P__'s death
It has been almost 2 months since P__ died at Northside Hospital (Tampa Bay, FL). Here are the facts:
1. After being transported to Northside, P__ spent several hours in the ER before being shuffled off to the CCU. I was assured that s/he would be transported to another hospital after being stabilized; however, instead, s/he was sent to another ward.
2. The first day in the new ward, the assigned nurse kept asking me, "How do you work this inhaler?" She literally had no clue, yet, rather than call in another nurse ("No one else on the floor knows how to use this one, either") or calling Respiratory Therapy to send up a Respiratory Tech, the nurse insisted, "I'm sure I can figure this out myself." This, from a nurse who stated that she'd worked as an RN for 20 years. First thing she should've known was that if she wasn't sure how to use a piece of equipment, CALL FOR HELP!!!
3. Another incident: P__ came unhooked from his/her oxygen and pulled the call light. After 10 minutes, I recieved a call from P__, asking me to call the nurse's station. When I did, explaining what the problem was, the nurse stated, "I was WONDERING why the light was on for the past 10 minutes!"
4. After P__ fell, the nurse on duty took one blood pressure reading and found his/her BP to be elevated. Half an hour - 45 minutes later, the nurse came back to give an injection. When I asked what it was for, the nurse stated it was for P__'s elevated BP. I asked what the medication was and told, "It doesn't matter; you don't need to know, except that it's for his BP." When I said that she needed to take P__'s BP again before giving the injection (figuring the BP had probably come done), the nurse stated (as she gave the injection), "I don't have time to take a blood pressure on him/her." I was then asked, "Please don't tell P__'s docter, as he'll want to keep P__ in here longer."
5. An hour and a half later, the same nurse handed me P__'s discharge papers and a wheelchair before asking, "Can you please bring him/her out? We don't have enough staff to help with the discharge."
6. P__ then collapsed outside. When I could get no help from anyone in the hospital (security was called!), I had to call 911 and have a local Fire Department and ambulance come to help pick P__ up.
Obviously, I'm leaving out quite a few details, while giving you, the reader, enough to realize how bad this hospital is.
My next post will discuss several other people who have told me their horror stories about this hospital.
1. After being transported to Northside, P__ spent several hours in the ER before being shuffled off to the CCU. I was assured that s/he would be transported to another hospital after being stabilized; however, instead, s/he was sent to another ward.
2. The first day in the new ward, the assigned nurse kept asking me, "How do you work this inhaler?" She literally had no clue, yet, rather than call in another nurse ("No one else on the floor knows how to use this one, either") or calling Respiratory Therapy to send up a Respiratory Tech, the nurse insisted, "I'm sure I can figure this out myself." This, from a nurse who stated that she'd worked as an RN for 20 years. First thing she should've known was that if she wasn't sure how to use a piece of equipment, CALL FOR HELP!!!
3. Another incident: P__ came unhooked from his/her oxygen and pulled the call light. After 10 minutes, I recieved a call from P__, asking me to call the nurse's station. When I did, explaining what the problem was, the nurse stated, "I was WONDERING why the light was on for the past 10 minutes!"
4. After P__ fell, the nurse on duty took one blood pressure reading and found his/her BP to be elevated. Half an hour - 45 minutes later, the nurse came back to give an injection. When I asked what it was for, the nurse stated it was for P__'s elevated BP. I asked what the medication was and told, "It doesn't matter; you don't need to know, except that it's for his BP." When I said that she needed to take P__'s BP again before giving the injection (figuring the BP had probably come done), the nurse stated (as she gave the injection), "I don't have time to take a blood pressure on him/her." I was then asked, "Please don't tell P__'s docter, as he'll want to keep P__ in here longer."
5. An hour and a half later, the same nurse handed me P__'s discharge papers and a wheelchair before asking, "Can you please bring him/her out? We don't have enough staff to help with the discharge."
6. P__ then collapsed outside. When I could get no help from anyone in the hospital (security was called!), I had to call 911 and have a local Fire Department and ambulance come to help pick P__ up.
Obviously, I'm leaving out quite a few details, while giving you, the reader, enough to realize how bad this hospital is.
My next post will discuss several other people who have told me their horror stories about this hospital.
Labels: avoid this hospital, HCA Northside, HCA Northside Hospital, Northside Hospital - Florida, Northside Hospital - St. Petersburg, Northside Hospital (Tampa Bay)
posted by feminist writer - Robin Shwedo | 6:45 PM
1 Comments:
My husband was taken by ambulance to Northside for a reaction to pain medication that he was given. He was treated like a junkie to begin with, but his family and I waited for hours before we could see him. He couldn't give a urine sample without privacy and they inserted a catheter rather than give him a minute alone. When I was finally allowed to see him, he had vomited on the floor, as he was told to do when he told the staff he was feeling sick. I had to find tissues / napkins without any help. I asked to see his "doctor" several times before I demanded to see him after plenty of eye rolling from the staff. It took his sister, who is a nurse, to get a response after several hours. When they removed the catheter, they were none too gentle and when I got my husband home, he had another patient's wristband on - !!! (And my husband had allergies noted on his). I called the hospital to complain and got a standard apologetic form letter. I'm grateful that this experience didn't get any worse as it so easily could have. I feel for any family that has to suffer for this facility's substandard practices.
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