Rangat
Forum Lieutenant
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Ah, but... Now did you know that Medazolam affects your short term memory???
Holding someones hand
- Thread starter Guardian
- Start date
gradygirl
TROUBLE
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Hey, have you seen the thread by Ignac? He's from S. Africa as well.
aline
Forum Probie
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This is a job where you violate other peoples personal space every call/day, and our patients violate ours. Holding a hand is something I do. It's called theraputic touch. Sometimes just holding their hand or a gentle hand on an arm or shoulder lets the patient know that he/she isn't just a number to you. It can be calming and reassuring to them. Now, do I do this with every Pt...No. But, if my medical care is done and I'm sitting there waiting for the next set of vitals, I see no issue with holding someones hand and a little converstation.
I don't know how long you've been in the field but, if you have an serious issue with touching or being touched then maybe this isn't the profession for you.
**Off my soapbox**
I don't know how long you've been in the field but, if you have an serious issue with touching or being touched then maybe this isn't the profession for you.
**Off my soapbox**
Ridryder911
EMS Guru
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I think who in the hell you think you are & what you are doing in a health profession? I think you need to get out ASAP!. If you fill you are above giving compassionate care, and only are there for the pleasures of yourself, EMS does not need representation such as this. There are way too many .. "I am better than this" in EMS. Get over yourself. This is why, EMS has such a poor rating among those surveyed of patients, of those they trust in health care.Guardian said:
Being a human, providing comfort (physical and emotional) is our job..yes, there are times when one is busy with an essential procedure to perform such.. but that is VERY RARE and as well can be done prior or after procedure.
If you are above giving "personal care" then obviously, you should evaluate your priorities. As well, if I seen you avoiding touching my daughter, family, while they were in pain, grief, etc.. I definitely would take action... There is no room for holier than thou people in this profession..
R/r 911
MariaCatEMT
Forum Asst. Chief
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Ridryder911 said:
It just occured to me that you have been here a very long time, and don't post too frequently. When you do, it is definitely food for thought. Thank you for having the ability to get to the heart of matters....
SwissEMT
Forum Lieutenant
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Rid get's my post of the year vote.
FACE IT: It's part of your job. 75% of EMS is comforting the patient, being there for them as a compassionate human being in a time of need.
FACE IT: It's part of your job. 75% of EMS is comforting the patient, being there for them as a compassionate human being in a time of need.
SwissEMT
Forum Lieutenant
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You're forgetting the 10% paper work section ^_^
Ridryder911 said:
Wow, this is a passionate post. I respect your opinion. I do think there are times when people need to grow up and stop expecting us to give them the attention they never got from mommy and daddy. I also think we should stop encouraging this behavior which is what we do every time we gratuitously hold their hands.
As for holding your daughters hand, of course I would, I'm not Hitler.
As for wanting me out of EMS, join the club...lol
Firechic
Forum Lieutenant
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This, to me, is an odd thought. I don't think that EMS people are big pushers of the hand holding issue. I also don't think it is performed gratuitously. My patient care during a transport doesn't include, "well, I finished my assessment, all of the necessary procedures were performed (IV, meds, etc), okay then....cripes - given me your freaking hand until I have to retake your BP."
THAT is gratuitous - unwarranted - perfunctory - mechanical.
I don't want this to be misconstrued as an attack or as condescending....
Think for a moment, why do people reach out for a person's hand when in an EMS situation or in the back of an ambulance?
Fear? Loss of control? The unknown? Is something wrong with me? Am I dying? What will happen to my family? What are they doing to me? Why am I hurting? etc, etc, etc.
You are in the back of that MICU every shift - God only knows how much time you have logged there. This may be the very first time the patient is there, it is unfamiliar and strange.
It's called empathy - identifying with what the patient is experiencing. If you cannot experience compassion for the patient perhaps empathize with them, try to imagine it. I will guarantee that one day, someday in your life you WILL experience something similar to those patients you write about. I pray that you will have someone there to help you who is empathetic and merciful to your suffering and fear and will even hold your hand.
I love that you call your trucks MICUs. Ambulances ambulate, which is what we do but thats not what sets us apart. What sets us apart from the average taxicab is the fact we bring intensive care to the pt. Kudos to you for using MICU instead of the outdated term ambulance.
I meant the pts are being gratuitous by requesting we hold their hands and we are telling them it's acceptable behavior by agreeing to do so.
I meant the pts are being gratuitous by requesting we hold their hands and we are telling them it's acceptable behavior by agreeing to do so.
gradygirl
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Guardian said:
I agree to this when it comes to people making stupid choices, going overboard with them, and then realizing "hey, that was really stupid." I agree to this when it comes to being called at 5am to a sick 22 y.o. who doesn't have a thermometer and wants to know if you can take their temperature. I agree to this when it comes to neighbors 3-4 years your senior getting drunk and walking around your dorm hall yelling and screaming, stripping, hitting on every person that walks by, and then forgetting the code to their door, all at 3am the day of your National Exam. I agree to this when it comes to people being generally being immature and stupid. BUT, I do not agree that this is a legitimate excuse to not hold a person's hand.
