
What should a family or the patients expect when they go to a local hospital ? Well most people would expect at least to be treated with some level of dignity both as patients and the family members that accompany them to their local hospital when in need of hospital attention, especially when an unknown emergency event occurs. We all know that our healthcare system is in trouble currently but still most of us fall under the illusion that seriousness and consideration are at least two attributes and that an emergency is treated properly with hospital staff & employees but that is not always the case. Then you add to the fact as to how much insurance coverage the patient has and how that plays into how you are treated then circumstances begin to change. We have all seen how some hospitals discharge patients with mental issues and possible underlying health issue on the news every now and then but we (the so called normal people) don't expect that to happen to us especially if a real health issue is to occur. It only happens to others that deserve it (we may say in our minds) but guess what you may be wrong. What we allow to happen to the less fortunate crazies could also happen to us and our love ones when we are in most need of hospital care. I found this out to be true just this past weekend when I saw for myself just how bad some employees inside our hospitals treat patients and family. The funny thing is that as I was waiting in the hallway for my niece to get attention in the emergency room of my local hospital when I picked up their own pamplet stating that proper care is given regardless of income or insurance coverage of the patient, funny right (not really)? I always try to give the benefit of the doubt to my local hospital (and in general any entity, whatever private business it may be) but I was proven wrong that day by the staff & doctors that attended my niece. While my niece screamed in agony from pain and the lack of compasionate by the staff members and doctors, next to her was a patient who was treated with my fantasy like conception of decentsy. The nurse asked if she had any pain or discomfort (she was not screaming like my niece) and even asked if they wanted some food brought to her from the hospital kitchen. In the end my niece and family got taken out of the room and placed in the hallway for the remainer of the time until another very antagonistic doctor came to scolled her for lack of income and or insurance coverage and she ws discharged. No real discussion was made by this physician about my nieces health issue that brought to the emergency room in the first place via ambulance and no real test was made (just simple x-rays)to get to the bottom of it. My niece was just discharge with some limited pain medication to last her the rest of the day. The next following day, through the efforts of my sister (her mother), my niece was admitted by a private specialist who said to her and her mother that the immidiate need for hospitalization was required. So I ask myself why was this not done the day before? Is it an administration policy that is practiced by the staff or was that a decision made independently staff members of the hospital against the recommended policies I read in that pamphlet? I do not know but we as individuals (and possibly future patients) need to see it as it is, a real problem that will only get worse if it is not corrected by us and those involved in regulating & protecting the general public.
UPATED: I was contacted by the hospitals patient advocates office rep and they told me they are looking into the matter I posted. What will happen to correct or prevent this from happening in the future is still unknown but at least it is good to know they are not ignoring this issue. I can only hope that the hospital does do something concrete to correct this issue not only for me and my family who have used this hospital for many years (45+), but others who are silent when this happens.
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