Podcast Recommendation: The Retrievals

[nursej22, MSN, RN]

I highly recommend a podcast from Serial Productions and the New York Times called The Retrievals. It tells how patients at a renowned fertility clinic suffered while an employee diverted fentanyl and replaced it with saline. 

She was finally caught, charged and convicted. But the clinic, associated with Yale, has not admitted culpability, and merely sent letters to patients saying their future health would not be affected. 

The first episode describes the severe pain and emotional trauma that many of the women endured. I think it speaks to the bigger picture of women, especially women of color, having their stories and complaints discounted and ignored. I, as a white woman, have experienced this, as has my daughter. Her complaints about shortness of breath after the birth of her son were dismissed as anxiety and lack of sleep. Turns out, she had aspiration pneumonia. 

I am curious as the experiences of others who may work in procedural areas. What, if any steps would be taken, if patients repeatedly complained of severe pain during a procedure?