Where is the 'care' in healthcare?
People visit the ER for many different reasons. Sometimes it’s for vague, non-specific symptoms that require little testing. But in many cases, they end up suffering the “million dollar work-up” with no definitive answers. I find this part of ER nursing very frustrating. I know I am not alone.
Just recently, I caught an episode of
Mystery Diagnosis on Discovery Health. It showcased a woman who suffered for years with knee pain, hair loss, fatigue, and a multitude of other symptoms-things that plague many of the people I see everyday. She was diagnosed with Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis by an Endocrinologist her husband contacted. While searching for the right doctor, she felt humiliated and patronized by many members of the healthcare system.
I am one of those members who anger patients by discharging them home without a diagnosis. It’s not something I enjoy. As a matter of fact, I hate it. I do my best to validate their pain, fears, and concerns, but most of the time, it isn’t enough for them. That leaves me feeling inadequate.
So, what can I do as a single nurse? I know that the American Health Care System is supposed to be the most advanced in the world, but it lacks so much understanding of the human condition. Somewhere, in this abyss of medicine and nursing, we, the healthcare providers have lost the ability to see the bigger picture. Dare I say we lack the care we should be giving?
It’s hard to know what is right. The human body is complex and many problems don’t manifest themselves in a way that makes it easy to find the problem. But I wonder if it’s possible to, at the very least, make patients feel cared for. And that thought leads me back to my
last blog, about apologizing. I think healthcare providers, nurses included, are so afraid of litigation that they put themselves first. This makes the patient feel hurt, which leads to anger, and that takes us down the road of blame.
Our society needs to find a way to end this cycle of suffering. We need to put the ‘care’ back into healthcare. I believe it is a big part of what adds to the cost of healthcare today. It’s by far not the only problem, but it may be one of the simplest to solve. If you have any thoughts or suggestions, I’d love to hear them.