Hospitalitis: Hospital Induced Emotional Disorder
HOSPITALITIS
(a poem by me)
The meals were fine, no wine, no whine
The bed linen was removed and refreshed, repeatedly, without request
The care and attention, intense, no pretense
Blood extracted and given, with skills, no frills
The pills and shots given with hopes of beneficial actions, with no bad reactions
The Docs were thoughtful, the Nurses great
But then why after a week in the hospital, it is the hospital I hate?
What is it about more than a few days of hospital existence that in many patients, a prolonged stay brings on patient anxiety and depression and a condition we all know as “hospitalitis”? Is it due to the routine of hospital life? ..the loss of privacy? ..the pain and discomfort? ..the paging and announcements on the speakers all day and all night? ..the lack of intellectual stimulation during the day and the lack of sleep at night? ..the missing of the usual normal life and the gnawing concern and fears about recovery and ever going home? There are some patients who find hospitals very comforting and hope to prolong their stay to the consternation of the hospital staff. However, it is my observation that most patients look forward to leave the hospital and leave their infection with hospitalitis behind them. Have any of my visitors had a case of hospitalitis and how did they explain the cause? ..Maurice.
posted by Maurice Bernstein, M.D. @ 10:03:00 PM
4 comments
4 Comments:
Where to begin? Lets start with I'm so sick my DoctorI can't cure me while at home because He/She needs tests to help determine what my problem is, these tests are available in a hospital so thats where I go. The anxiety begins immeadetely as I am ganged up on by Technologists, Radiologists, and about any other ologist that thinks they can help.
I have lost any modicum of control over my life and body as the tests begin day and night. Sleep is pretty much out of the question as the staff continues to provide medications at all hours to my room mates along with treatament regime's for everyone in your room, not to mention the scheduled monitoring of all of your bodily functions. You are hooked up to IV's , heart and BP monitors so are incapable of even going potty without help and the staffs express permission.
Not that this isn't enough now I have to check all of the meds they are giving me to make certain the meds are the correct ones, the tests are really what the doctor wanted and I;m not mistaken for someone else.
Now you are sick, stressed, sleepless, anxious and in some cases have no clue whats going to happen next.
Lord get me out of here before someone cuts of my leg by mistake.
However! everybody was real nice to me, they all showed a modicum of conern, were friendly, courteous and kind.
And you ask why I want to leave?
Any suggestions of changes in the hospital system to mitigate these experiences and concerns and permit a more comfortable hospital stay? Or by the very nature of the circumstances, these concerns should be looked upon as inevitable for a hospitalized patient. ..Maurice.
With HIPAA and all the other literture provided to patients on admission about their rights it appears to me the patient needs to act on them.
I suspect patients rarely read all the information provided on admission or completely understand it, or more then likely don't care as the only priority at the time is to get treatment to feel better.
In order to make changes to mitigate their experiences I beleive the patient can and should take control of there care, this unfortunately rarely happens as the patient is to intimidated to do so.
During my last hospital stay,(for bleeding into my hip from coumadin therapy), my wife was with me most of the time and between the two of us we questioned all meds, treatment programs and tests and refused some treatments and tests.
I refused a blood transfusion at the time because after being given 500cc of saline my blood was tested and the Hgb was low.
Refused additional antibiotics ordered by the infectious disease specialists as my blood test reflected no infection and I wasn't running a fever.
I don't know how popular we were but that was not a concern of ours.
So the treatment in a hospital is not inevitable, but it is up to the patient and family to make it a more positive experience by being assertive and proactive instead of blind compliance.
Norm
Last time I was visiting a relative at the hospital there was a brochure in the sitting/waiting room that mentioned some of the fears/stresses patients have while hospitalized. One of the highest elements of stress that is put on a patient is the financial aspect. This is particularly true if the patient is the main finacial contributer to a family.
Even with full medical coverage (or free coverage like in Canada) there are still lots of misc. expensives that poorer patients may get stressed out about not to mention financial reprecussions of extended time off work.
I can easly see how that one element alone can bring a heavy weight on someone even if the medical staff acts as hospitable as humanly possible.
TS
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