Great Surgeon, Horrible Hospital
My concerns are not about my surgeon or the surgical results. They were excellent! My concerns are about the hospital's nursing care, postoperative patient safety, communication, medication management, mobility assistance and basic standards of patient care. A good surgical result does not eliminate the responsibility of the hospital to provide safe and appropriate postoperative
Hospital Review — Key Incidents in my 2 1/2 day stay at this hospital
Pattern of inexperienced staff becoming frustrated with postoperative patients
• I experienced what appeared to be a pattern of inexperienced or young nursing staff becoming frustrated when patients required additional assistance. Rather than slowing down and providing appropriate postoperative care, that frustration sometimes appeared to be directed toward the patient. This was particularly concerning for international patients who are away from their normal healthcare systems, family and support networks and are dependent on the hospital staff.
Catheter Incident After Thigh Lift
• Immediately after surgery, I required assistance getting out of bed. While helping me up, the nurse disconnected my urinary catheter bag.I repeatedly asked her to reconnect it, but she refused and said the doctor would decide whether the catheter should remain. When the surgeon subsequently examined me, he could see that my pants were soaked with urine. It was humiliating! For a postoperative patient who had just undergone a thigh lift, I consider this a serious failure in basic nursing care and patient dignity.
Swollen Hand/IV
• My hand became significantly swollen around the IV. Instead of appropriately assisting a patient who had just undergone a thigh lift, she grabbed my other hand and pulled me down the hallway. I could barely shuffle my feet because of the surgery, and how to pull her back with my good arm and say, slow the f*** down. A postoperative patient should never have to physically restrain a nurse from moving them too quickly because the nurse is frustrated or impatient.
Medication Administration Problems
• There were multiple concerns about medication being delayed, missed, or not administered as expected. In one incident, pain medication was brought to me and then taken away rather than being properly administered. This was particularly concerning because I was a postoperative patient relying on the nursing staff for pain management and other medications. Medication administration requires accurate communication, documentation and follow-through. Those safeguards appeared to broken.
“I'll be back in five minutes”
• I was told that someone would return in five minutes with my pain medication. They did not return so after two hours, finally hit the call button. This happened more than once during my two and a half day stay at this hospital. For an ambulatory person, waiting may be frustrating. For a patient who has just had major surgery and is unable to get out of bed independently, it becomes a very different situation. Postoperative patients are dependent on hospital staff for basic care, mobility assistance and medication.
Being discharged with an IV still in my arm
• I had a postoperative episode where I fainted requiring me to return to the hospital, where I was provided with IV fluids. The doctor provided orders that apparently the nurses didn't listen to that. I was supposed to do rest comma eat comma walk prior to being discharged. Still based in confused, the nurse rushed me out of bed too early before I ate or walked, put me in a wheelchair and had them. Take me back to the hotel where I discovered as I looked down that she had not removed the IV stick from my arm prior to discharge. The driver subsequently had to return to the hospital so the IV could be removed. Leaving a patient with an IV catheter still in their arm after discharge is a basic continuity-of-care and safety failure.