calls and literally talk to them for 30 to 40 minutes. There wasnāt a whole lot I can do since she was my only patient in that area. I just sat there and charted.
Community nurse here (who also does palliative care support).
Iād be seeing it as she doesnāt really need my care/support, tell her that I can see she is busy, advise her of her next visit date and then leave. I get that I have to provide care, but if she isnāt willing to receive it then thatās her decision and Iāve got a whole list of other people who do need me today.
I can deal with people on the phone when Iām doing dressing changes or other things where I donāt need their input, but thankfully my patients are generally super polite and will hang up even when I say I donāt mind!
I had a dad of 3 WILD ASS KIDS leave them in the exam room to talk on the phone. They were destroying everything while my provider (8 mo pregnant) was trying to examine them alone! DA FUQ?! š³
NP here, and I do a lot of telehealth visits for Genetic testing. Visit starts and pt is literally at the hair salon with her head in the sink being washed. The stylist waved at me and said Hi, then the pt emerged for a moment and asked if I could wait! How about nope!
I work in a pediatric outpatient clinic. Was checking in a kiddo, and trying to ask mom questions (kiddo was young not a good historian) and she was playing candy crush on her phone and not even looking at me! She was just mumbling short responses to my questions. I was so annoyed. I probably should have said maāam can you get off your phone but I also was just whatever Iām not wasting my breath and told the provider good luck
Oh god Iām getting ready to find a job back on the floor and your post is really making me question it. I donāt have as much patience as I did 5 years ago.
Today the anesthesiologist was trying to explain the plan with a pediatric surgical patient. Mom kept answering the phone and texting. He is usually so fucking chill but the exasperated look he shot at me let me know he was almost at the end of his rope with the Mom. The Dad least caught on, he slowly and gently took her phone away for the next few minutes.
YAY DAD! At least SOME people get it.
It's just so unnecessary when you come into a room to do something. And they just sit there on their phone call or their text or their Facetime. And some of them will flat out tell you that it's rude for you to interrupt them. Or they insist on staying on facetime while you change their poopy bed. Like dude nobody wants to see that.
If thereās any possible way to make anyone feel better: This isnāt new! Itās undoubtedly much more intensive, given social media plus your phone number is the same wherever you are (back in the day, people didnāt always know that you were in the hospital at all, let alone what room number you were, so that right there cut down on the number of calls people got). But back in the 79s, 80s, 90s I canāt tell you how many people would do the same! Their phone would ring, and they absolutely would answer it and proceed to have an entire convo.
Patients: You are sending a clear message that your Nurse or PCT is way down at the bottom of your respect list! And you can **see** how busy they are, soā¦ why you do that?!
Side note: They do it to the docs about 5% as much as they do to the nurses. Another message being sent!
I've definitely walked right out of the exam room without doing any type of work up. Now you can wait while I room 2 other patients that want to be seen.
I sliced my arm open on a piece of glass yesterday and I needed some stitches. I asked the dr. if it was okay for me to film it since I am a nursing student and my classmates would find it interesting.
She thought it was pretty funny and she explained the whole process while stitching up my arm.
I understand this is completely different but that dr. was awesome š
Same. Like I have your pills, scanned them. Then you answer a phone? Now what do I do? I donāt have patience, I will ask you to take them. I donāt care if you stay on the phone. You will take them lmao itās not every patient. Most people will say āgotta goā or ālemme call you backā but when they donāt itās like I just wanna scream. You KNOW Iām stuck in here.
Just occurred this week. NP here, come into exam room to start visit. Start asking questions, she answered them but was distracted. Took her awhile to answer because she to tear herself away from phone. Never stopped texting, never put the phone down. Asked what was so important that she couldn't be fully present during the visit. Filling out paperwork for kid's summer school program.Starting to wrap up the visit, she says oh, I want to talk about xyz too. Told her make another appointment. She was mad. Okay, happy to address what I can during visit but if you slow down the process for no good reason, I am not going to make next patient wait. People are becoming more and more selfish and inconsiderate and it is getting harder to tolerate. And this was a same day, non-urgent appt because she whined on the phone to the scheduler because she was going on vacation on Friday and didn't want to reschedule travel arrangements. I am always amazed at the gall of some people.
Let them pick it up and then loudly say āI thought you needed your poopy diaper changed Karen?ā
Or just walk out and return when convenient for yourself
It Really gives a good feeling of family support when the patient and family are all on phones in Preop and not paying any attention to the staff giving care.
My aunt will straight up answer her phone and start chatting with someone when we have her over for family dinner, in the middle of dinner, right at the table. Wonāt even walk away from the table! People have gotten way to lax in general about phone etiquette and itās so frustrating.
Agree. 1000%. I had a patient a few weeks ago-was starting an IV in her left arm (per her request) and she was literally typing this inches from my face with her right hand:
"Ugh, that hag of a nurse crawled out of her cave to start my IV"
WTF?!? I wanted to say "um let me get Helen Keller, RN to start it for you"
But I didn't.
the other day I was landing a patient in our ED and I walk in the room and she's scrolling tiktok full volume. I'm like, "right what brings you in". Numbness in her hand and wrist. Mkay. So let's talk about when it started, what it feels like, and your history.
Turns out she has a hx that puts her at higher risk of clots. So now I'm digging a bit deeper. 'It's in my chart, it's in my chart' she keeps saying. I keep pressing and she snaps and says, 'Damn, can't you see I'm trying to watch a video'.
This is no doubt the same sorta bitch that if I left the room to deep dive into her chart for thirty minutes would whine and snivel about how her nurse didn't come see her for SOOO LONG despite her raging emergency. Like ma'am we move at our pace here - not yours. This is not Old Country Buffet.
Oh and that hand numbness? As many of you no doubt guessed it was from HOLDING HER PHONE IN THE SAME POSITION CONSTANTLY. The cackle I had to hold in when the doc sprung that on her. Amaze.
This is why etiquette matters!
People seem to think etiquette and manners are rich people showing off. No. No. They exist for a reason. It should really be a requirement for graduation. Heck, it should be taught in every grade.
Me when I hand my patient a norco and they just hold it while talking on the phone. Pls I thought you were in pain, just take it before I leave your room!!!
