Having recently accompanied a good friend to the hospital, and staying there during their incarceration, I wish I had found this video sooner. There are many reasons why a hospital stay might be necessary from being in a car accident, to needing surgery, to experiencing a fall at home. The Patriot Nurse created a video on the 10 things MUST KNOW before your next hospital visit. She explains that these 10 items are not ranked by importance and are put together from her extensive nursing experience.
Item 1 - Assume Incompetence - Understand that they mean well; but, they may be inadequately trained, have inadequate resources, are short staffed, or may be having tech issues. They could have entered the medical field (college) on something other than educational merit. They could have been hired based on quotas over skills qualifications. This means you need to follow up on everything. The Patriot Nurse suggests you keep track of when medications are due, when bandages need to be changed, pain meds delivered upon request, etc.
As a recent example, my friend asked for ice. The nurse said they'll be right back with the ice but 2 hours later, we were still waiting for ice. I went out to find the nurse to ask where the ice was and it appeared to me she was busy flirting with another staff member. I interrupted and asked where the ice was. She arrived 10 minutes later with the ice. Later that day, when we finally got the Charge Nurse involved, he said he was speaking to her at that time; when I pointed out the request had been made 2 hours earlier and I was following up on the request, all the could say was the nurse apparently forgot.
Item 2 - Always Have An Advocate - If you can stay in the hospital with your family member / friend, do so. Do not leave them without an advocate (no matter how many times the patient tells you to go home). Be there as much as the hospital allows. Patients on pain medications are not aware of their surroundings and are not able to advocate for themselves adequately. Plus, you are a witness to what the medical staff does.
I am my friend's Medical POA. One of the nurses was not aware of that fact. The nurse "suggested" to me (in the hallway outside my friend's room) that I remember I was "just a guest" to which I immediately turned around and informed the nurse I was my friend's Medical POA and Advocate and that I would be remaining. I was witness to what I considered to be elder abuse of my friend by that same nurse and her assistant nurse. We addressed the charges of elder abuse with the Charge Nurse. I had taken a short video clip of the nurse berating my friend (in a "Superman" pose with hands on hips). The nurse got upset I recorded her actions and told me I was not allowed to record her. The Charge Nurse, when I showed him the proof of my accusation, ordered me to delete the video. I responded, "No, it is evidence of elder abuse." He said nothing more. The next day, those two nurses were assigned to another ward entirely.
Item 3 - Concise Communication - The Patriot Nurse explains that Baby Boomers have been taught that the healthcare system actually cares about them. That the doctors that see them during their hospital stay actually care about them. Unfortunately, the doctors are limited to 10 to 12 minute patient visits where they give "cliff notes" versions of your health issues/needs. Be sure to remain respectful when you address issues with any of the medical staff during your hospitalization. Be aware that the nurse/patient ratios can be through the roof and the nurse won't have time to sit and listen to you ramble on about how you came to be where you are. They want to know succinctly what the issue is and what outcomes you need so they can know who to contact to fix it.
Unfortunately for my friend, we had to go above the nurse's head because the nurse kept saying she could not fix the issues we raised. Not only that, but the nurse said the issues we raised could not be fixed. However, once the Charge Nurse became involved, within 30 minutes, he had fixed all the issues we raised.
Item 4 - Document Everything - The Patriot Nurse says when she was teaching clinicals, she would say to her students "if you didn't write it down, it didn't happen." You or your Advocate need to write down who told you what and then follow up when the "what" is not provided in a timely manner.
Even though I provided my friend a notepad and pen, it was not until after the events that we began to document what was going on. Be sure to include names, times, and a short description on what was happening (what you asked for, what they told you, etc.) from the very beginning. In the future, I will start keeping a record the minute someone enters the hospital with me as their Advocate!
Item 5 - Ask Questions - Be concise (remember they are time constrained and most likely short staffed). Before you are discharged, remember to ask things like: how you can meet your activities of daily living (especially after surgery), will you need Home Health Care, Physical Therapy (PT), Occupational Therapy (OT), etc.
