"Hospital Rest"

[xoxoxoBruce]

"Hospital Rest", who the hell came up with that little gem?
There is no possible chance of hospital rest.

It's as stressful as shit, being that in today's medical landscape you ain't there if the insurance company could force you out (read serious problem).

The old saw about they wake you up to give you a sleeping pill, is sort of true. They will even wake you to change batteries in the monitor that's pulling your gown off all the time. But mostly it's just intensive concern for your well being.

I spent four days at PENN Presbyterian in Philly. Even with some plot twists that could come from Hollywood, the care I received was first class plus! Everyone I came in contact with, regardless of pay grade, was eager to make me happy, not just do their job, but make sure I was happy. Honestly, at some points I was looking around for Rod Serling.

It warms the cockles of my heart to see people who still enjoy what they do, and even if the job has lost it's luster, they still try their very best.

[Undertoad]

That was where Katkeeper's heart surgery was last year, and she had the same impression. Absolutely great in every department.

I'm happy they made sure you were happy xoB!

[orthodoc]

Hope you're feeling better, xoBruce! And I'm glad you had a good experience (as good as it could be, under the circumstances).

[Flint]

There's a movement in healthcare to drive organizations with this being the prime directive, as much as it seems this is a no-brainer, it's a stressful job and the facility has to have a top-down imperative to make the patient experience come first. In the most cynical analysis, improving patient satisfaction is increasingly actually a reportable statistic which is factored in your reimbursement, and beyond that, how do you set yourself apart from the other guys? Being kinder, gentler, and generating word of mouth positive reviews.

[sexobon]

Originally Posted by xoxoxoBruce

... Everyone I came in contact with, regardless of pay grade, was eager to make me happy, not just do their job, but make sure I was happy. ...

Make no mistake, their jobs depend on it. The movement Flint described began about 3 years ago. It's in response to reimbursements being tied to customer satisfaction reports. Care will even be redirected away from patients unable (for whatever reason) to respond to customer surveys to enable staff, at all levels, to jump through hoops for those patients who can thus sacrificing some peoples needs just for other peoples wants. It's gone rampant in long term care facilities which is why there are more lawyers than ever advertising to sue nursing homes for you.

[Sundae]

Here, hospitals vary enormously.
One of my new colleagues is going into Stoke Mandeville for a procedure next week and is very worried.
She should be. I have had no good reports of that hospital. It's been named as one of the hospitals which are failing national standards.

That was the hospital Grandad was in.
The place where one of us had to be there for dinner service every night to feed him and make sure he drank enough.
The place where the Nurses agreed with the social worker that he was fit to go back home.
They had no idea he could barely see. They didn't know he was hallucinating and having paranoid episodes, where his Best Man came to tell him that the man in the bed opposite was bad-mouthing Nanny. Who was also a frequent visitor despite being dead.
Or that he wasn't actually on a ward but on a film set.

Dad had similar issues at the John Radcliffe - he simply did not understand the food ordering forms. The first day Mum turned up he'd ordered a roll and butter for his dinner. Just a roll and butter.
No-one had explained it to him, or taken the time to make sure he understood.
She went back every day after that because she realised the staff didn't know he had memory problems, was dyslexic, easily confused and hard of hearing.

Why?
Why in each case? All this information was in the medical records.
But they never took the time to speak to either of them.
No-one had the time for anything other than a brief, "Okay Mr Doyle/ Robinson?".
Both were polite, would not complain, would be very English and say, "I'm fine, lovely, thanks."

When I was working as a TA I never went anywhere at anything less than a brisk walk.
And the only time I chatted and gossiped with colleagues was either waiting for a photocopier run to finish or on scheduled breaks (some of which I missed by choice to check on my charges.)
Same with my supermarket work, my bar work, my waitressing.
But the staff at SMH all walked at an amble. And I only ever saw them talking to eachother. And no, they were not responsible for things like food service (or general patient care it seems.) Hang on - I'm not saying they should serve the food, but shouldn't a patient's food and fluid intake be monitored? Isn't this part of overall health?