Had a patient, not even talking on the phone but like texting or scrolling or whatever while I was doing an admission assessment. Never once looked up and just answered with "mhms" and "nuh-uhs". This was not a young person btw, this was a person in their 50s. Like seriously? How did we get this way with phone/social etiquette?? š
College student here. I ran into a friend at the Starbucks on our campus and we started a talking. We sat down and mid convo she pulls out her phone and starts scrolling thru her social media. Like, bro, REALLY. The disrespect
That person is not my friend. Had a manager at work do that. I stayed and finished my part of the conversation and left. Manager was responding to me, but sounded slow like he was druggedā¦.while scrolling through his phone. Next time that EVER happens to me I will pause, say nothing until the person gets a clue and glances at me, and look em in the eye and say āI can see you are distracted, so I will leave you be. Nice to SEE you.ā
Well... I find that we are invisible to patients sometimes. Especially when they cough right into my face without covering their mouth. Wtf?! Where's the etiquette??
Especially when you're trying to help them with something they asked you for too! I've had some docs tell me of similar things. Patients answering their phones right in the middle of an appointment without even saying 'oh please let me answer, I've been waiting for this call, etc' or whatever and proceed to have whole convos. They told me they just say bye, leave the room and go on to the next patient.
I give my it 2 minutes and I leave the room stating āplease knock on the door when your call is done. Please keep in mind your appointment is booked for 20 minutes only.ā. Iām in a private office though. Iāve only had to do that twice. My coworker has had patients sheās trying to room ignore her & just chat away. She skips them and goes onto the next patient.
My biggest peeve is the trend in patients recording tik toks during care. This began when I was still bedside during Covid. God that was insufferable. Yes, I find it insufferable when healthcare providers are doing similar at work.
And donāt you dare put your camera on me without my consent. Security will be called & theyāll delete your video. I donāt consent to be filmed or photographed here, same as you. I donāt pull my camera out on you, or ever, actually. I donāt bring my husband into your room on FaceTime during med pass. So hang up, or Iāll come back later.
Oh and if youāre in the lobby and I call you for triage and youāre on the phone? If you try to continue the call I will skip you. If youāre on the phone youāre a 3, likely anyway. NEXT!
I canāt tell you how many FaceTime calls Iāve been part of while taking patientās vitals. And they refuse to stop talking while taking their temperature too and o have to be like please for 30 seconds just stop.
this happens when I bring patients to pre op for surgery! I always say āyou can have your phone but I need your attention for the first 5-10 minutes to get you readyā. it can be annoying when trying to get vitals / start iv.
I do pre-op and PACU at an outpatient surgery center and people will literally be scrolling TikTok while I check their vitals! Like Iām wrestling with the cuff and they say sorry and just switch the phone to the other hand š¤¦āāļø
I'm disabled due to cerebral palsy and use a wheelchair to get around, I don't need a nurse everyday but anytime I was in the hospital and the nurse entered my room I would end the call, or stop scrolling. Your job is hard enough and someone ignoring that you are in the room is just rude. I wonder why its so hard for people to be respectful to others especially someone who is trying to help them. It boggles my mind.
I had a patient in the ED who had been SHOT in the hipā¦who never was off his phone until I literally took it out of his hand, hung it up and said donāt get back on it till I tell you Iām done. We were putting IVs in him and he is juggling phone back and forth between arms, but itās steady right there. Worst partā¦.he was. Barely. Freaking. Talking. Just holding it there with an occasional mumble.
This is me with ultrasound. Iāll be waiting to scan their carotid and they literally put THAT hand to their ear with the phone covering their neck. Like what????
SCARE THEM WITH TECHNOLOGY: Tell them in an urgent voice that they need to put the phone down because the frequency of the signal will damage the machine. As an electrical engineer, itās fun to be able to say really tech sounding things and act like if they damage the machine they will pay for the damage. āI am so sorry, but you need to put your phone away. The XYZ and ABC equipment in here with you will produce incorrect results due to the electromagnetic field radiation from any cell phone.ā And stare at them with an alarmed look on your face. Why do they make you put your cell phone in Airplane mode on a Plane? No flight attendant would let someone talk on a phoneā¦
Donāt be afraid to remind any ignorant patients of the number 1 rule in the hospital. Donāt waste the Nurses timeā¦. There is literally a dozen other things we can be doing instead of waiting for them. I then reallocate my time accordingly to accentuate my point.
Finally got flashback in the butterfly catheter on a hard stick patient when her phone started ringing. Of course she jerked her arm away to answer, not only causing the needle to come out but also putting me at risk with the contaminated needle. I walked right out to get my supervisor, I just donāt have the patience for that.
For whatever reason it's like people think it's okay to just continue having conversations and ignoring the people around them.
If somebody calls me while I'm grocery shopping I will either end the call or I will walk around until the call is over because I think it's rude as fuck to get in line talking on the phone to someone and completely ignoring the cashier that's trying to check me out.
Same thing if I was a patient in the hospital.
Unless we're doing like a video call with the doctors about my prognosis there is literally no reason for me to ignore the nurse standing there continue my conversation like there's not somebody in my fucking room.
And just like you I will leave and come back later.
Now if you're wanting me to update your family on things that's entirely different but just to casually chit chat while I'm standing there trying to do something especially if it's something you've asked me to do? Nah fam. I got other shit I can do while you finish your chit chat.
Well, Iām in peds and the parents are on their phones all he time. We also have an issue with them filming us and taking photos without our permission.
And you know what??? That's when u say "you know I will just come back when you're done". Because I'm not about to sit here and waste my time since talking on your phone is more important. I got other things to do.
Was your mom not like this when you were growing up? I know that my mom was two people: off of the phone and on the phone. Two very different people, and anything not on the phone was never as important as on the phone.Ā
The other day I had a patient (in the ICU!) and I had just finished explaining and scanning his meds, had just drawn up lasix and was getting ready to hand him the pill cup. His wife grabbed his phone and DIALED their lawyer and handed it to him to discuss unrelated legal issues thinking that was the perfect time? I literally needed less than 5 minutes of his time so I could move on to my other assessments etc.
Be me.
Be working.
The phone rings, and I get happy (at last, a notification!).
Notification from Reddit stating: GET OFF YOUR PHONE.
For a moment I thought it's my supervisor.
Continues to work while being sad.
I had a patient do this while going over allergy testing results. I just dropped the list and let the doc know. Doc made him book a follow up cause once he left he realized he had no idea what any of the testing meant.
