So please read my last blog to appreciate this one: I was dealing with a patient with a finger amputation. It doesn't matter how busy you are, the patients keep rolling in.. A twenty something girl came in a few minutes after our poor guy who was losing his finger. Of course, she didn't know this. Her complaint was " a big, deep cut". She had a TINY cut on her wrist that you and I would not walk into an ER for. I wanted to walk her into the amputee room and tell her, "THIS is a big, deep cut!!!"
Tell me, would a nurse hotline be helpful to people? A way to avoid the ER $$$ for possible practical advice? Let me know..
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3 comments:
um, i say no because the liability of the nurse to give advice of "don't come in" without actually seeing the patient/wound would be too great. i mean, people are dumb. this girl would have said on the phone "big deep cut..." how deep? "um, can't really tell...." okay, then to be safe come in....--then the same scenario anyway.
everyone should have some good medical books at home. every time i wonder about an illness/injury, i get out my books and do my own assessment--if it says "look for this this and this--and if x then go to the dr..." people should have SOME responsibility for their own health, and use good judgement. guess it's not that easy when you are hurt though.
I bet she had insurance, though, right?
We have a few nurse hotlines here near SEattle and I do find them helpful. I applying to an LPN program and can't wait to meet all these sweet needy patients. Bwahahahahahaha!
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