Questions asked by ER Nurse

and just like the TSA they will not take a joke well...

edit:
I'm surprised doctors/hospitals allows this kind of thing. Creating an antagonistic relationship with your patient cannot lead to better care.

I can't decide if I'd respond with a polite "f$#k off" or if I'd just ask her "do you have those feelings?"

Don't read too much into it on a personal level. It's a check box. It's been there (in many hospital systems) for years.


Replying with "no" is actually quite easy, and moves the triage nurse (or whomever) on to the next question.


In an effort to see how this is even on-topic, did she ask you if you owned any firearms?

It's pretty hard to see any medical practioner without answering these, and many other, invasive questions about your life and lifestyle.

My wife is a nurse in a hospital based medical practice, most of these questions are more focused on managing their liability than on invading your privacy.

Still a pretty sad commentary on where "modern medicine" is

WALKERs210 said:

Yesterday I had to be taken to the ER for chest pains, I have a heart problem and wife didn't want to take a chance. Anyway about 5 min ago I remember questions that were asked by the nurse while filling out New Forms. She asked if I had any feelings of Suicide or Homicidal Tendencies. What is next, what if your car breaks down and your irritated at the last mechanic that worked on your vehicle, are you going to "Watched " . Makes me not want to leave the house again.

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"I'm here because I have a heart problem and I'm having chest pains...not because I need a psych evaluation. Let's concentrate on that, shall we?"

I was asked by the VA if I live in a "stable home environment."

I said, "No, I live in the house. The horses live in the stable."

The VA has no sense of humor. Your chart has been annotated.

Welcome to the new lefty world order.

I was once asked if I felt "safe" at home, and if there were firearms in the house. The next time I'll just irrigate the wound and super glue it myself.

I worked security in a major hospital emergency room for several years. Most of you would probably have a different opinion if you ever worked in a major hospital emergency room.

A lot of strange injuries and people come through a E.R. In my area psych admissions are at a all time high. Once we have a patient come in for psych admission and confessed to committing a unsolved murder a few years earlier. When the admitting nurse asked him why he was coming to the hospital he stated he had had committed a murder a few years ago that was bothering him. He then proceeded to describe in detail how he committed the crime.

http://articles.kwch.com/2010-05-10/confession_24080313

Feel free to be a wiseguy with medical staff if that makes you feel good. But there are valid reasons that those questions are asked.

"The VA has no sense of humor. Your chart has been annotated."

No, it has to do with all the bad press on homeless vets. We ask "have you been homeless" and "are you about to become homeless" answeres in the afirmative trigger me to ask if you want to speak to a social worker about options. At no point am I prompted to ask about guns although a Psych may ask if there is a yes answer to depression and/or PTSD.

Just ask me, I will gladly tell you why I ask those pesky questions.

MedWheeler said:

In an effort to see how this is even on-topic, did she ask you if you owned any firearms?

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+1. was wonderin' that myself.

It's an inappropriate question, so an untruthful response is no sin.

I was asked the same kind of questions when I got my shoulder fixed last Jan, plus they asked if I had a gun with me. I just said no and that was end of it

It's pretty hard to see any medical practioner without answering these, and many other, invasive questions about your life and lifestyle.

My wife is a nurse in a hospital based medical practice, most of these questions are more focused on managing their liability than on invading your privacy. Still a pretty sad commentary on where "modern medicine" is

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When I had a physical a couple of years ago, the doc asked me a bunch of questions like that, and he said he was supposed to ask but I didn't have to answer truthfully -- or something like that.

There was a study done (don't have the link) where it turned out that the majority of people who had committed suicide recently in the US had received medical care within the last three months of their lives. The point being that no one had asked them about suicidal thoughts.
They ask the question because some people answer yes.

SniperStraz said:

There was a study done (don't have the link) where it turned out that the majority of people who had committed suicide recently in the US had received medical care within the last three months of their lives. The point being that no one had asked them about suicidal thoughts.
They ask the question because some people answer yes.

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Exactly. No reason to get butt hurt. If the answer is no, say no and move on. But what if we can help the next guy who says yes? Some of you all are acting like you are being water boarded for an answer.

In the OP's case, chest pain is a symptom of high stress. Not knowing how his EKG or cardiac enzymes looked it may have been appropriate to ascertain stress to help rule out a likely cause.

Walker

The nurses question was appropriate. It was in the protocol, following which was her job. It is entirely possible that the CIA sends microwaves into your head, forcing you to kill people. This assignment causes chest pain.

Of course, you have to be a delusional schizophrenic to experience it. This is an extreme example, but the question was asked for a reason. Somehow, somewhere research showed that a percentage of mentally unwell people will confess their dangerous ideas if asked. Sure enough, in a bureaucratic system of ED triage the question kind of hits you on the head. It really is about how it was asked, likely in a detached interrogative fashion, not kindly looking you in the eye, or showing a mild discomfort about probing you.

I hope you feel better and the pain did not come back.

I am married to an Emergency Room nurse. I met her when I worked security in a lock-down psych unit. That is a very standard question. If you are having suicidal/homicidal thoughts, some of the drugs they use on you for your chest pain may aggravate the condition, and they need to know. Many pain medications cause an altered mental status.

This is a non issue. Hospital intake has been asking these questions for years. I remember answering them as a 15 year old. I'm 38 now.

Answer truthfully or not, I don't care if you lie, and let the nice nurses do their jobs. Beside ER nurses are like cops, they assume everyone is lying to them anyway.