Nurses and Doctors, how do you deal with an annoying relative of your patient?

Earlier today, a disoriented woman who was BARELY conscious was rushed into our clinic. She was having difficulty of breathing. I helped his son remove her bag, loosened her belt. Made sure that her airway was patent. She was breathing -- with marked difficulty. I Checked her BP- 160/100, while the doctor assessed her apical pulse, listened to her breath sounds.



Suddenly, the patient's son asked for water.. he told us that his mother needs to DRINK water. His mother was gasping for air... Then I told that it wasn't a nice idea to make her mother drink water cos she's having difficulty of breathing.. the water could get into her lungs -- aspiration.



A student nurse (maybe she was confused) gave the son a bottle of drinking water. The other nurse warned him, about the risk aspiration if he gives his mom water. I was the one who was nearest to the patient-- so I grabbed the bottle of water on top of the desk, to prevent him from giving her water to drink... HE YANKED my arm away -- the force was strong enough to PUSH ME AWAY. He yelled at me ';I know how to CURE my mom, I am her SON';. Then he let her mom drink some water.



I was regally pissed off. I just told him, ';if that water gets into your mom's airway or lungs, NONE of us nurses can be blamed. Nobody in here is liable to what your are doing to your mother... and';



I haven't finished my statement yet when his mother began gagging -- water went out of her nose.



Then the patient's son started BLAMING the policemen for arresting his brother for ';driving without a license'; and driving an unregistered vehicle. He told us that it was the policeman's fault why his mother got an ';attack';.



The doctor was annoyed at him too, the doctor made a referral and told him to bring his mom to the hospital -- for further evaluation. The son refused he told us he didn't have money to bring his mom to the hospital.



If you were me, what would you do? Would you do the same thing?Nurses and Doctors, how do you deal with an annoying relative of your patient?
I have worked in several hospitals where i have encountered these type of people. When i was younger i was a housekeeper at a rural hospital in my hometown and i would see nurses have to deal with these jerks and i always felt for them in these situations. I have noticed the best way to handle these people is to treat them like angry customers or small children, distracting them with a different topic or trying to make them feel like your doing what they want in a round about kind of way is the best way to deal with them. A little butt kissing helps sometimes as well. Even though you know in your heart and mind that you know better then they do on how to care for their loved one you can't ever appear that way or seem arrogant or cocky at all, most family members take it the wrong way. Especially if any of the family members have a health care backgroud, that makes it even worse.



PS: For furture reference anytime a family member is combative or is interfering with treatment of a patient call the police, do not hesitate. This woman could expire because you guys are busy trying to fight off a crazy family member and are too distracted to notice. The hospital i work for currently is huge and has their own police force, they are frequently called to the ER to restrain unruly family members and combative patients. And as for the answer before mine i know we can sedate combative patients but we are not allowed to do anything to family memebrs unless they request medical help. So just jumping an unruly family member and giving him a sedative is NOT allowed, you'll find your butt in court being sued and your licences suspended for that kinda crap.Nurses and Doctors, how do you deal with an annoying relative of your patient?
Have yourself and some other nurses help tackle him to the floor and administer an intramuscular preparation of an antipsychotic, preferably Haldol, and if he isn't having uncontrollable movements with major depression, then the dose isn't high enough.
As a RN myself, you did the right thing. Next time before a patient or patient's family get physical with you as the way he did by snatching the water bottle, you need to call your public safety dept. The patient is now in your care obviously so you are the one in charge not the family.