My Bad

[Shishkabob]

So, apparently it's wrong / rude to ask a patient why they didn't take the medication prescribed to them for the issue they called us for, as it "hints" that their call to 911 was unnecessary.

I mean, who cares if nurses and doctors will ask the exact same thing, right? Who wants continuum of care?





My bad.

 

[emt-mike]

lol

somtimes I get really tired of having to kiss everyones behind becuase I have to.

 

[bigbaldguy]

No worries the guy with the cat o' nine tails will be along to flog you shortly for you impertinence just don't let it happen again.

A common saying among flight attendants is "we're here to save your $$@ not kiss it". I think it applies even better to the field of EMS.

 

[jjesusfreak01]

So, apparently it's wrong / rude to ask a patient why they didn't take the medication prescribed to them for the issue they called us for, as it "hints" that their call to 911 was unnecessary.

It doesn't hint that...it hints that they did something stupid, and may or may not need a trip to the hospital regardless.

 

[Aidey]

One of my few very patient complaints involved that question. Along with several others such as why the patient hadn't told their MD they didn't like the medication and weren't taking it, why they hadn't made an appointment with their MD and what did they want the ED to do for them tonight.

(Old lady, wasn't taking her BP meds, BP was 150 over something unalarming. Also complained to the hospital when she ended up in triage for several hours on a Friday night)

 

[EMSrush]

So, apparently it's wrong / rude to ask a patient why they didn't take the medication prescribed to them for the issue they called us for, as it "hints" that their call to 911 was unnecessary.

Says who??

 

[adamjh3]

So... helping to educate them on taking steps to prevent getting to the point where 911 needs to be activated isn't part of the job? Huh...

 

[MrBrown]

It is a perfectly acceptable question

 

[jjesusfreak01]

I was running an ER transport in my convalescence transport job (ie, facility wanted pt to go to ER, wasn't remotely emergent), took the pt for hives/rash appx 15 hours post exposure to unknown allergen. No problems. Went back to pick the pt up from the ER an hour later, prescribed Benadryl and Prednisone. This was between 1 and 3 am.

Fast forward 40 hours to 7pm the next day. Dispatched to the same nursing facility to take the same pt to the ER for the same reason. Am I wrong to politely inquire as to what the facility would like the ER to do for the patient? I want to do what's best for the patient, and ideally I want a solution that's going to make them most comfortable for the next few days until their symptoms are fully relieved. In no case is there ever going to be a problem for me due to these calls, but I end up with a bad taste in my mouth regardless.

 

[NomadicMedic]

I went to a PTs home for N/V. She was sure it was due to the NTG patch she had taken off hours prior. She had a long list of meds, allergies and the telltale "anxiety, psuedoseizures and fibromyalgia" dx at the top of the three typewritten sheets that were handed to my by her husband. All her VS were stable, I started a line, gave 8mg of zofran ODT and took her to the ED. A few hours later, I was dispatched back to the same house for N/V. I asked what was up and the PT said she was discharged but was still sick. Did you get an RX, I asked. Yes, but she can't afford to have the Zofran scrip filled. She took one Phenergan (also prescribed) and it didn't help and now she wants to go back to the ED. I asked what she wanted the ED to do? Write another scrip she wasn't going to fill? Needless to say, I did not take her.

 

[fast65]

No way in hell is that an inappropriate question, it's just part of eliciting a patient history, besides, it could possibly que you into some possible reactions that they're having with their current medications.

 

[George4]

maybe there is a better way to phrase it, so they get the point and they don't feel like you are accusing them.

for example instead of saying "why didn't you take your medicine?", ask "what stopped you from taking your medicine?"

not too sure if it would work, but sometimes if you rephrase something, it can hold a completely different meaning, but still get you the answer you are looking for.

 

[the_negro_puppy]

I was close to asking some inappropriate questions yesterday-

Got dispatched to a female mid 20's. Description stated she had been to a family doctor, diagnosed with an infection and told to go to emergency department of a hospital. Pt went home and called 000 (911) for an ambulance. The patient lives 400m from the hospital and probably had to drive/walk past it on the way home from the doctor.

We were close to arriving when our comms radioed and said she had decided to go via private means to the ED ^_^

 

[AirbourneMedic]

maybe there is a better way to phrase it, so they get the point and they don't feel like you are accusing them.

for example instead of saying "why didn't you take your medicine?", ask "what stopped you from taking your medicine?"

not too sure if it would work, but sometimes if you rephrase something, it can hold a completely different meaning, but still get you the answer you are looking for.

definatly wording is key, I know after being out straight no one feels like catering to a genuine whiner, but good communication is always key

 

[IronClaud]

Definitely sounds like a legit questions to ask lol.