Respect the Patient

I recently was put in the position to be my best friend's Power of Attorney and Medical Advocate while on a trip to Florida.  When the two of us traveled anywhere we carry the necessary paperwork so we were prepared. I recommend everyone to prepare Advance Medical Directives and to have several copies distributed to you medical provider and your designated advocate. Emergencies can happen without notice and it is only prudent to be prepared.

We experienced top profession care and service in the Emergency Room at University Hospital to get Luke stabilized. The nursing staff was respectful and recognized my role as his Advocate and POA.  They worked quickly and constantly talked to Luke as they did their duties. They sought my input and approval on all procedures.

Our experience in the Intensive Care Unit was again top of the line in care. The physicians consulted on Luke's case also respected my role and allowed me to give Luke's current medical history, recent lad results and treatment. They respected the plan that Luke and I had agreed to prior to this incident which was to get him stable enough to get back to his medical team at Vanderbilt in Nashville.

Once Luke was moved to the medical floor is where we encountered our issues with the staff. Several staff members came into room stated what they planned to do and not one of the introduced themselves or acknowledged Luke. I asked about a private room and was spoken to like I was a misbehaved child. So I simply asked to speak to the nursing supervisor.

I explained who I was in relation to Luke and related that her staff needed to have a refresher on respecting the patient and family. I explained what had occurred in the first two hours of being brought to the floor. I advised her that since Luke was having some confusion issues that it was important for staff to identify themselves upon entering room and that should be common practice for all patients.

I advised her I would be speaking to each shift on what I expected for Luke and she agreed with everything.  A few days later, she stopped me in hall and asked if everything was going well. I told her that I had seen a change in behaviors in just a few days.

As a nurse, I understand the stress of working on a hospital floor but it was important to me to always introduce myself and develop a bond with all my patients and family. As a patient advocate, it was my duty to ensure Luke was treated with care and respect.

It is the responsibility of all nurses to remember that we are not just providing care but are also patient advocates. We are to hold each person in the highest regard and respect. As the corporations that operate our hospitals continue to work on ways to cut cost which usually means nurse/patient ratio will eventually increase, it becomes more important for there to be patient advocates for when the patient is not able to speak up for themselves.

If I had not had the appropriate paperwork, Luke and I would have had a different experience when dealing with this health crisis. If I had not been there to speak up for Luke, he would not been treated with the respect he deserved or possibly the care he needed timely. Not so much because the staff did not care but due to work load.

As a Medical professional, I have believe we need to take a more active role in dealing with those in control of the administration of facilities we find ourselves in. There needs to be more education for professional and laymen on patient advocacy. Each of us needs to ensure the proper paperwork is completed and distributed so your Advance Medical Directives are known and your Medical Advocates are able to ensure they are followed.

Keep Dancin' Larry B