Grrrr! I hate hospitals!

by iiz2cool 3 Replies latest jw friends

• 

  iiz2cool

  My mother, at 81, has been in and out of the hospital about a dozen times in the last 3 months. She has cancer, and hasn't too much longer to live. She was taken to hospital about 6 weeks ago, and she stayed for about 10 days. During that time they didn't let her shower, and they didn't give her any sponge baths either. Finally, after about a week she went to the bathroom using her walker, and tried to wash herself, since they were neglecting her. She fell and was severely bruised. They said nothing was wrong with her and discharged her shortly after.

  Well, she was taken to a different hospital this week and they found the injuries she suffered in the fall. They are:

  5 fractured ribs
  5 fractured vertebrea in her spine
  2 fractures in her pelvic bone, one on the left and one on the right.

  I'm seriously considering a lawsuit here. Does anyone have any experience with this sort of thing?

  Walter
• 

  Joyzabel

  obtain the medical records from the hospital where she fell. Contact a lawyer who specializes in malpractice. It is difficult to prove so get a lawyer's opinion. Especially a good dirty one, out of town. I've found most doctors and lawyers are bedfellows.

  just my 2 cents

  jf2bf
• 

  Scully

  10 days without being showered or at least given a sponge bath?? There is no excuse for that. There are supposed to be nurses either helping patients with these self-care necessities, or delegating other health care aides or patient care attendants to get them done.

  Every hospital in Ontario requires that when a patient falls, an incident report MUST be completed, and the patient MUST be examined by a physician and have necessary diagnostics performed (x-ray, etc).

  You can contact the Ontario Hospital Association to register your complaint against the hospital. To register a complaint against the physician on duty, you would have to contact the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario. For complaints regarding the nurses (RNs and RPNs), contact the College of Nurses of Ontario.

  http://www.oha.com/ (Ontario Hospital Association)
  http://www.cpso.on.ca/ (College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario)
  http://www.cno.org/ (College of Nurses of Ontario)

  Doctors and nurses are expected to practice within the scope defined in the Regulated Health Professions Act, 1991. You should be able to get a copy of this document at any Government of Ontario bookstore (Access Ontario) for around $10, if you want to do some homework before talking to a lawyer.

  You might also consider writing a letter to the Unit Manager, the Director of Nursing and Chief of Staff at the hospital where your mother was staying, or arranging a meeting with them to discuss your concerns. You should have a durable power of attorney for health care for your mother, otherwise they may not feel obliged to discuss anything with you at all, especially pertaining to her records surrounding the incident in question.

  Good luck, Walter.

  Love, Scully
• 

  Francois

  This screams professional incompetence. Go for their throats.