Precious Patients

Every now and then we get patients in who are for one reason or another incredibly demanding. Some have spent years in expensive care homes with lots of well paid nurses and careers to cater to their every whim. These patients then come into hospital and expect the same treatment. Patent when the buzz you for the hundredth time to do something they are quite capable of, like moving a small object in arms reach to a new location still within arms reach they don't bother with words like "please" or "thank you".

It's hard to blame these patients it's how they have learned to live in their nursing homes. However you have two patients under your care as a high dependency nurse. By the time this precious patient is feeling better they have fallen back into their routine. However if you have one of these buzzer happy patients trying to monopolise your attention while waiting for a bed on the wards or a space back in their nursing home and a very sick patient who requires half hourly observations, multiple back to back IV's including inotropes and panic control on their relatives it becomes very difficult.

I am still trying to find a way to effectively help these demanding patients understand I am not the hired help without offending them. Sometimes you just have to be blunt with these patients so you can prioritise your time and ensure the sick patient receives the best treatment possible.