After a week that included horrible emergency room care and exceptional emergency room care, I'm thinking about how one might manage health care in positive ways.
Have a notebook ready
I didn't expect to have such a horrible emergency room experience, and in hindsight, I wish I had a notebook handy and wrote down each event that occurred throughout the ordeal. I simply expected the care to be good, but instead it was one error and miscommunication after another which led to an eventual, potentially destructive, final event--an event that sent us to another hospital's emergency room in an effort to get the care we needed.
I wish I had a notebook or online file ready to keep track of each event that happened. During the multi-hour, problematic care session, my loved one saw about six different nurses and three doctors. One problem was the evident miscommunication amongst the care providers, and another problem was the fact that some care providers used an incorrect procedures to solve the problem.
Ask questions
At both the good care facility and poor care facility, the medical staff mostly scoffed at questions leaving us feeling insecure and reluctant to ask more questions. It's critical that patients and their families ask the questions they have, and it's critical that medical staff are open to those questions. The lack of openness with regard to questioning, I believe, occurred because caregivers were pressed for time and some thought the questions ridiculous. The truth is that when service providers in any field are open to questioning, the questions become less and more focused over time. I learned that as an educator. Early in my career I was not as open to questioning about the teaching choices and plans I made, but later in my career, I learned to be open and positive about all questions. That positivity and openness led to better collegial and teacher-family communication and teamwork. I learned that when it comes to service, no one has all the answers or information, and when we work as a team, we generally do a better job when it comes to serving people well. Don't be afraid to ask questions, and when your questions are not treated with care or good responses, ask more questions.
Do your homework
If a medical procedure or response does not seem to make sense, learn more. Do your research, ask questions, and seek expertise. Once a long time ago, a young doctor blamed my weight for a medical problem I had. I was in great pain, but she did not take that seriously--she thought she knew more. Later, I had to go to the emergency room for the problem, and they misdiagnosed the issue too leading me back to the emergency room. Finally, when my mom recited my symptoms to her bridge club, they correctly diagnosed my problem which was an old-time illness not seen often in contemporary society. When I mentioned that illness to the doctors, they tested me for it, and realized that's exactly what I had. Then they gave me the needed medicines, and I was better in a matter of days. We have to trust our gut when it comes to our medical care, and we also have to remain open minded and respectful of medical professionals too. Good medical care is never a one-way street. Instead it takes a team approach to get the care you need.
Speak up
If you don't get the care you need, speak up. If you do get the care you need, speak up. Be an active consumer of health care. When we stay silent, the system does not improve.