8 Things You Should Never Say to a Patient

I think that if you place yourself in your patient's shoes and think how you would like for your nurse to treat you, then you cannot go wrong. I know that I have to remind myself to keep my mouth zipped and not blurt out every thought or reaction. It is not necessary and like the article said, could come back to haunt you. We just need to be professional and remember the golden rule.

LOL This is stuff you learn in school from the beginning. When I cross-trained to work in Surgery, it was quickly drilled into our heads to never say "Whoops!" in the OR. The surgeons even know this rule. But they don't always give you something to say instead. State the word, "there" instead of blurting out an expletive.
Knowing what not to say is just half of the picture. Knowing what to say instead is just as important to maintaining a professional re pore with patients and co-workers.

I had went to the ER at my local "band-aid station" with what was diagonosed as pneaumonia. I asked the doc what was wrong and he said. "I dunno, what do you think?" WTF!!!!

"I doubt it's anything serious." I've heard that one before at work lots of times....I think even from Dr's!!!

You always have a better perspective if you have unfortunately been a patient yourself..... When you are told in school to put yourself in the patients position, I think it is impossible for some people unless if they have experienced it

And may I add one that drives me crazy. When Nurses are speaking to a pt why do they say "I need you to...."? Isn't the treatment about the pt? It's not about what I want/need/think etc. Just for perspective I'm an old ER RN. What I ask pt when giving an injection for example, "I have your pain medication, it goes in your butt/hip/right there (whatever is appropriate for pt understanding), which side do you want to roll onto or do you want to stand?"

I have found that honesty is the best policy. Every one has their own level of pain tolerance so never promise something that you are not 100% sure you can deliver on.

some of them fall on therapeutic communication, still just needing some common sense=)