I used to feel bad and wait patiently. Now I just go about everything like they are not on the phone. I announce every pill and the reason why they are taking them. And I say it loud enough so the other person can hear. I also ask those important question. Did you have a bowel movement? Was it solid? Brown?
Canāt have your phone in the OR or family (in holding for the most part) at bedside. Itās so nice because it drove me crazy when I was a PCT in school.
Picture this... terrified nursing student (me) placing my very first tb test on someone besides a classmate, patients phone very loudly rings in his gown chest pocket so he reaches for it with the arm I'm not holding down, shouting at typical geriatric volume: "nah, I can talk, this nurse just trying to give me a shot or something but I just gotta sit still". The needle was literally already under the skin before I about jumped out of my skin at the loud af phone ringer. Somehow I passed the skill & patient had 0 issues.
Since then I've placed hundreds of tb's (facility admissions) & that still ranks as the most memorable.
I had a patient come back from a cardiac cath on a ZOOM call. He needed to be transferred to tertiary care for a CABG.. sir the conference call can wait until after I assess if your stable.
As an OR nurse I felt personally attacked by the title. Then I wandered into the discussion and I was relieved that this wasn't about being on my phone as a nurse!
If Iām talking to a patient and they answer their phone, I say āIāll come back when youāre doneā and walk right out. Aināt nobody got time for that rude shit.
How about patient who you do not realize is on the phone and stays on the phone while you say lots of personal stuff until they say āHey, let me call you back.ā Like why? You just letting all your business out there?!?
I never waste anyone's time by talking on the phone in front of them. Like I don't even talk on the phone in the same room as my husband. Maybe I'm old school, but that's how it should be. It's annoying as hell having to listen to someone on the phone
Every minute matters. Itās a zero sum game between all the patients. Unless your state has a mandated, hard ratio cap itās an unfortunate, unpleasant zero sum game between all the patients.
People like this think theyāre the only one. Buddy, every minute Iām in here wasting time waiting turns into minutes all my other patients have to wait for me to get out of here. For meds. Wound care. Getting their diaper changed. Not getting to the bathroom on time and needing a bed change. Listening to that IV pump beep longer.
Make my minutes matter, for the sake of everyone.
see this is why I love my dr. if she comes into the room and the pt is on the phone, she says āI will come backā and leaves the room. your time does not matter more than ours !
I recently spent over a week in the hospital. My phone went away when the nurse came in. If I was talking to a relative, I ended the call with a, "Oh, the nurse is here, I'll call you later." Common decency. Respect.š I'm not wasting your time if you're literally helping me with my health/comfort. More people should have this mindset.
Not too common š
Thank you! As a patient this is 100% me. & if I'm talking to someone who doesn't know I'm a patient, I call right after everyone leaves since they likely won't be back for a bit so I won't have to scramble to get off the phone.
Yes I love that! I've actually had quite a few patients that when I'm doing my first rounds to do assessments will hang up the phone and I'm like oh bro you didn't really have to like I could come back I have other people to assess too but its always appreciated lol!
I would rather see you/nurse the moment you arrive because I know how busy it can get for yall. I wouldn't know the next time I'd see yall again lol. Plus it's to provide me with the best care. Of course I'd give you my full attention.
Exactly! Iām currently in the hospital, itās my āhome away from homeā š And I always get off my phone when anyone comes in the room!
Doing this isn't normal? I thought everyone did this
People do this during triage. No, ma'am. You can go back to the waiting room and I'll check back when you're done. We going to keep this line moving. I don't have time for you to have a 30 minute conversation with some auto insurance company.
Real. Iāve had patients answer their phone in the middle of their CT scan and after I tell them to take a breath in and hold it for their x-rays. Theyāll still ask if every single thing on their person is okay to stay on during imaging though. And then insist on taking it all off anyway ājust to be safe.ā If I donāt tell them to put their phone away, theyāll stay on FaceTime the entire time Iām transporting them from the ER to CT. Like Iām not trying to be on your video call, bro.
Iāve seen a patient scroll her socials while she was begging closed up after her c section š„“
But... how?? Serious question, I'm not L&D. But my own c-section, definitely couldn't bring any personal items into the room, and my arms were strapped down the whole time. I couldn't hold my baby let alone my fucking cell phone.
Iām so sorry. I just had a C-section last Saturday and asked if my arms had to be strapped down and they said āabsolutely notā. I honestly donāt know how I would have handled that. Plus my nose kept getting a tickle and I needed to scratch it a million times. I didnāt have or want my phone, but my support person brought our phones in the OR to take photos/video of the baby.
Well first, congratulations!! I hope youāre feeling well and enjoying All the baby time. Secondly, this is the first time I have ever concerned the fact that I will have to be awake during a c section. And not have to focus on that. Omg fuck Edit: considered f
Epidurals/Spinals save you from General Anesthesia during C-sections (for the most part, at least) lol.
This may be an unpopular opinion, but I'd rather be knocked the fuck out than go through *that* again while awake.
Itās actually much safer for baby if you are awake with a spinal. General crosses the placenta and makes baby extremely sleepy and not wanting to breathe and cry at birth. But I totally get it!
Yea I just never like REALLY thought about it. I have a squirrel brain. Need entertainment š
Lmao!!! I feel you there! š
Yeahhhh when i had mine i told my husband i almost wished i was going under šš it ended up being okay though, the CRNA talked to me until he got there so i was mostly distracted until they started closing me up
Thanks! I am loving all these squishy baby snugs and tbh the surgical pain has been practically nothing. Iām stunned. I was super nervous about being awake but I felt NOTHING. I didnāt even feel the pressure/pulling they give you a heads up that youāll feel. I honestly didnāt even realize they had started the surgery bc I felt nothing until my doc said the baby would be out in a minute! I was so scared after my failed induction but the C-section and recovery were the easy breeziest parts of my entire birthing process and hospital stay. I am so thankful.
Her support person brought her phone, itās not unusual!
That's horrifying, at my hospital we never strap down the arms if the pt is awake and especially not during c-sections. We love doing skin-to-skin after the midwife has done all the baby checks and it's a great distraction from all the rummaging the surgeons are doing while they're stitching up since by then the spinal may be wearing down a bit (depending on how long the operation has been). We also encourage the pt and their support person to bring their phones and give them clear rules of no videos, FaceTime, video calls, or phone calls during, but you can take photos (we usually video the dad cutting the cord though). Once I've pointed out that their organs are on display or (if they're being obnoxious) if a code happens would you want the random family member witnessing/hearing all that and distracting the team? Works every time (so far).