Fortunately, for our experience, home PT and OT had to be approved before they let my friend be discharged. The wait was frustrating, but they had to wait for insurance approval, and that took hours. But, we did not know that was a criterion for release until after we spoke with the Charge Nurse about the other issues.
Item 6 - Bribe - The Patriot Nurse explains it is not popular but it is true that you are going to have to bribe the people that are taking care of you. She recommends something like bagels or coffee. She also points out that contrary to what Hospital Administrators might say, patient care is dependent upon how nice you are to the staff.
For our experience, we did not "bribe" the staff. The staff started with a negative experience once we got to the hospital room from the ER. And it went downhill from there.
Item 7 - Say Thank You and Please - The Patriot Nurse points out that these are the cornerstone of respectful communication. However, she also notes that there are some sociopathic and psychopathic nurses and doctors in the healthcare system. No matter what, try to remember to say "please" and "thank you" to the people providing your care (even if, in your eyes, they don't deserve it). Then request a change of care provider, which you have the authority to do as a patient receiving care in the US. If the treatment you are receiving is egregious enough, you can request the bioethics panel of the hospital to get involved.
As I've mentioned, during my friend's stay at the hospital, we had to get the Charge Nurse involved. Fortunately, the Charge Nurse was able to fix the issues we were having. I did not know there was a bioethics panel that could have been requested, especially since what I observed was, in my opinion, elder abuse. Next time, I will know.
Item 8 - Beware Of The Red Tape - Watch out for Hospital Administrators, The Patriot Nurse calls them sociopaths and blood sucking psychos and are, in many cases, pretty nasty people. She finds them to be lacking in overall empathy and their focus tends to be on money over patients' lives. This is where the economic equation of health care comes in. The Hospital Administrator's goal is to have their hospital make a profit.
Luckily, during this recent hospital visit, we did not run into any Hospital Administrators.
Item 9 - Advanced Directives - A durable power of attorney and advanced Healthcare directives are becoming more necessary as time goes by. If you are looking at potentially life-threatening treatments, you want to make sure you have these items planned in advance. Advanced directives are important to specify what interventions you do or do not want taken if you are in a life or death situation. This step is best done before you have any need for hospitalization.
While we were sitting in the ER, the nurse wanted my friend to make "right now" advanced directive decisions. My friend did. My friend's 'right now' decisions were in opposition of the advanced directive paperwork completed well before any hospitalization was needed. I now have a copy of that as it is included with the Medical POA (which I did not have with me at the time of the ER visit) and the Medical POA is now on file with both the hospital and her regular doctors. My own Advanced Directive is on file with the VA Hospital and I gave certified copies to the people listed as the people who I selected to make medical decisions for me should I not be able to make them for myself. I also keep a copy with my vehicle information in my car (just in case I'm in an accident and taken to a different hospital).
Item 10 - Pack Comfort Items - If you are expecting a prolonged stay in the hospital, you will want things like your own pajamas, non-slip shoes or slippers, and other items (like your cell phone charger) that can make you feel more comfortable in the sterile atmosphere of a hospital room. If the hospital allows, some kind of scent remover can be helpful to remove the "hospital smell" from your room.
I did not notice a smell during my friend's hospitalization. Luckily my friend's stay was short (Friday to Sunday), so things like personal clothing, shoes, etc., were not needed. I did provide a cell phone charger with an extra long cord.
Conclusion - The Patriot Nurse hopes the topics she covered in her video are helpful to both the patient and the Advocate. She points out how much the Health Care system has degraded over the years and hopes that what you learned from her video will help you, your family members, and your friends if/when they need to be hospitalized.
I would add to be prepared to experience long periods of sitting in a small space being watchful over your ailing loved one. But, documenting everything should take the boredom out of the equation or at least give you something constructive to do during your wait.
Those are some of the exact words used by Google’s censors, aka 'Orwellian content police,' in describing many of our controversial stories. Stories later proven to be truthful and light years ahead of the mainstream media. But because we reported those 'inconvenient truths' they're trying to bankrupt ANP.
