Does segregation exist in hospital settings

Ruby Vee, BSN · Sep 29, 2016

In our world famous, inner city teaching hospital, we do segregate on socio-economic factors. The wealthy have their own unit with white linen napkins and filet mignon on the dinner trays, artwork on the walls and no elbow-rubbing with the masses. The family who donated millions of dollars to build an entire wing gets to take over an entire floor with their entourage whenever someone is hospitalized.

On the level of individual units, however, we don't segregate by race, religion or any other factor. We assign the rooms before we have anything more than a name and a diagnosis. Patients are assigned to a floor or an intensive care unit by specialty, meaning their individual demographics (with the exception of pediatrics, where age is a factor) aren't considered.

I won't deny that "segregation" has happened in the past at one of the teaching hospitals where I worked, but it had very little to do with being Black. The wealthy families that dominated the donor list had their own ICU and step down unit with carpeted floors, decor designed by interior decorators, plush seating for visitors and expansive views of the city while everyone else went to the larger ICU and step down unit with very few amenities beyond the basics. Hopefully that is no longer the case.

Sunshine919 · Sep 29, 2016

In my facility, beds are assigned based on diagnosis and acuity. Race, class or religion is not known when making bed assignments.

KatieMI, BSN, MSN, RN · Sep 29, 2016

In our world famous, inner city teaching hospital, we do segregate on socio-economic factors. The wealthy have their own unit with white linen napkins and filet mignon on the dinner trays, artwork on the walls and no elbow-rubbing with the masses. The family who donated millions of dollars to build an entire wing gets to take over an entire floor with their entourage whenever someone is hospitalized.
On the level of individual units, however, we don't segregate by race, religion or any other factor. We assign the rooms before we have anything more than a name and a diagnosis. Patients are assigned to a floor or an intensive care unit by specialty, meaning their individual demographics (with the exception of pediatrics, where age is a factor) aren't considered.
I won't deny that "segregation" has happened in the past at one of the teaching hospitals where I worked, but it had very little to do with being Black. The wealthy Jewish families that dominated the donor list had their own ICU and step down unit with carpeted floors, decor designed by interior decorators, plush seating for visitors and expansive views of the city while everyone else went to the larger ICU and step down unit with very few amenities beyond the basics. Hopefully that is no longer the case.

CARPETED floors in ICU?? Those families should be hungry for inheritance.... I hardly can imagine the better breeding ground for bugs.

I once happened to be in a very, very posh little hospital on East Coast. I got there through ER but they made sure my insurance would cover it all anyway. Despite of sea view, paintings on walls and chef-prepared menu, I run away as soon as I was sure that ETT didn't come down again, because neither doctors nor nurses knew what they were doing. The last straw was bringing a luxurious piece of food into a room of a patient who got there due to anaphylaxis on this very food, and then starting to argue about "a little of it surely won't hurt" :wideyed: :devil:

AliNajaCat · Sep 29, 2016

I've been a visitor in that hospital. I thought the carpets and the extraneous stuff on the walls were just great big fomites. Maybe Ruby's idea that it has something to do c getting your inheritance sooner has merit. :)

blondy2061h, MSN, RN · Sep 29, 2016

Yes, we don't put males and females in semi private rooms together, and I put patients under 22 on the pediatric unit which has far nicer rooms than the adult units. Ageism and sexism right there folks!

DesiDani · Sep 30, 2016

A very strict doctor from Ireland, commented that you wouldn't see all these luxuries in her country. No overhead

nutella, MSN, RN · Sep 30, 2016

yeah we room the patients who are totally confused and yell out /scream out by themselves...

heinz57 · Sep 30, 2016

It depends more on what part of the country you are in but yes segregation still exists. Sometimes we have to move patients because of prejudices which we quickly discover among the roommates. It can happen with different races, gay issues and now politics with strong opinions. We also have socioeconomic issues which charge or bed control must be aware of. I think the past few months have brought out what has always still existed in this country and amped it up with politics justifying the behavior.

Sour Lemon · Sep 30, 2016

Segregation based on race, class, or religion. Do nurse supervisor unwittingly segregate patients by placing them in rooms because of factors other than medical necessities.
For example I've noticed that black patients are often roomed with other black patients

It's been that way at the last few places I've worked. I'll tend to have a room full of three Chinese (or some other ethnicity) patients. Next door, there might be three Koreans. Even bigger considerations are age and level of confusion. The young ones get roomed together regardless of ethnicity. So do the demented screamers.

NuGuyNurse2b · Sep 30, 2016

I work in one of those nice newer wards where wealthy families "donated" to the hospital so they'd have a nice place to go to when they get sick. I put donate in quotation marks cause you read about how much they give and then a new couch or table gets delivered and you wonder where the rest of all that money went. never in a million years would I have believed people do these things if I hadn't seen it with my own.

blondy2061h, MSN, RN · Sep 30, 2016

It's been that way at the last few places I've worked. I'll tend to have a room full of three Chinese (or some other ethnicity) patients. Next door, there might be three Koreans. Even bigger considerations are age and level of confusion. The young ones get roomed together regardless of ethnicity. So do the demented screamers.

Our demented screamers get private rooms. Granted, if we're at 100% capacity only about 1/6th of our patients have room mates.