r/emergencymedicine • u/Asleep-Palpitation43 Nurse Practiciner • Feb 02 '25

Advice Allergy Olympics

Is it wrong that if I see a patient has more than 10 allergies I IMMEDIATELY assume she's (bc it's always a she) a psych case?

In 24 years I've never been wrong.

You'll never read this in a textbook but add it to your practice today and thank me lateršŸ‘

496 Upvotes

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119

u/whispered195 Feb 02 '25

Every patient coming from a nursing home has a UTI until proven otherwise. Makes calling sepsis easier

33

u/MEDIC0000XX Paramedic Feb 02 '25

Can usually smell it from the hallway...

36

u/harveyjarvis69 RN Feb 02 '25

That and a GI bleed. I wish docs could use ā€œnurse confirmed via smellā€ for dx criteria. Would save us all a lotta time and hassle.

3

u/Hairy_Improvement_51 Feb 03 '25

Whatā€™s the GI bleed smell like?

4

u/Asleep-Palpitation43 Nurse Practiciner Feb 03 '25

Gi bleed

3

u/harveyjarvis69 RN Feb 03 '25

There is no way to describe it. Once you smell it, you know it.