Bad Patient Care at Boston Medical Center?

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Specializes in ICU, Cardiac Cath/EPS Labs.

Read these complaints of bad care at Boston Medical Center that were posted as comments on the website of a Boston newspaper that published an article re: contract negotiations that allnurses.com listed in its News section:

Having been a patient at the Newbury Pavilion at Boston Medical Center for four days, I would say the fearful and hostile working environment is more applicable to what I went through as a patient. I was left on inadequate pain control for 48 hours, met with hostile nurses, inadequate "Patient Advocacy," a nurse manager who did not return a call after I returned home, and a hostile Patient Advocacy Head, who, although she had read "internal notes," expected me to believe she had received no info on my case and was rude to me on the telephone. There evidently is no complaint for for patient abuse, except for the nearest police station. I don't care WHAT these nurses grievances are; they are in a profession where taking out their grievances on patients who are in uncontrolled pain is unacceptable, unprofessional. I was not impressed by Boston Medical Center, to the point of being traumatized. I am considering legal action, simply because, despite reporting manhandled after being settled by my nurse for the night by two obviously uneducated "aides" or some such workers, am being told BMC cannot identify them (I complained to my nurse in the presence of an IV nurse, complained to my surgeon, complained to his floor doctor....what else do you have to do? After being out of pain for the first time in 48 hours, they marched in while my nurse was getting the IV nurse, did not id themselves ( I described them, told everyone my nurse saw them and the IV nurse heard me complain of being "settled" I had told them that had been done, and at least three times in no uncertain terms told them to get their hands off me, leave me alone. They did not. As far as I can tell from trying to communicate with Boston Medical Center, these complaints are so commonplace as to not even rate concern. My advice: do not go near the place, despite the skill of t...........[the complaints and commentary continue at:

http://www.bostonherald.com/business/healthcare/view.bg?articleid=1114200&format=comments#CommentsArea

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bmc (the old, boston city) is known as a great trauma hospital but clearly, has had its problems.

overall, they serve a tough population, mostly catering to the poor, innercity, indigents, etc.

this has hardened many of the nurses and, there are many who take jobs here because they couldn't be hired elsewhere.

shabby, yes.

but it's the nature and reality of this hospital.

leslie

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Specializes in Acute Care.

You also have to realize we are only hearing one side of the story with this complaint.

We've all experienced the pts who you can treat them like they are in the Ritz hotel and they will still find things to complain about. Also, I've heard many nurses c/o pts who they can medicate to the end of the earth, the pt will deny pain and then 5 minutes later get a hostile phone call from mom/dad/uncle//husband/brother/neice/nephew/aunt/grandma/grandpa, etc. who say So and So hasnt been medicated and are in pain.

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the nurses are picketing now.

one of the disputes, over staffing/pt ratios.

i'm telling you, this is one busy hospital.

no excuses, but i'd be stressed too.

but sure, it could be just another satisfied customer.:)

leslie

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I have heard "Do not go there unless you are bleeding to death"

I am from this area. It is known for being good if someone is shot or stabbed, but not much else.

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Specializes in Staff nurse.

It is so sad that nurses who work there for whatever reason have apparently become burned out to the point of what has been posted above. No excuse for what happened, but it makes you wonder...

The public really thinks that hospitals are like Grey's Anatomy or ER where there's apparently one nurse to one patient, or more likely, you'll have your very own intern to do all the nursing duties.

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Specializes in Hospice.

My first job out of nursing school was at Boston City Hospital in 1972.

I think I learned more medicine in those three years than in all the 30+ years since. It's where I learned to think like a nurse.

It was my sickle cell patients there that began teaching me about pain management. They couldn't be admitted to the other, fancier hospitals like MGH ... those places limited the number of uninsured/welfare pts. they took ... this was before it became illegal to "dump" pts who had no insurance.

And dump they did ... The BCH charter requires them to admit anyone, regardless of ability to pay ... so, like other publically funded facilities, the hospital eats the cost of care.