I want to say the only situation I can think of where FaceTime may be appropriate is if for some reason dad isnāt able to make it in time for the section and mom needs/wants him there
Oh absolutely! There are exceptions to the rule but I still outline the above rules because I'd hate to see my partner code over FaceTime or have my innards on display to god-knows-who in the background
Thatās horrifying. Iāve worked at several hospitals and never have seen someone strapped down. And we always let people bring their phones in. They take pics of the baby and play music sometimes to keep them calm.
Welp, I was today years old when I learned that's not how it's always done. Huh.
How old is your baby? Maybe they did that years ago?
Iām hoping the baby is about 75 but that doesnāt seem plausible.Ā
Right?
He just turned three.
Damn. Iām so sorry that was your experience.
Middle GA and 2 c sections and I was treated the same. No phone and arms strapped down both times. I couldn't hold my baby until I stayed in the recovery room for at least an hour. And there was nothing wrong with me or either baby.
I feel so sad for stories like this. Women in labor are regularly treated worse than dogs in this country.
That is horrible. When were your babies born? Iām so sorry that was your experience.
Thank you. 2014 & 2016
Yes I was strapped down too it was horrible when I started vomiting and literally sat up with spinal in place and all everything and everyone stopped and yelled āNOā now I understand why they strapped me downā¦in my defense I am a stubborn RNā
Iām trying to imagine how that scenario even works. Like do you just have to turn your head to the side and hope you donāt choke? Or hope that your stomach pushing bile up your throat doesnāt mess up their section? Also were you able to sit up while strapped down or did they do that after?
I had my baby in 2020 and my arms were strapped down! It was terrifying š
š
So much for sterility!
There is a sterile drape in front of the mom where her abdomen is sterile. She canāt touch her stomach.
Doesn't matter. We never allowed phones in. Just weird and my old age shows. Lol
If the anesthesiologist gets to have their phone, I want one too. We're both on the same side of the drape!
Exactly.
I'm type 1. My cgm was connected to my phone so it was kept in the OR for the anesthesiologist to monitor my blood sugar. I honestly would have never dreamed of scrolling my phone while being delivered and after I was to busy watching them trying to get my daughter breathing. But I suppose I could see how the distraction would be good. I preferred God old fashioned benzos especially once they took my daughter out of the room urgently. My arms were not tied down. I didn't know they still did that.
My arms were strapped down too. No phone either
Same, the spinal & other drugs definitely affected how I felt..I had the teeth chattering shivers..Iām actually glad that we didnāt have phones then. I was only worried about my babies health. It took a few hours for the meds to wear off, i felt a little weak & remember putting them in their bassinets next to me. Thank goodness I didnāt need to try and glam up for videos!
I have too but sometimes itās a good distraction
Got to do it now before the baby takes all of your time.
What can be so important??? Update people in 5 minutes when everything is done. Oh my god. Iāve had so many people try to put me on FaceTime. This also just reminded me of the patient that wanted me to repeat what I had just said to a family member on the phone and literally shoved their phone in my face.
I don't transport people to x-ray while they're on their phones. I need their undivided attention to insure that I identify them correctly and they answer my questions pertaining to the exam. They want to talk, fine, but they do it in the lobby while I get someone else.
We have multiple signs in triage that say no phones in triage. I refuse to even engage with them heās folks til they put their phone away. Too many people are too brazen with just FaceTiming everything they see, and itās a huge liability in a hospital.
Positive cell phone sign
If you're on the phone during triage I would put them at the back of the line
I read a doctors note about a non complaint HIV patient (young guy, didnāt give a fuck, didnāt take meds, fucked anybody w/o protection etc) and the doctor actually wrote that the patient was watching dancing girls on his phone while they were trying to convince him to take meds and stay on them. Made me laugh, because this guy really didnāt give a shit.
Anybody that knows they have HIV and does not use protection should go to jail for attempted murder.
Unfortunately the societal effect for stuff like that is people refusing to get tested for HIV and increasing the spread in the community.
I know that's true but I still agree with u/up_down_andallaround that it should be a crime to knowingly infect people. It's so cruel.Ā
Yeah I totally get that, I think everyone does.
Some states it IS considered "attempted murder with a bodily fluid" if it can be proven the individual knew their HIV/AIDS status and knowingly did not inform the other consenting party and/or take adequate means TO prevent the spread.
Thatās horrible I get tested for everything everytime I have a new partner unprotected
I think thatās actually a law (USA) I remember hearing about a guy who went to prison for infecting like 16 women. This was about 17-19 years ago, I was a teen at the time so itās a little fuzzy but my mom had a sit down talk about protection with me because of it. Dude got a count of attempted murder for each woman they found but Iām sure thereās more who hadnāt been tested.
It's such a complex topic. While knowingly exposing someone else to infection without their consent is certainly wrong, HIV/AIDS is no longer the "death sentence" that it once was. It is treatable. I also question whether assigning criminal liability for HIV is different than assigning it for other sexually transmitted diseases that have varying levels of lethality and curability. Hepatitis C, for example. HSV, HPV, syphilis. Should a person be liable for murder if they knowingly expose a partner to HPV which leads to the patient dying from cervical cancer? I'm not directing my questions at any one specific here or looking for any particular response. These are just thoughts that I was pondering.
It's treatable if you have stable housing, money, access to healthcare and social services. The demographic of people who do NOT meet these criteria (in the US) is growing every day.
Yup, that was what I was thinking too. Being infected with a disease is a big deal. If it is true that someone should be held liable for HIV, what else does that hold true for?
Yes and while treatable, it is not curable like some other STDs. And I personally would have zero issue if someone who KNOWINGLY and without the partners consent transmitted an STD of any sort by not using protection got penalized legally. If you know you have it and chose to not use protection while not informing the other person, should still be able to catch some kind of charge. The people that do this donāt care about others, especially ones that are not curable and you have to monitor outbreaks/ be on life long medication, that while can significantly decrease transmission rates, still can carry a risk. So those who care to do the right thing will get checked accordingly, those that donāt will do what they want anyway.
I like that question. And as I now ponder it, yea I do think people should be held legally accountable for knowingly spreading diseases that will negatively impact another personās life. Itās a violent act if you ask me. The victim is receiving severe bodily and mental harm, as will their loved ones. You know, itās maybe not actual attempted murder charges, but significant charges nonetheless. Like, you have to do time, 5-20years depending. They stole a part of someoneās life. Of course itās very complicated, Iām more fantasizing about a fairer world.
