09-25-21, 08:27 PM | |
Join Date: Oct 2009
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Gams, so sorry u had to go thru this! I wish u a speedy recovery.
I have a life threatening autoimmune disorder and have had to deal with subpar medical staff & care aplenty. Sometimes this helps to prevent issues & at least if not u have a paper trail of proof. Upon first visit, I take paper notes during the visit. I am sure to get the proper spelling of all technical terms. I have several points/issues/questions that I want covered & prepare ahead them of time. Most visits are rushed, they talk fast, I talk faster and make sure I get all my ?s n concerns covered. They say, "Oh we will give u a print out summary", I say "Forgive me, I am old school & this helps me to organize my thoughts better. Just a part of my type A personality, ha ha." And continue to diligently take my notes. I havent done this yet but I am prepared to. Video or audio record each visit on your phone. In order to put all at ease & make them feel comfortable and still get what I need from them, I say sweetly that I understand how overworked they are and my notes/recordings help me to remember all the difficult medical terms I might misspell or forget so I can look them up later for further study. One young doctor actually began to laugh out loud at my note taking, then stopped abruptly after she looked at my face & saw how serious I was. For any kind of surgery or removal, I ask the doctor to take pictures of it. Or do it myself if I can. Ex - I had a small lipoma (dime sized fat deposit) on side of my forehead & got a picture of it in the little vile. I have also brought pictures in and requested they be uploaded to my file so other doctor can see in the future. I say, the more reasons you can make to pull out your phone & take pictures the better. Like, TracyQ where they lost (!) her Aunt with Alzheimers. Maybe take picture of the hallway & say, ok now I can remember which way to go. Or, start getting tittles and names - "ok, what is the name & title of the nurse doctor who will be wheeling her down?" "I need to know ahead of time where she will be taken to, what room/floor/dept." And be recording on phone or writing it down in a notepad while asking. All of this will make some medical staff wake up out of autopilot and realize they will are being held accountable and will have to take time with this one. I try to be as friendly as possible, compassionate for their situation too and break the ice with jokes.
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Wherever you go, no matter what the weather, always bring your own sunshine! ~Anthony J. D'Angelo, The College Blue Book You can't stop the waves, but you can learn how to surf! ~Jon Kabat-Zinn |
09-25-21, 11:28 PM | |
Join Date: May 2006
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I like the people at VF. I've been here for over 20 yrs and many of you feel like neighbors. I have specifically enjoyed the OP's discussions many times. That is why I initially considered not contributing to this thread. I worry about misunderstandings or hurt feelings. But ultimately I think "flipping the coin" might give fair-minded people a chance to see it all from a different perspective.
You are right. Medicine was in trouble long before Covid showed. Addictions and mental health issues have decimated the system. Outrageous behavior on the part of many patients has further cannibalized the hope of a meaningful doctor patient relationship. Frivolous lawsuits for an easy payday, lack of any personal responsibility for self-care, drug seeking, extraordinary rudeness and physical aggression are all part of the deal now. Enter Covid and you get to pile on so much more without any breaks or adequate staff. Then you can stay after your 16 hr shift and do mountains of paperwork/red tape. FYI- since our government started paying folks to stay home, it has become nearly impossible to adequately staff. Would you take a paycheck to stay safe at home and avoid increased risk of Covid infection? Many people have. The schedule is over-whelming and there isn't enough support staff to cover the basics. Equipment is not being repaired and medical supplies are not adequately stocked. Prices for medical supplies have skyrocketed due to shortages and unscrupulous profiteers. Many health professionals are juggling multiple duties. Sorry if the silverware isn't polished to the old standards. All of the medical facilities in our area are desperately hiring so please feel free to come in and lend a hand. That nurse who is rushing to get you to the door is already late to the next patient, who will also complain that they didn't get enough of her time. Does anybody here actually believe that the nurse enjoys being constantly pressured to run and stress all day? I think the real problem here is that AMERICA IS FALLING and the population is so accustomed to the past standard that they can't see the forest for the trees. If good people don't stand up and pull together, I believe it will eventually all collapse. There is so much drain on the system and the cracks that are forming are well known to your medical providers. So if you find yourself in a room with a medical assistant (who these days might actually be a dental assistant hired out of pure desperation) and they start to share your medical info inappropriately, try to advocate for yourself. Kindly stop them and simply say that you don't want to share your information. And don't follow your doctor around with a tape recorder or camera. It just makes you look like an ambulance chaser and most docs will quickly distance themselves from you. I think you will have better luck trying to build trust and connect on a human level but of course that choice is up to the patient. I am genuinely sorry for those people who had frenzied or inhumane care. Nobody who played with that Fisher-Price medical set dreamed of mediocrity and apathy. I hope some day that instead of division and strife, we can have leaders that prioritize humans over power and wealth. I know we can't talk about that here, but I honestly believe that we have the resources in this country to excel in the best kind of medicine. If we addressed addiction, mental health and general manners, it would go a long way to healing our country and our medical system. Well wishes to everyone in this thread
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