Do you ever give patients "tough love"?

[spenac]

So you get a person ruining their lives.(Abusive relationship, drugs, alcohol, etc). Do you give tough love? In other words are you straight with them? Do you tell them the facts about ruining their lives if they continue the course? Or do you pussyfoot around doing what you have to do but avoiding the tough subjects?

[EMS Solutions]

I don't really start being their social worker and tell them how they are ruining their lives. Mostly, they are well aware of that before I had to be in their presence. Especially when I get the same repeat customer several times.

I am however, straight with them. I don't blow smoke and certainly don't let them think they are fooling me in anyway.

[Yummymedic05]

I'm honest. I don't preach due to the fact i'm not perfect. I also like to give life examples to open their eyes. I'm always 100% honest when asked what I think.

[HellsBells]

As Ems solutions says, were not social workers, these people had problems long before we were called into their lives, telling them they're really F***ing things up isnt going change the way someone acts.

However, I'll try to help those who will accept it, i.e. helping a patient get into detox, rehab centers.

[spenac]

Have you ever asked one of your frequent flyers, because of choices they make, why you should help them? Why they have kept lying to you about making changes? Or do you just quietly hall them again?

Yes alcohol, drugs, and for that matter any problem we bring on ourselves could be claimed to be an illness, I'm sure some Doctor or group would back you. If that is something you want to discuss please start another topic.

[Dustdevil]

Man is born with a finite number of breaths in him for a lifetime. I try not to waste any of those breaths preaching to the deaf. Not only is it a waste of my precious breath, but it is counterproductive to society. I wholly encourage the defective amongst us to eliminate themselves from the gene pool. Why would I want to stop that?

At least here, on the Internet, I can school wankers and rookies without wasting any breaths.

[BushyFromOz]

At least here, on the Internet, I can school wankers and rookies without wasting any breaths.

:evil4:

classic......

[Riblett]

Well, I try to tread lightly on these types of subjects with my patients, but sometimes my lips loosen after three or four calls in the same week all after midnight. We have a patient who has a major problem with alcohol and we get called to their apartment several times a month. I have been called to this patient for drinking mouthwash, rubbing alcohol, and hairspray so far in the last few months. I always try to be nice, but sometimes I just get really irritated, especially when it has involved me getting out of bed or up from dinner. The patient is always really nice to us and never snappy or rude, and it is usually a friend or family member who calls us because they found out what the patient drank.

Patients who abuse the system are the ones that tend to get a rise out of me. In the county I work in there is one individual who calls 911 two or three times a day because she needs help moving her husband from wheelchair to bed or bed toilet, etc. The two of them live alone. This may sound mean or cruel, but get a home health aide or go to an assisted living facility. I am getting sick of being paged to this address for "assist invalid" three times a day. Helping grandpa to the toilet is not our job. This paramedic level truck is tied up moving this man while another unit that is 15 minutes away from the neighboring district has to respond to codes, chest pains, and shortness of breath calls. To top it off, the county cannot bill Medicare for this call, but it is tying up an ALS ambulance. The county has not done anything about it. It makes me mad.

I can certainly sympathize with her not wanting to put him in a nursing home, but what about when serious call comes out in that district and another ambulance that is far away has to respond, and the patient dies?

[JPINFV]

I've always kinda of wondered if society has stopped human evolution. We try to keep nature from killing off people with bad mutations or people unfit for survival and the most fit in society generally don't breed to their potential.

[prettyone]

Hey I'm there for someone if they want my help. If not that is their choice. I'm not here to judge them...only help them find their way.

The rest, well that's up to them.