Occasionally people refuse to leave the hospital. Ok more than occasionally. It happens all the time. Our most recent refusal came from a patient's wife saying that she felt uncomfortable taking him home even though he was more than ready to go.
It is times like this you have to evaluate the situation and make a decision as to whether to allow the patient to stay (not preferable due to limited resources) or take a stand and push the discharge. This particular guy was more than fine so we decided to push.
During this effort the wife actually took out a blood pressure cuff and started measuring her own blood pressure claiming that she was being stressed out. She then took the opportunity to call patient relations, who arrived promptly with their customary smile and clipboard.
Simultaneously with their arrival it was discovered that the patient pantry on their floor was completely empty and a call was made to restock. Hours later the pantry would be found to be empty again.
On Patient Relations second visit they noticed several full bags. On closer inspection apparently our patient and his family really enjoy graham crackers, pudding, orange jello, small cups of a variety of juice and Shasta by the duffle bag if you will.
After withdrawing their official complaint, they quickly agreed to head home.
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