The Nursing Process: it's ADPIE, not JDPIE

Dug up from summer 2016:

I took care of a 19 year old patient today who has a history of drug abuse. He completed rehab and has since been clean. He happens to be covered in tattoos, including a few on his face. He didn't interact much, just single word answers to my questions.

I asked him which of his tattoos hurt the most, and when he replied with another short answer, I shared my tattoo story with him. His eyes immediately up as he began telling me about his tattoos - a lot of which he did himself. Some of the background linked up with his drug using past. He told the stories earnestly, matter-of-factly. Not apologetically or shamefully, which is likely the way he's had to do it all of his life.

The nurse I was giving report to this evening rolled her eyes when I explained his drug use history (and I only did this because it was pertinent to his current condition).  My gut reaction was to kick her in the shin with my Danskos. My more refined reaction was to encourage her to get to know him. "Ask him about his tattoos and his affect completely changes," I suggested. Her repsonse was, "oh no. I don't need to hear about all that."

I wonder what has happened in someone'e life for them to start using drugs in the first place. How did they grow up? What was their family life like? Do they have a family? Or any support system?

I love listening to people's stories. We all have one, and they're all worth listening to regardless of whether you're covered in tattoos or your past isn't pristine.

Reminder: the first step in the nursing process is to assess, not judge.