Mum had to shave Grandad.
No-one else ever did it. And yet for someone of his generation, going days without a shave was the same as walking around with your cock out.
Of course in the end Mum went into bulldog mode and got Grandad into a care home where he was treated marvellously. But can you tell I'm still angry about SMH?

In defence of the NHS, and as I've written here, my treatment at Addenbrooke's in Cambridge was a little like being on a cruise.
Excellent care, good food, great attention. I was bored, but that's hardly a hospital failure. And yes, everyone there seemed to be happy and satisfied in their work. It was good to see it.

I doubt any of my experience is relevant to the OP but I feel I have to offload my frustration occasionally.

Hope you're well Bruce.
I'm glad they treated you as you deserved.

[Griff]

Be well Brother.

[lumberjim]

I would bet that it had something to do with your gregarious nature, sir.

Your smile is infectious, and even hospital staffs don't have to be inoculated against that. Yet.
. ...although, who knows. ...I could also envision you being one of those grouchy patients that is mortified about being sick and having to be cared for, so they put up a gruff front.

I hope you've gotten whatever put you in there under control. But Maybe .... if this happens again, ...and we all hope it does not. ... You could let us know while you are in there, so some of us could come by and see this excellent treatment for ourselves.

[BigV]

Break's over, back on your head.

[Gravdigr]

Glad to hear your cockles are warm.

Bruce, glad your out, and hope you're better than you were.

[xoxoxoBruce]

Gooder than new.
My doctor sent me to a cardiologist and before I even met her, friends of mine with connections at Penn, Jefferson, and Harvard medical schools, vetted her of their own volition. They reported back 5 star, top of the heap.

While I hadn't requested it, I have to admit is was reassuring when I met her. Very attractive, kind of a Stevie Nicks thing going on, with a Little Miss Sunshine positive attitude. Yeah yeah, I know, pretty women can have brains too. But damnit you know how first impressions and decades of cultural brain washing conspire against good judgment... you've done it... oh yes you have.

Anyway, it turns out she is a ringmaster worthy of Barnum & Bailey. She knows exactly what must be done, when, where, by whom, and makes it happen. Well we all know, shit happens. Doesn't faze her in the least, got it covered with plan B or C. No shit, she's that good.

Only one minor problem, and the fact I can bitch about it proves there was no big problem.
One of the primary tenets of my life is I don't ask people to do things for me I can damn well do myself. (OK, kinky sex doesn't count, gutter minds.)
Along with that if I do ask a favor, I make damn sure to make the execution as simple, smooth and quick as possible. I'm not the guy that asks you to help him move and has nothing packed when you arrive.

Anyway, to this end I went to the doctor's office the day before going in the hospital and asked for all the prescriptions I'd get leaving the hospital. That way the trip home is quick and easy. Yeah, I know there could be unforeseen shit, but most is known. Well I left the hospital with a handful of scripts, one(a narcotic) took two days to get filled.

Like I said, pretty minor bitch after major hospital shit.. amirite?

[Gravdigr]

Outstanding!

[Lola Bunny]

I'm glad you're home and feeling fine. Especially having met a stunning 24 yr. old nurse.

[xoxoxoBruce]

Thanks Lola. Yes, that Burmese nurse was stunning. As a matter of fact my buddy who came up to the floor to get me commented, "This hospital sure doesn't have a shortage of attractive nurses". Better yet, they're also competent.

[Flint]

Originally Posted by lumberjim

Your smile is infectious, and even hospital staffs don't have to be inoculated against that. Yet.

You can still catch people off guard by being kind and addressing them as a human being, and genuinely caring about them and connecting with them. They haven't outlawed this yet, although the 'staring at your phone' syndrome is pretty hard to overcome. It's better than dark sunglasses.