We are so lucky to have good health care across Canada. Lots of competent professionals. The trouble with Health Care is everyone can have a different opinion.
Take this example. You go to ER and the doctor there makes a treatment plan. You get admitted and now the doctor on the floor has a new plan and may not consult the ER notes. If you stay more than a week you get a different doctor the second week. So ready to go home. Go see your Family Doctor. Well that doctor usually does not read the discharge notes from the hospital and may come up with a different plan or not understand how ill you have been.
Take example #2. You are in hospital. Depends whether the nurse has an 8 hour or 12 hour shift on how many nurses you will get in a day. There is supposed to be a shift report. But how often can your nurse say I did not have time to read your chart. Okay charts are now electronic and quite easy to read and there are summary charts. You may have liked the nurse on the last shift. But your new nurse may be in a bad mood and expects you to cheer him/her up!! Can nurses nurse by mood and personality? Yup. There are standards of care but not always standards of mood.
Take example #3. Your child has special needs, concerns, illnesses. Each professional may have a different opinion. Try this. Try that. Did anyone ask you what has already been done? Or you are treated as if you have done nothing when you have been with this child 24/7 and through all the good and bad times.
Take example #4. Professionals of different professions often criticize or judge what another profession has done. If someone is not trained in that profession then can not tell someone how to do their job. Happens with Social Work. Everyone can think because they took a psychology course or two the expertise is the same. I often heard other disciplines question what the surgeon was planning. Really!! Not a surgeon so why would I question it. Why did they question it?
I could go on but communication and consistent treatment would really help. Each professional can give a different opinion but does need to look at what has been tried already.
Always remember the family member is part of the treatment team. Actually the most important part. Family members often have done a lot of care prior to any admission. They will continue after any discharge.
As a professional Social Worker, 2 of my basic questions were Is this normal for your loved one and what have you already done. For example, post surgery a patient could have confusion. Is this confusion new and normal for your loved one. Yes I read the chart. Informed the patient and family. Would only ask questions that had not been answered.
Treat the family member well. If the person talks about how the care is not consistent and often one person does not know what the other person had done. Does it happen? Yes too often!!
Trust me professionally and personally I have witnessed it way too often.
What are your thoughts and your experiences? It is always good to share.
#healthcareinCanada#professonalsoftendonottalkwitheachother#nurses#doctors#socialworkers#hospitals#respectingeachother'sdiscipline#gettingwhatisbestforyourlovedone#professionalsneedtobeconsistentwithcare
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