To complain about the nurse?

[Teapotsandtablecloths]

I'm in two minds as to whether its an unfortunate accident or something i should complain about.

I went for a blood test on Thursday. The nurse doing the blood test was complaining her gloves were too thick and she couldn't feel a vein properly so she was going to try. She stuck the needle into my elbow ditch and began poking around back and forth. Cue her hitting a nerve. A horrendously sharp pain shot from my elbow down through my arm and hand. My hand seized up and my arm too. I shouted out in pain. The nurse pulled the needle out and said she "must of hit a nerve as they can't see them" 🤔 no shit. But anyway. Fast forward to today, my arm is still in agony, my hand keeps seizing and twitching. I'm taking paracetamol, ibruofen and resting it but it just isn't easing. I plan to go the GP on my day off on Wednesday if it hasn't improved.

Would you draw it up as an innocent mistake, or would you complain?

(i have anxiety and hate raising complaints or confrontation so I'm sorry if this seems pathetic and a stupid q)

A friend of mine had a phlebotomist somehow hit an artery - her arm was swollen and blue from top to bottom!

I do not think I would complain, unless you feel that this nurse's approach was grossly different from others you have had and she needs a bit of retraining.

@480Widdio

Probably wasn’t a Nurse doing it.You asked for opinions,but you don’t like it when people tell you not to complain!! What was your point in asking?

Where have i said i don't like it if someone tells me not to complain? I've thanked people for the opinions for both sides of the coin. I posted here exactly for that. To get a range of opinions.

@Mischance

A friend of mine had a phlebotomist somehow hit an artery - her arm was swollen and blue from top to bottom!

I do not think I would complain, unless you feel that this nurse's approach was grossly different from others you have had and she needs a bit of retraining.

Oooh that sounds sore.

The retraining is what my thoughts are exactly. I'm not looking for her to be dragged over hot coals or anything like that. I accept it can be done and it is an accident. But if its something that needs retraining, it needs retraining if you get me.

@Mischance

A friend of mine had a phlebotomist somehow hit an artery - her arm was swollen and blue from top to bottom!

I do not think I would complain, unless you feel that this nurse's approach was grossly different from others you have had and she needs a bit of retraining.

Sometimes arteries are in unusual places……I managed to cannulate one once which impressed the SHO when I asked him to come snd look why the flashback was pulsing in time with the patients heartbeat! 🙈

Never hit a nerve in 20 years though!

Complain. Dr & Nurses are not beyond reproach. I work with in the sector and she may need more training.

Complain. Drs & Nurses are not beyond reproach. I work in the sector and see mistakes all the time. She may need further training - she won't get sacked!

Depends my friend hit a nerve 3 years ago my arm has never recovered hopefully yours does. You could perhaps mention it in a nice way with a view to training rather than a complaint

Doctor not friend

Just to clarify, I am not out for blood or wanting the lady sacked or anything like that. Heck i dont even expect an apology or anything. My genuine concern is if its a lack of training or experience which can be easily rectified before it happens again.

Also, i apologise if the title of Nurse is incorrect. I stupidly assumed seen as it isn't a GP, the title would be nurse. That's my mistake. My apologies on that one.

Have you lost sensation in your hand or is it "just" painful? You will do well to keep all your finger and thumb joints moving and heat (hot and cold packs) can help to distract from the pain.
FWIW, I would send an email to the head of unit as she may well need retraining. If that stops others from suffering then its worth it.

@ShitPoetryClub

Have you lost sensation in your hand or is it "just" painful? You will do well to keep all your finger and thumb joints moving and heat (hot and cold packs) can help to distract from the pain. FWIW, I would send an email to the head of unit as she may well need retraining. If that stops others from suffering then its worth it.

No loss of sensation, right now that'd be a blessing. Just very sharp shooting pains and my fingers keep tensing up for a few seconds then relaxing and general pain in moving my hand and fingers. I'm hoping it just eases off ultimately.

I couldn't feel a couple of my fingers for a few months after having a cannula inserted when I had DD. That was an anaesthetist though.

I have frequent blood tests at my GP practice and when I mentioned to the senior nurse that I preferred an appointment with her as one of the others seems to kind of flick the needle when she takes it out and always bruises me, she asked me to tell her which one so she could observe her technique and give further training. You shouldn’t have to put up with being hurt! It isn’t nasty to mention it.

I was a nurse manager. I'd say write a nice, but fair complaint. It helps to improve the service and improve the caregivers practice. Often we need evidence before we can 'act' on something. It might be 'known' she's not great, but we need proof, as it were. Look at it as helping to prevent it happening to someone else. It doesn't sound like she had good technique. Yes, sometimes you have a bad day and miss. It happens. But digging around like that, if say she needs more training. How you're feeling better soon.

Some nurses don't start IVs or take blood very often. I have an infusion every month at an infusion center and very seldom do they have to try more than once. It is what an IV nurse does all day.

On the other hand, I was in hospital in December for a post op infection and needed IV antibiotics. The emerg nurse started the IV right near my elbow and it drove me mental for days as every time I moved my arm the alarm on the pump started. The nurses were irritable about it but you try to keep your arm still all day.

When they finally had to start a new one I turned into a human pin cushion they tried so many times. I had bruises up my entire forearm. They had to call a specialist nurse.

I am saying all this because it seems practice makes perfect. I had my infusion yesterday and the nurse was awesome. He said he loves IV nursing and sees it as an art form. He said tell anyone trying to start an IV on me to stretch the vein.

I would say the nurse you had needs either training or a lot more practice. I could tell the hospital nurses were apprehensive.

Complain that's horrible OP.

The striking thing about this incident is your confidence that you will actually see be able to see your GP on Wednesday, not six weeks hence.

I’m a nurse and am trained to take bloods. However, just because I’m trained doesn’t mean I’m very good at it! If I can’t see or feel a vein I don’t attempt it. I’d get someone else in to do it (HCAs are normally better at it IMO).

I wouldn’t complain though

Don’t get why people are saying it probably wasn’t a nurse!? It probably was a nurse or a HCA

Terrible technique. If the gloves were a problem she should have removed one so she could locate a vein first then replaced it and tried. No one should be blindly stabbing at an arm hoping to hit a vein. Hitting a vein can cause permanent damage.

I would bring it up for sure. And I'm not the type of person to suggest that lightly (I never complain about anyone!).
Sounds horrible OP, and hope your arm is better now.

I wouldnt complain the nurse will have been anxious after hitting the nerve accidentally and 3 tries is the usual before we pass over to someone else . . Sometimes bloods are difficult for one person but not another .

If you have to see the gp next week it will be obvious what happened. If it’s OK next week I’d report it in but not make a complaint.

I do bloods on children. I've taken that many times to get blood. If a child is really sick or the tests are really important I've gone in blind. Going in blind means you can't see the vein but you know where it's supposed to be so you go in that place and wriggle for a bit in case you get it. It does work sometimes and I do it when there are no other options. I'm now sufficiently senior that I'm normally the most experienced person available and in an emergency there is no one else who can do it.
It's awful for the patient, parents and staff but sometimes there is no other way

@Teapotsandtablecloths I know this is an old thread but I had the same thing happen to me last week and it's worrying me! Did yours get better?