I am almost four years into my career as an ER nurse and now concurrently working through the obstacles known as graduate school. I am constantly being torn between two very different worlds, that of reality nursing and that of academia.
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This professional battle often leads me to reflect on how my learning will impact patients. More so, this reflection time allows me to acknowledge gaps and become a stronger bedside nurse as well as a fellow leader.
There are many areas of nursing that I am passionate about. Patient advocacy is one. With the craziness that is becoming the health care system. I have some issues with how the nurse-patient relationship is progressing. This article is one based on a phenomenon I have witnessed over and over again. I highly value the relationship between a nurse and patient. There is an unspoken almost immediate human bond between two strangers. It is a privilege for me to work with people from all walks of life, and to be a confidant in the midst of a health crisis.
Recently, I have noticed something unusual and invisible occurring to people when they enter the hospital setting. It is a phenomenon I'd like to call The Blue Gown Syndrome. It seems that once a person is triage and directed to a room, they are stripped of their personal self and ability to speak up and have choices. The hospital gown now identifies people as 'patients'. The blue gown seems to be a symbol that represents weakness and submission. It is an image of permission to be cared for under extreme restriction. For instance, a person suffering from the blue gown syndrome may hear the following: yes you have to change, no you can't eat, it ties in the back and make sure you stay in your room until the doctor sees you.
It baffles me to know where this presumed authority comes from. When did nurses remove respect from their vocabulary? Behind the overshadowing blue gown is a person, a family member, someone in need of empathy and care, and above all, a human.
I am fully aware of staff shortages, lack of time changed a consumeristic value of health care and less than altruistic reasons some end up in the health care field. What I want to emphasize is the patients' rights and the ultimate need for human respect and relationships in today's world. Patients enter the health care system for various reasons, often medical assistance. It is our professional responsibility to ensure that each patient be shown respect, dignity, and care despite their background or rationale for being in the hospital setting.
Behind each tightly tied hospital gown is a person, a human, all of which are deserving to have their integrity and self-kept whole.
Next time you catch yourself instigating a blue gown syndrome, take a step back and instill confidence towards the patient that they will be cared for unbiased and that humanity is valued.
P.S: The blue gown syndrome can be easily prevented with nursing acknowledgment and skill. It can be treated by frequently remembering why nursing is personally rewarding... and to care for those lives you touch. Every person is someone's family.
