I wash my hands of the whole thing!

[namaste_71]

I need to vent, so please bear with me. My s/o is in a local hospital and I've been living there most of the week.

I really do feel for the RNs and LPNs on duty ... lately on a "good" shift the ratio is 1:9 on the general med/surg floor. The unit has lost 5 nurses in a short period of time and rehires are slow in coming. It's a corporate-owned facility whose stock is plummeting and where C-suite and other administrators get bonuses when the hospital spends less money. Staff are not necessarily treated all that well.

But why is it that most of the nurses on the floor -- at least the ones caring for my loved one -- feel the need to treat him rudely? I saw the RN n duty last night enter the room and not even introduce herself. She didn't even say hello ... just got down to business. No badge, no anything. She then got upset when I asked her who she was.

Today, the nurse (not sure whether RN or LPN) took three hours to deliver a pain medication ... after promising it "right away." I would understand if she had a critical patient ... but I found her jawboning at the nurses station with some of her coworkers. Later the same day, she walked past a lit call light three times ... then plopped herself down to b/s some more. She only came to the room when I actually went up to the station.

Why does this happen? I'm becoming very discouraged and disgusted.

[Altra, BSN, RN]

I never understood why corporations do this. This is the same company that runs ads saying it prides itself on patient satisfaction and customer service.

Two thoughts:

1. This is Business 101 - we're better than our competition. It in no way means that that is the day-to-day reality.

2. Corporate interpretation of patient satisfaction and customer service often means fluffy, but highly visible things like decor, staff uniforms, and an expanded cafeteria menu, at the expense of attention to standards of patient care. Hospitals burn out a lot of good clinically competent staff that way.

[namaste_71]

Two thoughts:

1. This is Business 101 - we're better than our competition. It in no way means that that is the day-to-day reality.

2. Corporate interpretation of patient satisfaction and customer service often means fluffy, but highly visible things like decor, staff uniforms, and an expanded cafeteria menu, at the expense of attention to standards of patient care. Hospitals burn out a lot of good clinically competent staff that way.

How frustrating. How do I, as a patient or loved one of a patient, help here? People aren't stupid ... they'll soon realize all the great decorations can't replace safe care.

[Altra, BSN, RN]

How frustrating. How do I, as a patient or loved one of a patient, help here? People aren't stupid ... they'll soon realize all the great decorations can't replace safe care.

I urge you to speak up to the hospital's management and to be very specific. Be very clear that what you want as a patient/family member is a safe level of staffing by nurses to facilitate good care, clinical competence & responsiveness from medical staff, etc. Realize how limiting the pre-formatted surveys that hospitals send out are: was your room clean, did staff respond to call lights, etc. There's a lot in those surveys, but often very little about the quality of clinical care provided, which is what you went there for in the first place.

The management of a hospital I'm familiar with actively tells nursing staff that patients/families don't know or care how good staff are clinically, they just care if you express care/concern. Hummm.

Personal letters to the chief nursing officer and other senior management do get read and just might have an impact.

Hope your SO is on the road to improving.

[namaste_71]

The management of a hospital I'm familiar with actively tells nursing staff that patients/families don't know or care how good staff are clinically, they just care if you express care/concern. Hummm.

Personal letters to the chief nursing officer and other senior management do get read and just might have an impact.

Hope your SO is on the road to improving.

Thanks, MLOS. He's getting there. I hate to go the management route ... there are some excellent nurses on that unit, and I don't want them to suffer. But I'm drafting an e-mail to the CNO ... and will send it tomorrow when I'm not so angry. I spoke with the unit director today ... and she does not seem like a nice person to work for ...

[litbitblack, ASN, RN]

hmmm I have told my pts if I don't get a response in say 5 or 10 minutes at the most to call again. and again and if they have to call a third time to call the operator and ask for the house supervisor. Also if your newspaper has a letter to the editor column i would definately use that also. The higher ups read those and if it makes them look bad they will definately react. hope your s/o gets to go home soon.

[namaste_71]

hmmm I have told my pts if I don't get a response in say 5 or 10 minutes at the most to call again. and again and if they have to call a third time to call the operator and ask for the house supervisor. Also if your newspaper has a letter to the editor column i would definately use that also. The higher ups read those and if it makes them look bad they will definately react. hope your s/o gets to go home soon.

Thanks to everyone who responded! S/O is home and I have several detailed things for a letter to both the CNO and corporate HQ.

Even stopped a would-be medical error during the stay ... caught it thanks to all I've learned from my nursing friends.