I spent several days visiting my Dad in the hospital recently and learned firsthand what so many patients and their families know – lots of time is spent waiting for information and for those responsible for its transmission. When it does come, it can be fragmented and difficult to place in an understandable context. As a physician, I know where to look for news without being intrusive and know as well that I was given special attention. At the same time, my experience may offer some assistance to those attempting to navigate through today’s complex hospital environment.
The requirements and demands placed on nurses, physicians and other caregivers have taken them away from the bedside. Often the contact that does occur is brief and conveys the impression that everyone is in a rush. New regulations have placed a premium on documentation that sometimes requires healthcare workers to spend more time with the chart than with the patient and family. Nevertheless, one can still leave the hospital feeling well cared for and with a good sense of the plan of care.
From a purely practical standpoint, the person you want to become the most comfortable with is the nurse. He or she can give you all sorts of information regarding the plan of care, schedules for procedures, and when doctors will be visiting. Make an immediate effort to get to know this very important member of the health care team. Depending on their comfort level and degree of communication with the physician, nurses may be able to give you preliminary results to tests that have been done or offer clarifying explanations to support the information given you by your doctor. Learn the names of your nurses, the length of their shifts, and if they will be regularly assigned to you during the course of your hospitalization.
Help out by having a few of your questions written down ahead of time to ask the nurse or physician as appropriate. Make sure that you have given the staff a list of phone numbers with all the locations family members might be reached in the event of an urgent problem or for regular communication. When I am caring for someone in the hospital, I make an effort to let patients know on a daily basis when I intend to come by or to arrange a daily phone call to a key family member if they cannot be present at the bedside.
From time to time errors of communication occur, high levels of anxiety and fear prevail, or you or your family member are simply not doing well. Additionally, some people enter the hospital with a preconceived distrust in our system of health care. All this can lead to emotional strain and outbursts of anger. Often, the nurse or other support staff are the most convenient recipients of one’s ire, but are not in a position to address the problem. Don’t blame them. There is always a nursing supervisor on duty who may be able to help. Most hospitals have a patient care representative who has been trained to handle these situations. Often, the chaplain can be an adjunct in dealing with these often understandably emotionally charged situations.
Being in the hospital can be a trying and difficult experience and one few people look forward to. The busy-ness of the place, combined with an increasing emphasis on the technology of medicine, can leave one feeling isolated. Yet there are many deeply caring individuals who choose to work in the health professions because they really do care. Taking some of the steps I’ve outlined will lay a good foundation to getting the most out of a hospital stay.