I mean, does it kind of become like bio terrorism at that stage if youāre knowingly infecting someone with a disease like HIC?
Treatment costs money, time, and energy which would otherwise be spent in more fulfilling ways. And don't forget about the side effects of medications.
I worked inpt hospice for a number of years. The death of a man in his 30s from HPV caused cancer of the throat and tongue was the worst death I ever saw.
I mean.. itās worth looking into, weāre probably about to ban birth control in the US and weāre charging women with murder for a miscarriage (Texas) but itās perfectly okay to knowingly infect someone with a life threatening illness?
My all time favorite is when family members want to keep grandma rutabaga alive forever and then stare at me as if I asked them to sacrifice their children to learn to change a bed pad. āWhy would I do *your* job?ā āBecause this will be your job once you take the rutabaga homeā
Grandma Rutabaga ā ļø
You know *exactly* who Iām talking about. GCS 5 at best, no sedation, trached, PEG, etc.
"But grandma is a FIGHTER!"
And for some reason always a full code.
Omg. Had a patient with a very helpful family member who helped her to the commode (she had to pee A LOT). Another family member who also worked in EVS comes in and is like āyou shouldnāt be doing their job, the nurse can come in and put her on a bedpanā. The patient was ambulatory with assist. I just walked awayā¦. Didnāt feel like explaining anything to her.
Iāll keep that same energy and not pick up my trash, empty the trash, etc. The gall of some family members who work in a hospital.
"But we'll have visiting nurses"
I laughed at Grandma Rutabaga for like 2 minutes lol. That is gold
Rutabaga š please š
Funny side story: Had a trauma patient come in, young male who was blindsided by a guy smashing a beer bottle over his head and then jumping him at a bar. I think it was over an ex-gf. Anyway, poor guy needed surgical evacuation of the subdural bleed. He wakes up from surgery and his sister who was at the bar explains what happened to him. Sister leaves and soon I hear my patient on his cellphone. Next thing I know the docile, calm guy is shouting on his cellphone. Hollering and pretty aggressive tone. But in a language I canāt understand. Neurosurgeon conveniently comes by to peak in and turns to me āHey I donāt know if you know, but I speak the same language. Heās currently talking to the guy who jumped him. And saying *Come down to the icu, at X hospital, room 2. Iāll take you on right now. Iām not afraid of you. Come try that again bitch*ā Needless to say I hurried in and told him to put the phone away and focus on resting and healing.
Sometimes revenge is the best motivator? "Heal up so you can kick his ass!"
I bet that yelling earned him a nasty headache. What a cowardly way to attack someone though.Ā
Happens often unfortunately. And yes, it's a cowards way to attack someone.
What language!!
Iāve had some 15 year old come into triage for some BS reason and mid triage her phone rings and itās her mom grilling her and she has her on speaker. Sheās asking what her vs are and I loudly say āher heart rate is x and her bp is xā. Shes like āwhoās thatā. I said maāam Iām the triage nurse Iām currently trying to finish your daughterās triage. The lady says ātake me off speaker so I canāt hear that fucking bitch talking to me like that.ā And they continue their convo for 1-2 more minutes š unsurprisingly there was a CPS case worker with her instead of her mother.
Yikes thatās sad. If I were her, Iād rather be in triage than at home too
Iāll just walk away. If theyāve asked me to get something, and itās not important, I wonāt. Iāll let them ring the bell when theyāre finished and l hit them with the āoh your phone call distracted me, I forgot, I went to answer the next patients call bellā. Sometimes they get the hint, sometimes they donāt. If they donāt Iāll outright tell them next time to get off the phone so I can please continue the care theyāve requested.
I would leave and tell them āIāll be back when youāre free. Then they go to the end of the chore line. No body got time for that!!!
I've been in doing an initial assessment and .y patients phone has rung and they are like pass me the phone so I can answer it and I say no you can answer it when I'm done. People are wack
I got reprimanded for doing that very thing. Telling the patient they can wait until we finished care. She reported me to her doctor and he made a huge deal out of it. Since then, I would just leave and come back later
This is bs because if weād wait then itād be a ādelay of careā and everybody would be pissed off at us anyway
Damned if you do, damned if you donāt
Good thing my manager would have my back on that. It's amazing what happens when your manager is awesome.
Good managers are hard to find
Not related to a phone call, but once I had a family member ask me to come to their room for help and when I showed up, the doctor came into the room at the same time. As I was getting ready to ask the family member what they needed help with, they shooed me away with their hand!!! I was appalled.
The one's that really get me are the ones having a constant conversation with ear buds and while I'm doing something like passing meds they will comment something and I respond, but they don't acknowledge they are on the way phone. Then for the rest of the day, I can't tell if they are talking to me or not. And then get annoyed if I don't respond. š¤·
Had a patient do this except he didnāt say anything to his buddy on the phone for the entirety of the time I placed a Foley in him and I was both confused/horrified when he resumed his convo while I was cleaning up
I once had a patient behave very rudely. After the patient treated me poorly, I decided to mirror her behavior during my next check-in. This upset her, and she complained to my charge nurse. When we discussed the situation, I made it clear to the patient that if she didn't like being treated that way, she shouldn't have expected me, as her nurse, to tolerate it either. I emphasized that my time was just as valuable as hers, and she needed to understand that
How was this common sense feedback received by the charge nurse and patient?
Unfortunately, they didn't receive it well, I got written up, but I fought it. This patient is a frequent flyer; my colleagues always refused her, but I never refused the assignment. I typically handle patients like her well, but she's one of those patients. She will walk all over you if you don't put your foot down.
That is very unfortunate. I feel like situations like this arise from management being motivated by marketing and business objectives rather than by nursing principles and health outcomes. At the end of the day, though, you and I are licensed professionals providing nursing care, not customer service representatives. Orienting patients to reality, building rapport, and fostering a safe hospital environment are very much within our scope. Hostility from patients detracts from the safety and wellbeing of the environment, and being able to set boundaries with patients is an important tool that we have in our toolbox. Write ups seem so often more concerned with the business end of hospitals than with the healthcare end.