Because we got hit with ALL the patients the more upper class hospitals didn't want, we saw problems that those facilities never saw ... especially the problems of the "poor": tuberculosis, the long-term consequences of untreated chronic diseases, all the permutations of chronic alcoholism, drug use and homelessness.

This is why they have a world-class trauma center ... a legacy from the days when all the medical flotsam and surgical jetsam of a major city landed on their doorstep and they had no choice but to cope.

BCH - now Boston Medical Center - is no different than any other city, county or state-run facility: short on money, long on politics and competing with the likes of Mass. General, Tufts-New England Medical Center, Deaconess, Brigham and Women's, etc. for talent and insurance dollars.

I can't speak to conditions there now ... 30 years is a long time and there have been enormous changes there. I know that when I was there, I worked with some phenomenal nurses ... and met some real deadwood, too! I tend to doubt that the level of incompetence is all that much different from any other large institution with similar staffing levels.

In 30 years, I've danced back and forth across the public/private/for profit divide and - I'm sorry - ANY public institution doing that much indigent care is going to be perceived as inferior, regardless of the reality.

I'm off break, now ... back to work.

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Specializes in Hospice.

Just a little PS: I just followed the link and noticed that this article is in the Boston Herald. Might just as well get your information from a supermarket tabloid ... take-home message: consider your sources!

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Specializes in ICU, Telemetry.

Sounds like it could have been written by the guy I had night before last, grabbing his chest and yelling that he was having an MI -- with a heart rate of 80, BP of 122/78, and his EKG showing the prettiest normal sinus, perfect little T waves and negative cardiac enzymes -- refused nitro since it gave him a "headache" and wanted IV morphine and IV adivan. No kidding you do. He'd forgotten I've looked after him the last 2 times he came in to detox. I told him the doc said tylenol until they could rule out anything (CT was back and they guy was fine, doc said NO NARCs). Guy left AMA. I'm sure he told all of his druggie friends how we kept him in pain during his "MI" and only gave him a tylenol for his "10,000 on a scale of ten" pain.

At least, I hope he does.

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bmc (the old, boston city) is known as a great trauma hospital but clearly, has had its problems.

overall, they serve a tough population, mostly catering to the poor, innercity, indigents, etc.

this has hardened many of the nurses and, there are many who take jobs here because they couldn't be hired elsewhere.

shabby, yes.

but it's the nature and reality of this hospital.

leslie

My father was in BMC a few years back for a CABG. The care he received there was outstanding. And for the " can't get a job anywhere else". I applied there because if you can work at BMC, you can work anywhere. It is one of the best trauma hospitals in New England.

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My father was in BMC a few years back for a CABG. The care he received there was outstanding. And for the " can't get a job anywhere else". I applied there because if you can work at BMC, you can work anywhere. It is one of the best trauma hospitals in New England.

i absolutely agree w/you, haleysmum!

personally, i think bmc is the best.

and heron is right on about the herald...very shabby journalism.

now, if the article had come from the globe, perhaps a bit more credibility.

what i meant about working there as a last resort, is there are many nurses who just don't want to work with this population.

but undoubtedly, it's one of the best trauma hospitals around.

hope your dad is doing well.

heron, as usual, your post was awesome.

leslie

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Hi all..

This is my first post! I love this site!

I myself am a nurse at Boston Medical Center, on the Menino Pavillion or sometimes known as the old Boston City side. I have been working here almost 6 years...but only 1 1/2 as a RN.

Although I'm not shocked by the letter, as patients are known to complain sometimes..remember all types get sick! But the lady didn't even know the name of the campus..she called it theNewbury campus, not Newton campus as it is really called. I would bet my last penny that she is not from the inner city, and is probably from a more affluent lifestyle. No one I know that comes to BMC requests a private room to be self funded. We do serve a different population here, and I love it. :nurse:

Nurses at BMC work very hard, and we take a LOT of abuse. It's a very fast paced environment, and it's interesting to say the least. I have learned so much here, and I bet I could go anywhere and work now, and have no problems. :yeah:

I love BMC!

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