Quick question for A&E/Hospital staff/paramedics !!!!

[Quickquestionmate]

Do you ever get annoyed at patients for coming in with the same things?

I take part in a dangerous sport (eventing) and have been sent to hospital in an ambulance several times especially for cross country accidents. The staff have always been lovely to me but I was just curious if it gets frustrating seeing patients continually come in with injuries from dangerous sports?

5 a&e trips last year (either from being kicked by my horse or thrown off). It’s not because I’m a hopeless rider- cross country is extremely dangerous and I was also rebacking an ex racer which was challenging to say the least, hence the higher than usual number of injuries! Like I said, all the staff were lovely, but I was just curious from the POV of those staff about if it gets frustrating to see someone do a dangerous sport and continually end up hurt and do they see them as timewasters having to go to hospital so often? Eg other potentially dangerous behaviours like trampolining or drinking excessively, do staff feel annoyed or frustrated at patients for that?

just being nosey here on the POV of people dealing with this.😀

If they do, it would be very unprofessional to mention it.

Well, I'm in mental health rather than physical health, and i can admit to being irritated by people coming in with repeated and self-inflicted difficulties (I mean things like drink/drugs use or stopping taking meds, not self inflicted as in self-harm). I would never express this or let the patient know, though.

I do think it is a bit selfish to take up the limited NHS resources doing a hobby where you are so regularly injured.

I am someone who regular comes into contact with police/A&E. Mostly when I am pissed as a fart tbh, but I end up in hospital due to self harm too.
It makes me feel great that you are judging people like me.

It's frustrating when someone repeatedly self sabotages their health.

I used to work in MH and can honestly say I never judged or got irritated by people self harming/stopping meds etc.
They only do those things because they are mentally unwell.

You would never let them know...except you just did. Loads if them. And as one of them, thank you for letting me know I should stop all treatment and never seek help again due to this attitude.

Nope, not annoying. Better people are doing these things and getting injured on occasion than being a couch potato, stuffing their face and at then at high risk from CV disease and a lot of other stuff.

The drunks do tend to piss everyone off though in my experience, particularly if belligerent, you can do without that on top of everything else. Funnily though ODs (as in addicts, not MH issues who claim to have taken a handful of pills) don’t tend to be viewed in the same way. On reflection, I think it’s because they don’t cause problems as such, stretchered in, treated, don’t tend to cause issues and mostly they can’t wait to get up and out to do it again unfortunately. Contrast that to someone drunk (and pre-Covid often brought in by a group of equally drunk friends who also feel the need to be ‘entertaining’), who is prioritised as they are pissing everyone else in the waiting room off, are loud and often obnoxious when being treated not to mention often like to wander thinking they are entertaining (somehow) for others in beds who don’t want to be disturbed. Nightmare. Sporting/recreational injuries no issue 😉.

I've only ever felt sympathy for some 'frequent flyers'. one in particular comes to mind and it's 30 years since I last saw them.

I've felt frustration with some parents though, when they are not doing something simple that would help their child eg not putting something out of reach / out of the house.

And exactly the reason there is still so much stigma. Great, you have no idea how addiction works, did you say you work in mental health?!?!

My late SIL who took her own life 4 months ago was let down by the very attitude you have.

Good god!!!

A family member who is an NHS physio finds it frustrating when patients come back and back because they don't follow advice. She has a certain number who return on a regular cyclical basis. She doesn't let them know and she hasn't said she's annoyed/irritated. More frustrated for them that they could alleviate some or all of the problem/s and pain or irritation themselves.

Bit different from A&E though. Really should be no judgement there

Are you actually a qualified nurse ? If so you might want to re think your career choice ?

Very shocked by @Stompythedinosaur 's post, like an attitude from the 80s.

OP - I think you are taking an unnecessary and unhealthy level of risk with your hobby. Five A&E visits in a year is too high to be deemed sensible.

Married to an a&e staff member. They get annoyed/frustrated by social drinkers who get wasted and end up there with injuries or just because they're so wasted. Also with people who don't wear proper safety clothing for horse riding, motorbiking, cycling etc. Other than that, no they don't get frustrated by return visitors, if you're injured/seriously ill, you need seeing, and in my experience, staff in a&e are there because they want to do emergency medicine, it's not a speciality you do for an easy life!

Yes, but you wouldn’t admit it or let it show.

Bugger me. I'm not sure that someone who doesn't recognise those behaviours are part of the illness should be working in MH

Bugger me. I'm not sure that someone who doesn't recognise those behaviours are part of the illness should be working "in MH"

Person with mental health problems displaying symptoms of their mental health problems- shocker

I did get a telling off from the dr in A&E once. So I guess they do judge to some extent.

I made it very clear the injury was not my fault and he did apologise "for the lecture"

Not A and E related, but many years ago the employer of a colleague's rugby playing DH asked him to play less rugby or stop playing it because he was always injuring himself resulting in a lot of time off work.

He was a sales rep and couldn't drive with various limbs in plaster. This was years before the Internet BTW.

That probably is reasonable, as part of an absence management plan if it was that bad.

Paramedic. It’s nice to go to a proper injury (not that I want people to get injured, mind) once in a while rather than all the hurty fingers or coughs and colds so no, I’m not bothered. To be fair, I don’t really mind anything I go to. Not my pay grade to get arsey with why patients call 999.

That's not what the poster said. But yes, you shouldn't stop taking your meds and you should stick to your treatment p lan.

I do think it is a bit selfish to take up the limited NHS resources doing a hobby where you are so regularly injured.

So you would rather people sat at home on the sofa instead of playing sport?

I work in A&E. I don’t judge people based on what they come in for, only on how they behave towards the staff. I don’t care if it’s drugs, alcohol, dangerous sports, whatever. I don’t know what circumstances led to people being where they are. If people are honest (in the sense of telling us what they’ve done so we can treat them safely) and treat the staff with basic respect then I don’t have an issue.

So you would rather people sat at home on the sofa instead of playing sport?

That is just a silly response. They could take up a less risky sport. It isn't simply do a dangerous sport or do nothing.