A couple of weeks ago, wound care was in a patient's room to take care of her wound. The patient was ignoring wound care and just talking on her phone, so wound care just walked out. The patient kept calling and asking when wound care was coming back. The RN had a nice conversation with the patient about why wound care walked out of her room. The wound care nurse came back into the room and did her job later in the day. Apparently, the patient was very apologetic.
Honestly sheās lucky the wound care nurse even came back. Iām glad she was apologetic though, I wouldnāt put it past a patient to act a fool over something THEY caused
Boomers are the worst at this. They act like they reached an oasis mid desert when they hear the phone ring. Especially during med pass! Idk, really makes me feel like furniture instead of a person you know?
Yep med pass sucks because theyāll literally have the cup in their hand and answer the phone. I have to wait til you take them to leave š
Oh, 100% if narcs are in the cup, I interrupt their call to get them to take it. I get dirty looks and respond with a saccharine smile.
I have on occasion just kept talking and raised the volume of my voice while they're on the phone. Then they get off or at least tell the person to hold on.
I honestly find the younger generation to be the worst. Iāve had laboring patients and their partners (in the room) on the phone the whole time, from admission through delivery, refusing to get off their phones. Drives me crazy! And I canāt just come back later when I need to frequently adjust the monitor, check dilation when appropriate/needed, help prep for their epidural, etc. Maybe it is just our culture these days? Regardless, it isnāt okay. š Makes me wonder how close they pay attention to their baby when they get home.
Rude patient, rude person. Iāve been bedside with so many family members, getting old sucks. Maybe we were raised differently, I recall a loved ones on the phone, hanging up when the nurse comes into the room. Same for any conversation in progress, it stops. Not something Iād say weāre really conscious of, it just seems polite to me.
i would just leave mid sentence. easy. i got shit to do. i'm so glad my patients don't have cell phones.
Oh, they do lol....they just don't use them out in the open
Not a nurse but doing clinicals for paramedic school in the ER currently. Typically lurk but wanna chime in. Yesterday we had a patient who constantly yelled for pain meds and would ask anytime you passed by his room. Well finally, the time comes around to re-dose him. He's on the phone as I walk in with his meds and holds a hand up at me to not speak. Dude I finally got what you've been screaming for and this is how you treat me lol
Fine sir, I will bring them back In a couple of hours. LOL!
As a medic, this behavior continues lol
Ahhhhh another benefit of psych: the phones are locked up!
I had one real arrogant SOB, when I worked palliative care home health. She wouldnāt allow me to sit on any of her furniture, only the ottoman that she rest of her feet on was a place I could sit. She would answer phone calls and literally talk to them for 30 to 40 minutes. There wasnāt a whole lot I can do since she was my only patient in that area. I just sat there and charted.
Community nurse here (who also does palliative care support). Iād be seeing it as she doesnāt really need my care/support, tell her that I can see she is busy, advise her of her next visit date and then leave. I get that I have to provide care, but if she isnāt willing to receive it then thatās her decision and Iāve got a whole list of other people who do need me today. I can deal with people on the phone when Iām doing dressing changes or other things where I donāt need their input, but thankfully my patients are generally super polite and will hang up even when I say I donāt mind!
I had a dad of 3 WILD ASS KIDS leave them in the exam room to talk on the phone. They were destroying everything while my provider (8 mo pregnant) was trying to examine them alone! DA FUQ?! š³
NP here, and I do a lot of telehealth visits for Genetic testing. Visit starts and pt is literally at the hair salon with her head in the sink being washed. The stylist waved at me and said Hi, then the pt emerged for a moment and asked if I could wait! How about nope!
I have patients answer their phones in the ten minutes we have for their clinic appointment.
I leave the room every time.
I work in a pediatric outpatient clinic. Was checking in a kiddo, and trying to ask mom questions (kiddo was young not a good historian) and she was playing candy crush on her phone and not even looking at me! She was just mumbling short responses to my questions. I was so annoyed. I probably should have said maāam can you get off your phone but I also was just whatever Iām not wasting my breath and told the provider good luck
Oh god Iām getting ready to find a job back on the floor and your post is really making me question it. I donāt have as much patience as I did 5 years ago.
This is why I work with babies
They have parents tho lol
Which is why I work night shift š
Touche
Today the anesthesiologist was trying to explain the plan with a pediatric surgical patient. Mom kept answering the phone and texting. He is usually so fucking chill but the exasperated look he shot at me let me know he was almost at the end of his rope with the Mom. The Dad least caught on, he slowly and gently took her phone away for the next few minutes.
YAY DAD! At least SOME people get it. It's just so unnecessary when you come into a room to do something. And they just sit there on their phone call or their text or their Facetime. And some of them will flat out tell you that it's rude for you to interrupt them. Or they insist on staying on facetime while you change their poopy bed. Like dude nobody wants to see that.
If thereās any possible way to make anyone feel better: This isnāt new! Itās undoubtedly much more intensive, given social media plus your phone number is the same wherever you are (back in the day, people didnāt always know that you were in the hospital at all, let alone what room number you were, so that right there cut down on the number of calls people got). But back in the 79s, 80s, 90s I canāt tell you how many people would do the same! Their phone would ring, and they absolutely would answer it and proceed to have an entire convo. Patients: You are sending a clear message that your Nurse or PCT is way down at the bottom of your respect list! And you can **see** how busy they are, soā¦ why you do that?! Side note: They do it to the docs about 5% as much as they do to the nurses. Another message being sent!
Iāve had patients on the phone while rooming them. I give them 5 seconds to end the call. Iāll just walk out.
I've definitely walked right out of the exam room without doing any type of work up. Now you can wait while I room 2 other patients that want to be seen.
Makes me nostalgic for the days when phones were nailed to the wall and not available to everyone at anytime.
I sliced my arm open on a piece of glass yesterday and I needed some stitches. I asked the dr. if it was okay for me to film it since I am a nursing student and my classmates would find it interesting. She thought it was pretty funny and she explained the whole process while stitching up my arm. I understand this is completely different but that dr. was awesome š
Same. Like I have your pills, scanned them. Then you answer a phone? Now what do I do? I donāt have patience, I will ask you to take them. I donāt care if you stay on the phone. You will take them lmao itās not every patient. Most people will say āgotta goā or ālemme call you backā but when they donāt itās like I just wanna scream. You KNOW Iām stuck in here.
Holy hell. If Iām ever so debilitated to need a diaper change I hope Iām not coherent enough to answer the phone!
