We went to move a patient to another room the other day because they were confused and trying to do unsafe things so we wanted to move them somewhere closer to the nurses station so we could keep a better eye on them. This conversation was also being had by way of a translator on video call on a work phone so we start guiding them down the hall while they’re confusedly babbling and I’m trying to keep the translator close in case real words happen to fall out that I need to understand.
Then the translator hollers out “please don’t give me a shot” and I was fumbling trying to get the phone close enough for the patient to hear me be like “NONONO we’re just moving you to a different room!” That translator earned her money that day. She was just about crying on the call by the end. There was other stuff about the overall situation that was also depressing but that moment in particular was very NO NO NO NO that is not what’s happening honey! Like I will if I have to but there’s about 20 more things I’m gonna try first!
Honestly this is just another example of why I had the translator app installed on all the work phones instead of just the iPad on the stand. So many people give up too quickly when the patient is confused and the translator can’t make sense of it and they don’t like pulling up the iPad on the stand because they don’t want to trip on it while running away or get hit with it but like. I’m a ten year veteran of talking people out of dumb decisions and the talking is actually pretty key, even and ESPECIALLY when the dumb decisions are actively happening.
We went to move a patient to another room the other day because they were confused and trying to do unsafe things so we wanted to move them somewhere closer to the nurses station so we could keep a better eye on them. This conversation was also being had by way of a translator on video call on a work phone so we start guiding them down the hall while they’re confusedly babbling and I’m trying to keep the translator close in case real words happen to fall out that I need to understand.
Then the translator hollers out “please don’t give me a shot” and I was fumbling trying to get the phone close enough for the patient to hear me be like “NONONO we’re just moving you to a different room!” That translator earned her money that day. She was just about crying on the call by the end. There was other stuff about the overall situation that was also depressing but that moment in particular was very NO NO NO NO that is not what’s happening honey! Like I will if I have to but there’s about 20 more things I’m gonna try first!
Honestly this is just another example of why I had the translator app installed on all the work phones instead of just the iPad on the stand. So many people give up too quickly when the patient is confused and the translator can’t make sense of it and they don’t like pulling up the iPad on the stand because they don’t want to trip on it while running away or get hit with it but like. I’m a ten year veteran of talking people out of dumb decisions and the talking is actually pretty key, even and ESPECIALLY when the dumb decisions are actively happening.