Guardian said:
While this might have been to appease Rid's comments, double standards are NOT acceptable.
Guardian said:
As to this, three words: GET OUT NOW. All of us in EMS have enough issues to deal with, uncompassionate EMTs are not burdens that the rest of us need.
joemt
Forum Lieutenant
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I don't know that I would push you out the door so easily or quickly Guardian, but I would ask you to take a step back and re-evaluate why you got into EMS in the first place... I would nearly guarantee that it was NOT for the $$$.. and if it was, boy did someone surely lie to YOU!
Holding a hand, regardless of the arm, shoulder or body attached is the very LEAST that we can do as Health Care Providers / Professionals. I have worked with patients in which that one minor gesture made all the difference in the world. I'm glad that you brought the topic up, but saddened in regards to your feelings about therapeutic touch.
Holding a hand, regardless of the arm, shoulder or body attached is the very LEAST that we can do as Health Care Providers / Professionals. I have worked with patients in which that one minor gesture made all the difference in the world. I'm glad that you brought the topic up, but saddened in regards to your feelings about therapeutic touch.
tcert, are you saying if I don't treat kids and adults the same, it's a double standard? Here on planet earth, we have to treat them differently because they're different. I usually let pediatric pts get away with just about anything because they're immature. Adults on the other hand should be held to a higher standard. Why are you appeasing our adult pts who act inappropriately. You are doing a disservice by reinforcing bad behavior and helping to guarantee they will do it again and again and again. Example: Some belligerent SOB gets into a fight and has his face smashed. Helpless bystanders are scared for their safety when the fight breaks out. Police, Fire and EMS are called in to control the situation which ties up resources so gramps down the block has to wait an extra 15 mins for EMS MI treatment and subsequently dies. Meanwhile, tcert gets on scene and holds this SOBs hand doing everything he can to appease him. The SOB then thinks to himself, hey, this was a lot of fun. I wreaked havoc, acted like a complete jerk and everybody loves me because they're holding my hand. I'm going to have to do this more often, I love the attention!
I think ems needs to take an active role in helping to fix problems in our society because we're on the front lines. We need to start treating people like adults. How can we expect them to act like adults when we don't treat them like adults?
I think ems needs to take an active role in helping to fix problems in our society because we're on the front lines. We need to start treating people like adults. How can we expect them to act like adults when we don't treat them like adults?
joemt said:
Reasons I got into EMS
1) Help people.
2) Leave the world a better place than I found it.
3) Help people.
I volunteer, that should tell you where money falls on my list.
The only reason I post topics like this one here, is because I want people to think outside the box every now and again. Handholding in ems has become a knee-jerk requirement. Back in the 1970's, handholding was important to gain the publics trust and comfort seriously injured or dieing pts. Now, to a large extent, it's outdated and gratuitously overdone but we still do it because it's ingrained into our minds and anything else would be unholy.
gradygirl
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Guardian said:
1. That's not even funny.
2. I'm a girl.
3. Please don't lecture me about immature patients, I deal with them every day. I live, eat, learn, and work where my patients are. We don't hold their hands because none of those morons ask us to. This past year as a freshman, I was the youngest person on my dorm hall and I was taking care of people 4 years older than me who were to frickin drunk to be able to tell me how old they were.
4. The only time I won't hold a person's hand is if they pose a threat to me. It's pretty obvious that SOB is one, so no hand holding for him.
5. I will only hold someone's hand if they ask. The last thing I'm going to do is shove my hand into theirs.
6. I don't run ambulances. I work campus EMS; I don't deal with you run of the mill dirt bags, just a bunch of stupid kids with too much time and money. And, I'm still young and compassionate, so yeah, I'm probably more inclined to hold someone's hand.
7. I appreciate that you do EMS. You got into it for the right reasons. I can understand that you want everyone to grow up and act mature. The truth is, they won't. Sorry.
8. I realize that my post sounded much harsher than I intended; I had just had to euthanize my dog and wasn't feeling too hot.
Last edited by a moderator:
randyb
Forum Probie
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I think the compassion of human touch is crucial to good patient care. We have to remember we treat the patient, not just the injury.
MariaCatEMT
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Why do any of us have to explain....anything....to anyone on here? :sad:
HFD EMS
Forum Probie
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Sorry but i think that if it helps the patient get ahold of themselves and makes them feel safe and calm. Then so be it. Espescially if it drops their heart rate. They are scared to death when they see a bunch of people working over the top of them while sittin on a rough stiff backboard with a c-collar and straps all around them. So if all they want is to know that someone is caring about them then i am completely for it because i know that if i was a trauma pt. i would probably want the same care. Thats my Oppinion.