Intrusion

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We had a patient who took a few too many sleeping pills. She said she wanted to sleep, and sleep she got. In fact, I think she's still sleeping it off.

We met the ambulance on the road (a little rendezvous action), and as I walked toward it, I could see a semi frantic woman who had pulled her car over running across the busy street to join me. I stepped inside the ambo, and she followed me. Apparently she was a relative or something and as I was attempting to get report from the EMT she kept interrupting us. The patient was happily asleep and on some oxygen on at that point.

relative: "Are you going to pump her stomach!?"

EMT: "Not in here!"

me: "Hi, I'm a paramedic, and they've stopped so that I can help out your friend here. Why don't you head to the hospital, we'll be there in a few minutes." This is the nicest way I can think of to say 'I understand your concern, I don't need anything from you, now get out of my ambulance.'

I turned back to the sleeping patient and the meddling relative interrupted me again.

relative: "Are you putting her on life support?"

me wondering: Does a nasal cannula look like life support? I haven't even touched the patient.

me: "No, she's fine, but we need to get going now." To the EMT: "Let's just go."

Long pause. I look between the friend/relative standing in my office, the EMT, and the patient who is fine.

relative: "Oh! You need me to leave. I am holding you up."

EMT: "Uh, yeah."

I am sure that I am not alone in hating it when people inexplicably open the doors of my ambulance. It is my safe space, and my work space and they have just compromised both. It's okay to be concerned for the patient, but no knock?
I love this almost as much I love the relatives who tailgate the ambulance the whole way to the hospital with their flashers on running red lights like they are somehow exempt at that moment. That's a recipe for disaster.

Comments

AFT said…
I usually find that the relatives can create more problems for us than the patients.

I particularly like being asked, "Is he/she okay?" as I start my third round of chest compressions.

Obviously I give them a very sympathetic response, but I would love, just once, to ask them, "Does he look okay?"

My other pet hate with relatives is the free ride they expect to the hospital. We have room for one, maybe two at a push, but so many families expect to travel en masse, as though we're off out on some day trip to the beach.
14 May, 2008
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