Am I wrong?

MassED, BSN, RN · Jul 18, 2008

Hi, everyone:
Ive belonged to allnurses.com for a couple of years, but this is my first real post--I'm a reader, not a poster.
I was an LPN for 20 years---had to give it up after rupturing my L-4-L-5 disc on the job.A laminectomy and 8 years fixed that. I miss nursing terribly, but don't think I could hack it the way things are today.God bless all of you who keep at it.
I am writing to ask a question about , I guess, medical ethics.
I have Barrets Esophagus, a hiatal hernia, and long standing gastritis.
No, I dont drink.
I had an upper endoscopy done on July 8th.By a gastroenterologist.
He took 40 biopsies, 4 per centimeter for each of 10 centimeters.
I had stopped taking Plavix on July 3rd.
I was okay until July 12th--nothing I could put my finger on, just felt lousy, slept all day.
At 10 p.m. that night, I vomited a large amount of black coffee ground material.I I called the Dr.s number, assuming that he had an answering service. Dummy me! The hospital operator came on the line, told me that he was not on call and there was no-one covering for him. She advised me to call my family Doc, which I did. He was on vacation at the beach, but called me back, anyway.He advised me to go have a CBC at the hospital in the morning.
I vomited again at 1:30---at 3 I had a tarry stool---another at 6--I called my family Doc at 7--he told me to go to E.R..
I was a little dehydrated, my hemoglobin was 10.2.
E.R. Doc tried to call the gastroenterologist--took 5 calls for him to respond.
He ordered I.V. Protonix---this is getting much too long--I was admitted
-he had ordered blood if my hemoglobin fell below 8---it hit 7.2. I got 1 unit of packed cells.
My REAL complaint here, I guess, is that he never came in to see me until my family Doc had written my discharge---then siad that the bleeding was from the EGD, which I had already surmised. SO--from Saturday night until Tuesday afternoon, he , essentailly ignored me.
I called the hospital today and lodged a compaint.
Am I right?
ALL replies welcome--thanks!
Emmy41lgpn

doesn't your doc have to have someone covering him or her while they're out of town? I'm fairly sure there has to be someone, legally, covering for emergencies.... if not to have a service or a message that states to call 911 for emergencies. Also, you could've been admitted to an unassigned doc (those without a local PCP) if your doc was out of town and updated when he came back in town. I'm not so sure about the legalities.... sorry if that didn't help!

Just looking back on your post - this was your Gastroenterologist? They don't admit, so they won't be your primary admitting doc following your care - if he wasn't on call for consults, then he could be out of town - and have someone cover... again, that's the issue it appears. He did call you, though, which sounds like he was responsible for "on call" phone calls... what did your PCP think of it all?? Emergently you got the intervention you needed... was there another GI doc that consulted on you?

Dolce, RN · Jul 18, 2008

Just looking back on your post - this was your Gastroenterologist? They don't admit, so they won't be your primary admitting doc following your care - if he wasn't on call for consults, then he could be out of town - and have someone cover... again, that's the issue it appears.

Gastroenterologists don't admit? The ones I've worked with do.

I think he treated you unprofessionally and I would find another GI doc.

emmy41lgpn · Jul 18, 2008

MassED--------------

No, I never said that the gastroenterologist called me. :confused:

emmy41lgpn · Jul 18, 2008

Dolce-------------

I agree, of course a gastroenterologist can admit---thanks!

MassED, BSN, RN · Jul 18, 2008

oops sorry! Your comment: "She advised me to call my family Doc, which I did. He was on vacation at the beach, but called me back, anyway"

so what did your PCP think of it all when you were admitted?

GI docs, where I have worked, don't admit - their PCP is the admitting doc (or hospitalist admits) and GI's are consulted.... GI's are not primary care...

emmy41lgpn · Jul 19, 2008

So surprised , and disappointed, at lack of interest in my post.

Guess I'll go back to just reading, no more posting. Thanks to the 2 people who did respond.

dria · Jul 19, 2008

i think it less lack of interest than the fact that you were already given sound feedback...really nothing more to add than what has already been said.

i agree with the others, you were most certainly treated poorly. if i were in your shoes, i would fire not only the ge, but also the pcp. the very first question for their replacements would be their off hours coverage.

i'm sorry that this happened to you, and i hope you're feeling better!

emmy41lgpn · Jul 19, 2008

Thanks, dria-----I really thought that nurses would have more to say about the way some Docs treat, or, more accurately, dont treat, their patients.

MeJane19 · Jul 19, 2008

At 10 p.m. that night, I vomited a large amount of black coffee ground material.I called the Dr.s number, assuming that he had an answering service. Dummy me! The hospital operator came on the line, told me that he was not on call and there was no-one covering for him. She advised me to call my family Doc, which I did. He was on vacation at the beach, but called me back, anyway. He advised me to go have a CBC at the hospital in the morning.
I vomited again at 1:30---at 3 I had a tarry stool---another at 6--I called my family Doc at 7--he told me to go to E.R..
I was a little dehydrated, my hemoglobin was 10.2.
My REAL complaint here, I guess, is that he never came in to see me until my family Doc had written my discharge---then siad that the bleeding was from the EGD, which I had already surmised. SO--from Saturday night until Tuesday afternoon, he , essentailly ignored me.
I called the hospital today and lodged a compaint.
Am I right?
ALL replies welcome--thanks!
Emmy41lgpn

I don't think you're right and here's why. If your GI was not on call he had no obligation what-so-ever to see you. You don't know if he was even in town. He didn't admit you, he didn't have to see you. You went to the ER and were appropriately treated by the ER doc, admitted and treated by your PCP.

Besides why complain to the hospital? They control when or when not he can be on call.

If you have a beef with the doctor you should take it up with him directly. I say you are being unreasonable.

CritterLover, BSN, RN · Jul 19, 2008

was your gi doc either consulted or the admitting doc? i can't really tell from your post. i see that the er doc had difficulty getting a hold of him ... but once you were admitted, was he involved in your care?

i wouldn't expect a specialist to come and see you if he hadn't been consulted, even if you had a prior relationship -- esp with privacy laws. he wouldn't even have any reason to know what room you were in, or that you had been admitted at all.

if you were admitted to him, or he was consulted (before the day you saw him), then i'd say you have significant reason to be upset.

but, if you were admitted to someone else, and he either wasn't consulted or wasn't consulted until just before discharge, then it's another thing entirely.

MeJane19 · Jul 19, 2008

I meant to say the hospital does not contol when or when not a doctor is on call.

My father is a doctor (cardiologist) and he deserves not to be bothered if he is not on call. Every patient thinks they are the most important patient and that they should be treated by their doctor personally every time something is wrong. If he took care of everyone every time he wouldn't have a life.