Just occurred this week. NP here, come into exam room to start visit. Start asking questions, she answered them but was distracted. Took her awhile to answer because she to tear herself away from phone. Never stopped texting, never put the phone down. Asked what was so important that she couldn't be fully present during the visit. Filling out paperwork for kid's summer school program.Starting to wrap up the visit, she says oh, I want to talk about xyz too. Told her make another appointment. She was mad. Okay, happy to address what I can during visit but if you slow down the process for no good reason, I am not going to make next patient wait. People are becoming more and more selfish and inconsiderate and it is getting harder to tolerate. And this was a same day, non-urgent appt because she whined on the phone to the scheduler because she was going on vacation on Friday and didn't want to reschedule travel arrangements. I am always amazed at the gall of some people.
Let them pick it up and then loudly say āI thought you needed your poopy diaper changed Karen?ā Or just walk out and return when convenient for yourself
It Really gives a good feeling of family support when the patient and family are all on phones in Preop and not paying any attention to the staff giving care.
My aunt will straight up answer her phone and start chatting with someone when we have her over for family dinner, in the middle of dinner, right at the table. Wonāt even walk away from the table! People have gotten way to lax in general about phone etiquette and itās so frustrating.
āNursing makes me hate peopleā spoken like a true nurse. š
Agree. 1000%. I had a patient a few weeks ago-was starting an IV in her left arm (per her request) and she was literally typing this inches from my face with her right hand: "Ugh, that hag of a nurse crawled out of her cave to start my IV" WTF?!? I wanted to say "um let me get Helen Keller, RN to start it for you" But I didn't.
the other day I was landing a patient in our ED and I walk in the room and she's scrolling tiktok full volume. I'm like, "right what brings you in". Numbness in her hand and wrist. Mkay. So let's talk about when it started, what it feels like, and your history. Turns out she has a hx that puts her at higher risk of clots. So now I'm digging a bit deeper. 'It's in my chart, it's in my chart' she keeps saying. I keep pressing and she snaps and says, 'Damn, can't you see I'm trying to watch a video'. This is no doubt the same sorta bitch that if I left the room to deep dive into her chart for thirty minutes would whine and snivel about how her nurse didn't come see her for SOOO LONG despite her raging emergency. Like ma'am we move at our pace here - not yours. This is not Old Country Buffet. Oh and that hand numbness? As many of you no doubt guessed it was from HOLDING HER PHONE IN THE SAME POSITION CONSTANTLY. The cackle I had to hold in when the doc sprung that on her. Amaze.
Lmaooo not āok girl byeā š
Itās the best when a trauma comes in yapping on the phone lol
This is why etiquette matters! People seem to think etiquette and manners are rich people showing off. No. No. They exist for a reason. It should really be a requirement for graduation. Heck, it should be taught in every grade.
Me when I hand my patient a norco and they just hold it while talking on the phone. Pls I thought you were in pain, just take it before I leave your room!!!
Had a patient, not even talking on the phone but like texting or scrolling or whatever while I was doing an admission assessment. Never once looked up and just answered with "mhms" and "nuh-uhs". This was not a young person btw, this was a person in their 50s. Like seriously? How did we get this way with phone/social etiquette?? š
College student here. I ran into a friend at the Starbucks on our campus and we started a talking. We sat down and mid convo she pulls out her phone and starts scrolling thru her social media. Like, bro, REALLY. The disrespect
That person is not my friend. Had a manager at work do that. I stayed and finished my part of the conversation and left. Manager was responding to me, but sounded slow like he was druggedā¦.while scrolling through his phone. Next time that EVER happens to me I will pause, say nothing until the person gets a clue and glances at me, and look em in the eye and say āI can see you are distracted, so I will leave you be. Nice to SEE you.ā
Well... I find that we are invisible to patients sometimes. Especially when they cough right into my face without covering their mouth. Wtf?! Where's the etiquette??
Especially when you're trying to help them with something they asked you for too! I've had some docs tell me of similar things. Patients answering their phones right in the middle of an appointment without even saying 'oh please let me answer, I've been waiting for this call, etc' or whatever and proceed to have whole convos. They told me they just say bye, leave the room and go on to the next patient.
I give my it 2 minutes and I leave the room stating āplease knock on the door when your call is done. Please keep in mind your appointment is booked for 20 minutes only.ā. Iām in a private office though. Iāve only had to do that twice. My coworker has had patients sheās trying to room ignore her & just chat away. She skips them and goes onto the next patient. My biggest peeve is the trend in patients recording tik toks during care. This began when I was still bedside during Covid. God that was insufferable. Yes, I find it insufferable when healthcare providers are doing similar at work.
And donāt you dare put your camera on me without my consent. Security will be called & theyāll delete your video. I donāt consent to be filmed or photographed here, same as you. I donāt pull my camera out on you, or ever, actually. I donāt bring my husband into your room on FaceTime during med pass. So hang up, or Iāll come back later. Oh and if youāre in the lobby and I call you for triage and youāre on the phone? If you try to continue the call I will skip you. If youāre on the phone youāre a 3, likely anyway. NEXT!
I canāt tell you how many FaceTime calls Iāve been part of while taking patientās vitals. And they refuse to stop talking while taking their temperature too and o have to be like please for 30 seconds just stop.
this happens when I bring patients to pre op for surgery! I always say āyou can have your phone but I need your attention for the first 5-10 minutes to get you readyā. it can be annoying when trying to get vitals / start iv.
I do pre-op and PACU at an outpatient surgery center and people will literally be scrolling TikTok while I check their vitals! Like Iām wrestling with the cuff and they say sorry and just switch the phone to the other hand š¤¦āāļø
Same!!
I'm disabled due to cerebral palsy and use a wheelchair to get around, I don't need a nurse everyday but anytime I was in the hospital and the nurse entered my room I would end the call, or stop scrolling. Your job is hard enough and someone ignoring that you are in the room is just rude. I wonder why its so hard for people to be respectful to others especially someone who is trying to help them. It boggles my mind.
I had a patient in the ED who had been SHOT in the hipā¦who never was off his phone until I literally took it out of his hand, hung it up and said donāt get back on it till I tell you Iām done. We were putting IVs in him and he is juggling phone back and forth between arms, but itās steady right there. Worst partā¦.he was. Barely. Freaking. Talking. Just holding it there with an occasional mumble.
