I am interested to hear about peoples experiences as a relative visiting a family member in hospital. I am have been nursing for 7 years and feel I have been let down by the people that cared for my family member in his final hours. I am determined to learn more from other people's experiences, therefore aiding in my own professional development.
2006-11-01 13:48:24 · 8 answers · asked by Co-Zee 2 in Health ➔ General Health Care ➔ Other - General Health Care
My dad went through a nine week illness brought on by a cardiac arrest. He was eventually declared to be in a permanent vegetative state. At the beginning, he was in a Cardio Intensive Care Unit at a hospital that specialized in cardiac cases. The staff there were great - it was one on one and everyone seemed to really enjoy and care about what they were doing. When he was transferred back to a regional health centre, i would find that he was neglected. He didn't have a voice so nurses would not pay attention to him until i started being more demanding along with my mother and sister. I had found packaging on his bed, blood on his pillow and needles on the floor. It was simply unacceptable. However, eventually he was transferred to a palliative unit where the nurses and doctors were much more in tune with patient needs. He died peacefully with support of his family and the staff at the palliative unit. it is true that a bad hospital experience can make a traumatic time (such as an illness or death) needlessly worse. Good luck with your professional development.
2006-11-01 13:55:45 · answer #1 · answered by Elle 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
When my grandmother was in St. Joseph's (Houston, TX) in 2004, the staff where she was before going to ICU was just amazing. They treated us, the family, with respect, kindness, and caring. The nursing staff seemed to understand what we were going through.
After she was moved to ICU, while the rules were a bit tighter, the staff was still very respectful. Grandma couldn't feed herself anymore, and my mom and her sister were encouraged to feed her, instead of letting the nurses do it.
My mom feels that the doctor's didn't do enough to try to save her, and that some steps or procedures were missing. The doctors were pretty dismissive - they were getting paid to be that way, right?
My grandmother passed on December 20th, and was laid to rest on the 23rd. Yesterday was her birthday.
Nurses make the hospital and treatments tolerable. They are the ones with 'bedside manner' and the calming demeanor.
Doctors, even to me, have been dismissive, lecturing, and not very helpful. I talk to PAs and nurses more than anyone else in a doctor's office.
2006-11-01 22:03:18 · answer #2 · answered by l_marie_allen 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Personally I have found that private hospitals offer the best environment to get well. My husband had a life-saving operation on the NHS but was then put into a ward with dying old men and was looked after by overworked nurses who did not speak english (Kings College, South London). When he was sick on himself he rang the bell and it took 2 hours to be seen to in the night. In the private hospital (London Bridge hospital) the nurses smiled and took better care of him.
2006-11-02 03:01:06 · answer #3 · answered by Carrie S 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
In almost every case I have had to throw my "professional weight" around to get what I considered quality care. I have been a practicing physical therapist for over 8 years.
2006-11-01 21:52:15 · answer #4 · answered by Patrick M 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
in the ward my gran was in at first things were ok you could tell there were staff issues but these were being addressed i noticed a couple of times that grans dinner was still on the table with a full cup of tea on bringing this to staff nurses attention i was growled at ,the urine bag had burst this took 20 mins for them to attend to as they were in the middle of handover this along with other incidents worried me as along with others on the ward gran could no longer communicate /speak up for herself,then the day came when they told me there was nothing they could do it was a case of tlc ,i was horrified at the next sentence that came from the doctor ,we need the bed so have made arrangements for gran to be moved as soon as we find a bed ,i was still coming to terms with the fact that she was going to die
2006-11-02 17:52:15 · answer #5 · answered by postiepat 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
well when my grandpa died he was suffering so much that they pulled the plug for his oxegen. always ask patiences. my mom is a nurse.
2006-11-01 23:28:19 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
when my mum in law died it was a terrible experience she was really neglected we tried everything complained to every one it will live with me forever
2006-11-02 11:30:45 · answer #7 · answered by haggis 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
my good experiences were my bad experiences cause i learned a lesson from it. my bad experiences were my good experiences, there were no lessons from it.
2006-11-01 22:00:32 · answer #8 · answered by pao 1 · 0⤊ 1⤋