Patronising - How clever of you to notice!

The longer I do this job, the more I realise you need to explain everything to everybody.  There should be a certain amount of assessing the patients level of intelligence that allows you to know how basic you need to make things, but despite this the patients brain may not be fully functioning.

I seem to be a few sandwiches short.

I have often worried I may be seen as patronising, and try not to come across in such a way. However I sometimes think perhaps I am not patronising enough!!

My most common statement is with the antibiotic trimethoprim, one dose every twelve hours.  I always point out that it’s worth making sure you will be awake 12 hours after taking the first one.  I know it’s daft, but I’ve had several patients that have moaned, that they took the first tablet straight after there 3pm appointment, and then had to set the alarm for 3am for the next 3 days!  Sure you want to take you medicine as soon as poss. to get it working, but no major harm would occur if you waited 4 hours!

The best example I can think of presently, was the chap who came in with decreased hearing, and was advised that ear wax was causing his problem and that he should use olive oil and then return in one week for ear syringing.

One week later and the wax in his ear was no softer and looked as if it hadn’t been treated. Now sometimes we find that the patient put the olive oil in the ear and then immediately put cotton wool in to stop the oil dripping out, which unfortunately absorbs the olive oil and leaves the wax untreated. So I asked the guy if he’d been using the olive oil, to which he replied:

“Yes, I’ve been drinking about 10mls twice daily”

Max : “Excellent….could you come back in a week, having put it in your ear canal rather than drinking it”

Was he daft?  Well not necessarily, he was told to use olive oil.  It’s just a case of not being given enough advice on how to use it.  You can guarentee I make sure all patients with ear wax know exactly what to do with olive oil when they come and see me.

On a similar note I have known people with Eustachian Tube Dysfunctions, who have been advised steam inhalation may help, and  think they needed to put the hot steam near their ears. This only relieves congestion if you can breath through your ears - stop trying!!

So I assume everybody is dim, and try not to come across as patronising, and if anyone accuses me of be patronising I’ll just say:

“Ohhh, how clever of you to notice!”

 I’m still looking for spooky nursing/medical stories, as Hallow-e’en fast approaches, so if you’ve got any for me or you just wanna read, materialise here….