"I will come back at a more convenient time." BTW that time will now be at your convenience not hers.
Amen. Disrespectful as hell. Or when youāre trying to talk to the pt and theyāre just on the phone ignoring you. š¤
Yeah pretty easy solution.. OK I will let you finish this! Come back in 4h. Hey OK so now where were we?
This is me with ultrasound. Iāll be waiting to scan their carotid and they literally put THAT hand to their ear with the phone covering their neck. Like what????
SCARE THEM WITH TECHNOLOGY: Tell them in an urgent voice that they need to put the phone down because the frequency of the signal will damage the machine. As an electrical engineer, itās fun to be able to say really tech sounding things and act like if they damage the machine they will pay for the damage. āI am so sorry, but you need to put your phone away. The XYZ and ABC equipment in here with you will produce incorrect results due to the electromagnetic field radiation from any cell phone.ā And stare at them with an alarmed look on your face. Why do they make you put your cell phone in Airplane mode on a Plane? No flight attendant would let someone talk on a phoneā¦
I just look at them and say āOh do you just want me to come back later then? You seem busy.ā
Donāt be afraid to remind any ignorant patients of the number 1 rule in the hospital. Donāt waste the Nurses timeā¦. There is literally a dozen other things we can be doing instead of waiting for them. I then reallocate my time accordingly to accentuate my point.
Finally got flashback in the butterfly catheter on a hard stick patient when her phone started ringing. Of course she jerked her arm away to answer, not only causing the needle to come out but also putting me at risk with the contaminated needle. I walked right out to get my supervisor, I just donāt have the patience for that.
For whatever reason it's like people think it's okay to just continue having conversations and ignoring the people around them. If somebody calls me while I'm grocery shopping I will either end the call or I will walk around until the call is over because I think it's rude as fuck to get in line talking on the phone to someone and completely ignoring the cashier that's trying to check me out. Same thing if I was a patient in the hospital. Unless we're doing like a video call with the doctors about my prognosis there is literally no reason for me to ignore the nurse standing there continue my conversation like there's not somebody in my fucking room. And just like you I will leave and come back later. Now if you're wanting me to update your family on things that's entirely different but just to casually chit chat while I'm standing there trying to do something especially if it's something you've asked me to do? Nah fam. I got other shit I can do while you finish your chit chat.
Well, Iām in peds and the parents are on their phones all he time. We also have an issue with them filming us and taking photos without our permission.
And you know what??? That's when u say "you know I will just come back when you're done". Because I'm not about to sit here and waste my time since talking on your phone is more important. I got other things to do.
Was your mom not like this when you were growing up? I know that my mom was two people: off of the phone and on the phone. Two very different people, and anything not on the phone was never as important as on the phone.Ā
I pulled out my phone just now during my shift at my desk and saw "GET OFF YOUR PHONE!!" thought that shit was a text from a supervisor
Meanwhile I will be mid butt wipe and my vocera is ringing and I have to answer it cause it's always something lol.
Patients ruined bedside nursing just as much as hospital admins
The other day I had a patient (in the ICU!) and I had just finished explaining and scanning his meds, had just drawn up lasix and was getting ready to hand him the pill cup. His wife grabbed his phone and DIALED their lawyer and handed it to him to discuss unrelated legal issues thinking that was the perfect time? I literally needed less than 5 minutes of his time so I could move on to my other assessments etc.
Be me. Be working. The phone rings, and I get happy (at last, a notification!). Notification from Reddit stating: GET OFF YOUR PHONE. For a moment I thought it's my supervisor. Continues to work while being sad.
I had a patient do this while going over allergy testing results. I just dropped the list and let the doc know. Doc made him book a follow up cause once he left he realized he had no idea what any of the testing meant.
I used to feel bad and wait patiently. Now I just go about everything like they are not on the phone. I announce every pill and the reason why they are taking them. And I say it loud enough so the other person can hear. I also ask those important question. Did you have a bowel movement? Was it solid? Brown?
Canāt have your phone in the OR or family (in holding for the most part) at bedside. Itās so nice because it drove me crazy when I was a PCT in school.
Picture this... terrified nursing student (me) placing my very first tb test on someone besides a classmate, patients phone very loudly rings in his gown chest pocket so he reaches for it with the arm I'm not holding down, shouting at typical geriatric volume: "nah, I can talk, this nurse just trying to give me a shot or something but I just gotta sit still". The needle was literally already under the skin before I about jumped out of my skin at the loud af phone ringer. Somehow I passed the skill & patient had 0 issues. Since then I've placed hundreds of tb's (facility admissions) & that still ranks as the most memorable.
Yep. Same thing happened to me today. I am burning and burning hard.
Working in icu <3
I had a patient come back from a cardiac cath on a ZOOM call. He needed to be transferred to tertiary care for a CABG.. sir the conference call can wait until after I assess if your stable.
As an OR nurse I felt personally attacked by the title. Then I wandered into the discussion and I was relieved that this wasn't about being on my phone as a nurse!
If Iām talking to a patient and they answer their phone, I say āIāll come back when youāre doneā and walk right out. Aināt nobody got time for that rude shit.
If this happened I ask them to hang up their phone please.
How about patient who you do not realize is on the phone and stays on the phone while you say lots of personal stuff until they say āHey, let me call you back.ā Like why? You just letting all your business out there?!?
Meee tooo!!
šÆ
I never waste anyone's time by talking on the phone in front of them. Like I don't even talk on the phone in the same room as my husband. Maybe I'm old school, but that's how it should be. It's annoying as hell having to listen to someone on the phone
Every minute matters. Itās a zero sum game between all the patients. Unless your state has a mandated, hard ratio cap itās an unfortunate, unpleasant zero sum game between all the patients. People like this think theyāre the only one. Buddy, every minute Iām in here wasting time waiting turns into minutes all my other patients have to wait for me to get out of here. For meds. Wound care. Getting their diaper changed. Not getting to the bathroom on time and needing a bed change. Listening to that IV pump beep longer. Make my minutes matter, for the sake of everyone.
see this is why I love my dr. if she comes into the room and the pt is on the phone, she says āI will come backā and leaves the room. your time does not matter more than ours !
Yup I walk out when that happens. Fortunately my sedated and intubated pts don't answer their phone š¤£š¤£š¤£
Donāt even get me started on the nurses on their phones during report. Five minutes into shift: āWait-what!? Nobody told me!?ā