Best health care system in the world my fuckin ass!

[cynatnite]

12. I'm very sorry for the problems you and your family had...

But please keep in mind that health care providers are very overworked and underpaid as well. There are many other patients who also require just as much care as your mother and perhaps even more.

Patients have to be triaged for one thing. The lack of food is hard, but when surgery is a real possibility one of the worst things you can do is to feed a patient beforehand.

Hospitals are complex places to run and finding adequate staff can sometimes mean that adjustments have to be made. Some are able to keep their cafeterias open 24/7. Some can only open for short intervals at a time. Some have to close early. I've worked in several and depending on any number of circumstances, you will find many make adjustments as they see necessary.

Also, as far as the doctor goes...the hand is probably one of the most complex areas to treat. It's not unusual for a physician to be called in from their office (where they are also seeing a large number of patients as well) to the hospital. Depending on the circumstances, there could be a wait. That always varies depending on the urgency of the situation.

When a loved one is injured or ill, it's understandable that loved ones want their suffering to be eased. If health care workers don't provide relief as the loved ones wishes, they are usually the first ones to feel the brunt. It's understandable of course to get upset at seeing someone you love so much suffering, but please take a moment to realize that health care workers are doing the best they can under the circumstances they are forced to work under.

We're not allowed to provide food when there are no doctors orders for it. We're not allowed to keep warm food available for patients. We can only keep sandwiches and a few snacks. We are limited in what we are able to provide to patients due to any number of reasons. We do what we can to provide the care that is within our power. Most of us provide it with empathy and caring.

Also, there is one thing that you can do in order for the hospital and staff to know of your frustration. They usually will either follow up by a phone call or with a patient survey. You can explain in as reasonable terms as possible of your dissatisfaction with the care your mother received.

I spent many years working in health care. I have been cursed at, screamed at, punched, thrown up on and bled on. I've fed people, given baths and I've wiped the butts of full grown adults.

No matter how much grief us in the health care have been given, we still continue to do this work because we care about our patients and want what's best for them. The patients we care for are our mothers, fathers, sons, brothers, etc. How we would want our loved ones treated is the care we give to our patients.

Again, I am sorry for the difficulties you and your family had during such a difficult time. I hope in the future it is better for you all should you ever find yourselves in such unfortunate circumstances again.