Do not feed the nurses, by Dr. Biodun Ogungbo

The nurse has a responsibility to call, if a patient becomes ill or there are changes in their condition. I have worked in a hospital where the nurses are always complaining of not having enough credits on their phones. So, this excuse pops up every time they fail to call you for an important aspect of care. If they do call, they make sure you know it. Some have even asked for a return of the credit used in making that phone call!

Scene 1
Anyway, so bringing cookies, donuts and biscuits to the ward (for the nurses!) works a treat in making them go the extra mile for your patient. They remember the cookies, use their own personal phones or a friends’ phone to make that all important call.
Take the next scenario.

Scene 2
As a young doctor in the delivery room, getting a baby to deliver depends very much on the midwives who are ultimately in charge of the pregnant mother. They can persuade the mum-to-be to allow that ‘nice and gentle baby doctor’ to take the delivery or leave you completely out of the proceedings.

So, what do you do to get your hands dirty?
Dr Ankeney reports that the fastest way to a nurse’s heart … is through a cheesecake! And chocolate. Cookies help, too. This is the way it worked. A week into the obstetrics posting, none of the nurses showed any interest in helping out. So, Dr Ankeney hit upon the tried and tested technique of buying a box of cookies. It worked a treat as one of the nurses allowed him to take a delivery! The next time, he bought a cheesecake and was able to take 25 deliveries in a month.
Many people have tried this in the past and seen similar results. Patients coming into hospital and relatives bring food and drinks for nurses on the wards. This can sometimes smoothen the way for the patients to be preferentially treated. Nurses like nice patients and relatives!
Ultimately, that should not be a problem. Nurses do a great job and should do a great job with empathy, compassion and without inducements. The real concern is whether these acts lead to problems for particular people or more importantly, other patients.
The problem is that carelessness and the lack of concern for other patients who have not bribed the nurse with sweets, occurs. This translates to poor attitudes and bad behavior that is obvious to patients and relatives. It can also be counter productive for the patients’ health.
Let me paint the unsavory scenarios for you.

Scene 3
An elderly woman admitted to hospital for back surgery gave the nurse N1000 only; as a way of appreciating her care. The nurse felt obliged to accede to her requests later for sleeping tablets, that was not prescribed and also allowing her to rest for longer in bed, in the morning! Both acts were directly related to the N1000 collected from the patient. The nurse was being nice to the patient instead of doing a professional job. Unfortunately, the patient was actually not ‘resting’ but unconscious from hypoglycemia (low blood sugar).

Scene 4
A man admitted for back surgery gave the nurse N1000 as a way of appreciating her care. He was later heard saying to a friend, ‘at least, now I am sure she will not kill me’.
So, different strokes and different folks.

Patients give food, stuff and money to nurses for a variety of reasons. It may be to appreciate the nurse for care rendered, rarely as an inducement for future services or worse. Either way, it can help or hinder care depending on the expectations. It can also be wholly inappropriate and likely to lead to poor quality of care, with its attendant risks to life and limb.

Do not bribe or feed the nurses
In conclusion, do not bribe the nurses with food, promises or money. Just be nice and calm and they will reciprocate while remaining totally professional. If you’re pleasant and grateful, that will go a long way.

Nurses always go the extra mile for nice patients.

 

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