Healthcare and patient's rights at risk

Healthcare

and patient's rights at risk

Recently, visiting a

western state where I had worked as a registered nurse in

a general hospital for many years, I spoke with

colleagues who are still working mostly in the intensive

care units and post surgical areas.

There was a

unison complaint the professional nurse is being

stretched too thinly in the acute hospital setting.

Nurses are leaving the profession as fast as they can

because of their workload. Nurses cannot cope with the

number of patients they are currently expected to care

for, and the responsibilities that go with it. Patients'

care is in jeopardy.

In at least

two cases this last year, one in my old hospital, and one

here in Atlanta, patients were returned to their room

from the recovery room. Both patients bled to death. The

nurses had been working so hard with their other acutely

ill patients they did not have the time to check the

fresh post operative cases often enough. Occasionally

patients bleed after they are returned to their rooms,

the nurses recognize it, notify the doctors and the

condition corrected. Both nurses were fired from their

jobs for negligence.

This last

spring in one of our local hospitals, a friend, following

a fairly simple surgical procedure nearly bled to death.

The spouse, visiting the room, had the presence of mind

to alarm the hospital staff and the patient was sent to

the critical unit to stop the bleeding.

Patients

deserve better care. They are paying too much money today

for medical care. If hospitals want to call the operation

a business, then the customers deserve better service.

With the present nurse/patient ratio, it is impossible

for nurses to give adequate service! We need adequate

staffing, simply, more registered nurses per patients. In

aviation, the FAA demands a minimum staffing of flight

attendants for safety. How about the same for nurses for

patient safety?

Don't wait

until something critical happens to your loved one! Next

time the excuse is "Nurse Negligence" think

twice.

Marie

Barr

R.N., M.A., B.S.

Peachtree City resident

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