Cal.E.'s Korner

Perception is reality- Lee Atwater

C.: I see you have a famous quote at the beginning of the blog, D.C., why is that?

D.: Cal.E.,  a lot of people have used this quote, but, when I looked it up, the website gave credit to Lee Atwater, a politician running for office in the 1980s.

C.: So, they first time you heard this quote was over forty years ago, when you were middle—age?

D.: No, Cal.E., I was young, but old enough to vote. Anyway, what Lee Atwater meant is that people’s perceptions are important, if not always true.

C.: Explain, please.

D.: Well, I’ll use an allegory to demonstrate. This is from a nursing case study, and I think it is the most interesting one I’ve ever read.

Mrs. Smith and Mrs. Jones were roommates in a hospital who had the same surgery at the same time. Because their nurse was busy with other procedures, the nurse was almost thirty minutes late with their pain medications….

C.: Were these two poor, or did they just not have good insurance?

D.: ???

C.: Well, if they had good insurance, they would have private rooms, and a better nurse, one who would bring them their meds on time.

D.: No, that’s not always true, but thanks for proving my point. Emergencies happen, and staffing shortages make nurses get behind in their work due to having to take care of more patients that is safe, but I digress. Back to the case study.

The nurse apologized to Mr. Smith when she brought his pain medication…

C.: What kind of pain medication was it? Maybe, if it was a narcotic, the nurse took their medication and then had to go back and get some more, that’s why the nurse was late, maybe.

D.: No, Cal.E., what you see on television is far from the truth. Nurses must sign out and count each narcotic when they are administering them and at the end of each shift. If there is a discrepancy, in the count. It means staying late to figure it out. And most hospitals are equipped with computers that will register which drug a patient took and when it is due next. The computer won’t let you chart a drug that isn’t due. That would lead to trouble. If the nurse did what you were saying, s/he would be fired, and probably lose his or her nursing license.

C.: Okay, so if it’s almost impossible for nurses to steal drugs, then why the obsessive counting of them?

D.: It’s not impossible, just really hard (kind of like having a conversation with you, at times).

C.: Well. Okay, then, go ahead with the case study.

D.: Anyway, the nurse asked Mrs. Smith what his pain level was on a 0-10 scale…

C.: Is this the part about perception, an opinion?

D.: That’s close, but please listen. The nurse apologized for the delay and started to give Mrs. Smith his pain medication, but he refused it, saying, “Oh, that’s okay. May pain isn’t that bad.

C.: So, since the nurse had already checked the medication out, could s//he then take the drug?

D.: NO! That’s illegal. The nurse charted Mrs. Smith’s refusal of the medication and went to Mr. Jones, who was upset that the nurse was late with his medication. Mrs. Jones bellowed, “Where have you been? You’re thirty minutes late with my medication and my pain level is at a 6 on a 0-10 scale. The pain is excruciating!

That, to me, illustrates what Lee Atwater was saying. Everyone has his or her own perception of reality, and it may be the same as someone else’s, just with a different opinion about the outcome.

C.: Speaking of coming out…

D.: Cal.E., this blog is most apolitical, so if one of your kittens told you something that was controversial

C.: No, I mean it’s time for me to come out of Wayne Manor

and get to the restaurant T picked out. We’re going on a real date. And, since you’re already here, would you be a dear and keep an eye on all my kittens for me? Ciaou, baby!