A Lesson In Communication
7 Jan
Mom went into the Hospital yesterday. To the best of my knowledge she is ok. I’m going to see her in a few minutes.
This post isn’t about her going into the Hospital though. It’s about how the Hospital deals with patients/ family.
At about 11PM last night my Mom took an ambulance into the local Hospital. I was there when they took her. The ambulance guys( local firemen with paramedic training) were excellent. Very professional. Thanks guys who will never read this..
She was taken to Emergency which is the entry point for almost all incoming people.
At approximately midnight I phoned the Hospital to check on her condition.
The phone rang at the Hospital for a few times before someone picked it up.
You can’t actually call Emergency. You call a switchboard who redirects you.
“Hello. How can I help you?”
“Hi. This is Glen xxxx calling. My Mother was taken by ambulance to Emergency shortly after 11pm. I’m wondering if I could be connected to Emergency.
“What’s your Mother’s name?”
“Bxxx.”
“There is no one by that name listed here”
“Sorry. She goes by Bxxx but her name is Axxx Exxxx”
“Just for reference I will be able to transfer you to Emergency but only because you mentioned her name as Axxx first.”
“Ok..thanks again.”
So, now I’m waiting on the phone listening to what sounds like 70’s porno music (some bouncy wah wah guitar music) for about 30 seconds before someone in Emergency answers the phone.
“Hello.”
Uhhh..hello is this Emergency?”
“Yes.”
“I am trying to find out the status of my Mother, Axxx( I’m a fast learner) who was taken to Emergency by ambulance shortly after 11pm.
“Oh, just a minute I’ll get a Nurse.”
Back to the porno music which is now making me laugh out loud..
“Hello this is Kxxx”
“Hi. This is Glen xxxx. I’m trying to find out the status of my Mother, Axxx who was taken to Emergency shortly after 11pm tonight”
“The doctor hasn’t seen her yet.”
“Does she seem to be ok?”
“I can’t answer that until the Doctor has seen her.”
“Will someone phone me when they know something?
“No. You can call back later.”
“Ok…thanks I guess..”
I could probably go into a big tirade about how they treat family requests for information but I don’t see any point. In Healthcare they feel they are protecting personal privacy by doing things this way.
Not sure about the porno music part though. It was funny..
My thoughts are more about how they treat people.
There is a lot of information online about treating each other with respect. And about the importance of being helpful.
And in this instance, in the real world, they weren’t really either.
They were business like in dealing with me. Cold and calculating.
They just didn’t make me want to engage them in anything that would benefit either of us.
Fortunately all the sites I chose to visit do engage their readers. Thanks for that..
Lesson learned I suppose.
By me anyways..
So, how is your mom? I hope it wasn’t anything serious. You would think that at least they could tell you if she was comfortable or something?
Sometimes it’s not so much the hospital as the person you were talking to, if they’ve had a bad day they tend to take it out on others. Not very professional.
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She needs to have her appendix out but she seems ok.
I think they followed protocol for health care here.
It’s just that online there is so much talk about how we should treat each other,and so much support of one another, that it bothers me when I run into such a standard business approach in real life.
It also makes me realize why I get so angry at staff when I encounter this type of behavior where I work..
Not to mention it’s so much worse when it concerns a loved one. I’m glad shes OK.
Sire´s last blog ..Beware Scraped Comments And Fake Trackbacks
I’m glad she is ok as well.
You left your poor old mother alone and in pain at Emergency in the middle of the night? And your mother’s name is Axxx Exxx? And the person on the phone at the hospital is called Kxxx? What are the odds of something like that eh? I hope your poor, lonely, sick, abandoned mother is okay.
XUP´s last blog ..HELP!
She’s not abandoned. I left her with many other xxxx’s who are trained to care for xxxx’s in these situations..
I’m so sorry to hear about your Mom, but hope that once she has appendix out, she’ll have a speedy recovery.
You would hope that they at least were keeping your mother comfortable while she waited for the doctor, even if they weren’t giving you any info. You really need a patient advocate when you go to the hospital.
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I worked at that Hospital and have faith that they are excellent care givers.
She will likely get better than average care because they know me..
My Mom is also an ex-nurse so she is more aware of things related to health care than most..
I’m sorry to hear about your Mom. Hoping for a speedy recovery.
You know not everyone treats people nicely online. I find online attitudes worse sometimes than off line. Some of the hurtful things I have said to me online people would not dare say to my face offline.
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I found that to be true on my town blog too, Rose. My personal blog, not so much. I think part of that might be that people don’t know how to disagree with an opinion that is opposite of their own without being belittling or downright nasty.
skyetrueheart´s last blog ..touch…a lost art?
I’ve actually never found anyone online to be anything but nice.
Perhaps it’s because of my writing style (silly stories as opposed to providing information)
I guess in my case if someone said something nasty I would just delete their comment.
In real life I can’t..
I was banned from a blog the other day for sharing my opinion on a hosting company. This blogger refused to hear opinions that differed from his & got down write nasty. To think earlier in the day I bought him a coffee. lol
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He doesn’t work as a receptionist in a hospital does he??
You state with certainty the paramedics wouldn’t be reading your words. So, turn inaction into action. Print it out…with these comments…and drop off a copy. Or summarize the gist and write a “letter to the editor” to the local paper, thanking them.
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Spoken like a city councillor,ha,ha..
I just phoned them to thank them personally before I read your comment.
The person I spoke to said “It’s nice to hear. I’ll have to pass that on to the Chief.”
His comment makes me think I should write to the Chief myself though.
Boss’s are so out of touch with things,ha,ha..