Unhappy with medical care...let them know or just go?

Trauma Columnist · Dec 8, 2011

I think I would send them a letter detailing your reasons for not returning. That way it gives them a chance to improve.

mindlor · Dec 8, 2011

I would write a very detailed matter of fact letter and give it to the person in charge. If they dont know, no change can occur

mindlor · Dec 8, 2011

Darn it trauma you always beat me LOL

kool-aide, RN · Dec 8, 2011

I say write them a nasty letter!….but of course, that's my answer to everything… lol

JUST KIDDING!

Yes, I would let them know where they can improve.

Coulter630 · Dec 8, 2011

I say let them know how you feel. It will show them what they can do to improve the quality of care there. If you don't tell them, they remain unaware of the things that drive patients away.

noahsmama · Dec 8, 2011

I agree with everyone else. Even if there's nothing they can do to convince you to stay with them, at least you will give them the opportunity to improve for their other patients. Whether they listen to what you say is up to them, but at least give them the information.

Purple_Scrubs, BSN, RN · Dec 8, 2011

I agree with a letter, and keeping it factual and keep the emotion out of it. If the tone of the letter smacks of anger, they are less likely to take it seriously.

EMT-newbie · Dec 8, 2011

Keep to the facts, describe your experience(s) and how they negatively affected you. Don't make it a ***** session.

Offer neutral, well reasoned suggestions on how these poor experiences could have been avoided or handled better. Don't forget to point out the good parts of your experience(s) too, positive reinforcement works wonders and lessens the sting of getting yelled at by an ex patient.

Send the letter to the highest facility manager there that you can track down and, if they have an owning corporation, cc a copy to them. Wish the clinic luck and be on your way.

Without your input admin and clinical management will have no idea why you left or if you even left at all and nothing will change. Even if nothing does change now, you've done your part.

RNnbakes · Dec 9, 2011

I agree with writing a letter stating the facts. Hopefully if you ever have to return there 2 or 5yrs down the road, the facility would be much better.

KelRN215, BSN, RN · Dec 9, 2011

I have fired many a doctor over the years and I typically DON'T write letters or anything to that effect. I am a customer and it's my choice to take my business elsewhere.

Most recently, last year I developed Renal Tubular Acidosis from Topamax. I had just started taking Topamax in December of 2009 for my headaches and when my K+ dropped to 3.1 in April (from a baseline of 3.8-4.3), my first thought was "this has to be the Topamax." I argued with my primary care, neurologist and finally a nephrologist for months and they all insisted to me that it couldn't possibly be the Topamax. It wasn't until, in the process of this whole work-up, I was also diagnosed with Diabetes Insipidus (after the nephrologist first tried to tell me I was crazy... then he actually bothered to look at my labs and whoops, nearly undetectable serum AVP level after 8 hours of water deprivation) and ddAVP did nothing to improve my K+ levels that they kind of started listening to me when I said "Something else is wrong here." That's when-- after 4 months of me saying "it's the Topamax, it's the Topamax, it's the Topamax"-- I got told "oh you might have Renal Tubular Acidosis". No mention of Topamax there but then I tell the story to a friend (who is a doctor) and it takes him all of an hour to produce multiple articles about how Topamax causes Renal Tubular Acidosis. At that point I said, enough is enough. I've been saying this for months and no one is listening to me. AND I have to have a personal friend (who is a pediatric rheumatologist) help me figure out this diagnosis on my own. I went to a second nephrologist- 2 appointments for him to say, you definitely have RTA and Topamax is the likely culprit. Stopped the drug and my K+ normalized in like a week (went up to 3.9 when it was hanging out in the 3.5 range on 60 mEq KCL/day).

I am also searching for another neurologist because of the way things went with my current neurologist during this whole thing. After my nephrologist confirmed the RTA diagnosis and advised that I stop the Topamax, I contacted my neurologist for advice doing so. He told me exactly how to taper it and to keep the appointment I had scheduled with him for a few weeks later. When I went to said appointment, he had no idea why I was there nor did he realize that I had stopped taking my Topamax. (um, hello, you were the one who advised the taper...) Then-- this is the real kicker. He started me on Neurontin and told me that I didn't need to schedule a follow-up appointment but to just "email him and let him know how things were going." I let a month or two go by and then sent him an email to let him know how things were going, as he'd asked me to. The next morning I get a call from a secretary in his office saying "Dr. X doesn't want you to email him. He says to keep taking the Neu-ron-tin [totally couldn't even pronounce the name of the drug-- if you don't know the drug, should you be advising people what to do with it?] and that you can go back on the Topamax if you want. That was the end for me. Don't respect me enough to respond to my email yourself and don't care enough to read a little of my history before you make stupid suggestions (my headaches are not debilitating and I have a high pain tolerance, RTA causes long term kidney and bone problems, I think I'll take the headaches, thankyouverymuch), you don't get my business.

caregiver1977 · Dec 9, 2011

This is a lot of good information. Thanks. I thought I was going to get flamed for not liking the care I was receiving. I've tried to give these people chance after chance.