Would you be insulted?

Thanks guys, editing this for privacy Last edit by beeble on Jul 3, '10
I probably would be.

He had to ask.

I don't think he was accusing you of anything. He was just asking if there was a problem. Quite often pts will complain even if you have bent over backwards to take good care of them.

I would be upset that the pt said they received "terrible care" but personally I wouldn't be offended by the MD asking this. What if this were the scenario: another nurse was working with the pt, and you saw that nurse provide terrible care to the pt. You know the pt has told this to the dr., yet the dr. did not even mention it to the nurse. Would that infuriate you? It would to me because by NOT asking, it seems as though no one is standing up for the pt.You stated that the pt was confused for most of the evening...maybe he didn't know that he said he received terrible care, or maybe he just wasn't "there" all together.I would expect the dr. to ask me just to verify that I did not treat the pt poorly. I know it stinks to work really hard and care and then be told you did the opposite when it is untrue, but don't take it too personally that the dr. asked you. I would have done the same.Keep up the good work

No I wouldn't be insulted. The patient stated to the doctor that he felt he got terrible care (I am not saying he did get terrible care), and the doctor asked you what happened, he asked for your side of the story. At least he had the decency to ask you what happened. And you stated the patient was confused, so I wouldn't really take what the patient said to heart.

At least he asked. When I worked nights, I'd gone in and helped with a patient that was getting agitated, kept climbing out of bed, was very unstable, and had a cane he kept trying to beat up the staff with. (And had already bitten one of the aides.) His nurse was brand new, so I went in to help, told him if he was going to keep threatening us with the cane, I would have to take it away. He tried to hit one of the new girls, so I took it away from him. The only time I touched him was a bit later when he started falling, and I put my arm around his back and guided him into the chair that I pulled behind him.Doc came in the next day and reported to the charge nurse that I had beaten up the guy. And that he wanted it reported to the DON. Never thought to get my side of it, just believed the family. The family that refused to let us do bloodwork so that the aide could be put at ease about the exposure she'd gotten from the bite. Because "he's not like this at home, it's obviously you nurses making him do this."Believe me, when that doc was on call in the future, I made sure he got a good play-by-play on any more of his agitated patients, no matter how many times I had to wake him up during the night to do so. Wasn't going to have him come in and report me for abuse before he heard my side of the story again! And since he apparently wasn't going to try to get it from me before he reported me for abuse, I did all I could do, which was call him as it was happening, even if it was 2 in the morning!

So then in answer,one would say, or could, "yes, i provided terrible care to this patient and treated him like #$%$ last night"?

My doctor asks me all the time if I did X, Y and Z for the patient, and I don't take it personally. IMO I think the doctor is just double-checking so he/she can reassure the patient that all was taken care of...or to prevent them from trying to scam the staff (e.g., if the patient claims they never received their medication this morning, hoping to get an extra dose). Or if something wasn't done, then the doctor can explain why it wasn't done. Even though I might have explained it to the patient several times already...guess they'd rather hear it from the doctor. Oh well

Quote from beebleSo then in answer,one would say, or could, "yes, i provided terrible care to this patient and treated him like #$%$ last night"?