Nursing at Wood County Hospital

[Guest guest]

Poor nursing care at Mount Sinai seems to be a frequent topic, but

it can happen anywhere. I had my surgery by the awsome Dr Hess at

Wood Count Hospital in Bowling Green, Ohio. There were some very

hard working folks there, but most of my experience was very

disappointing. The thing that struck me right off the bat was the

negative comments to me about the DS or past DS patients. There were

frequent stories told about severe complications, or how so many fail

to " comply " with post-op instructions and end up back in the

hospital. There was almost an attitude of contempt for the DS

patients, as if they were all idiots. Perhaps it was meant in the

spirit of patient education, but it was so overwhelmingly

negative,and it really exacerbated my pre-op jitters.

My mother was with me post-op, thank goodness, because the nursing

staff seemed generally irritated by my requests. My mom got my ice,

straightened my room etc. When I did use my call light I almost

always got a legnthy description of how busy they were. This seemed

strange, as half the beds were empty and there seemed to be a fair

ammount of staff at the desk each time my mom would go get my ice.

At 3 days post-op I asked if someone could help me wash my hair.

This simple request put the staff into a tizzy. They told me they

were short staffed. Then they told me they couldnt locate the

shampoo tray. After 4 HOURS of passing the buck, hand wringing and

endless discussion I asked for the nursing supervisor. She took me

to the shampoo bowl and within 10 minutes my request was met and I

felt much better. The nursing supervisor told me they were not at all

short staffed and apologized.

The shampoo story was mild compared to the reaction I had to asking

to use the patient bathtub. I wont even go there....

I the whole 8 days of my stay, I only had one nurse make

encouraging, positive comments to me about the DS. For the most part

it appeared as if the DS patients were a burdeon to the staff, and

the staff resented them. In fairness, there may be plenty of nurses

at Wood County who dont feel that way at all, but I didnt meet many

during my stay.

A shame, really, as I'd imagine Dr Hess and his DS patients bring in

a HUGE, badly needed revenue for that small hospital.

I would advise any DS patient to be their own advocate. If you dont

feel like your care is adequate, request to see a supervisor. Do it

over and over again if you have to. You are the customer, period.

There is enough to deal with at a time like this, you shouldnt have

to deal with poor nursing care. JMHO, YMMV.

Meli

June 21,01

Dr Hess

-36lbs

[Guest guest]

Poor nursing care at Mount Sinai seems to be a frequent topic, but

it can happen anywhere. I had my surgery by the awsome Dr Hess at

Wood Count Hospital in Bowling Green, Ohio. There were some very

hard working folks there, but most of my experience was very

disappointing. The thing that struck me right off the bat was the

negative comments to me about the DS or past DS patients. There were

frequent stories told about severe complications, or how so many fail

to " comply " with post-op instructions and end up back in the

hospital. There was almost an attitude of contempt for the DS

patients, as if they were all idiots. Perhaps it was meant in the

spirit of patient education, but it was so overwhelmingly

negative,and it really exacerbated my pre-op jitters.

My mother was with me post-op, thank goodness, because the nursing

staff seemed generally irritated by my requests. My mom got my ice,

straightened my room etc. When I did use my call light I almost

always got a legnthy description of how busy they were. This seemed

strange, as half the beds were empty and there seemed to be a fair

ammount of staff at the desk each time my mom would go get my ice.

At 3 days post-op I asked if someone could help me wash my hair.

This simple request put the staff into a tizzy. They told me they

were short staffed. Then they told me they couldnt locate the

shampoo tray. After 4 HOURS of passing the buck, hand wringing and

endless discussion I asked for the nursing supervisor. She took me

to the shampoo bowl and within 10 minutes my request was met and I

felt much better. The nursing supervisor told me they were not at all

short staffed and apologized.

The shampoo story was mild compared to the reaction I had to asking

to use the patient bathtub. I wont even go there....

I the whole 8 days of my stay, I only had one nurse make

encouraging, positive comments to me about the DS. For the most part

it appeared as if the DS patients were a burdeon to the staff, and

the staff resented them. In fairness, there may be plenty of nurses

at Wood County who dont feel that way at all, but I didnt meet many

during my stay.

A shame, really, as I'd imagine Dr Hess and his DS patients bring in

a HUGE, badly needed revenue for that small hospital.

I would advise any DS patient to be their own advocate. If you dont

feel like your care is adequate, request to see a supervisor. Do it

over and over again if you have to. You are the customer, period.

There is enough to deal with at a time like this, you shouldnt have

to deal with poor nursing care. JMHO, YMMV.

Meli

June 21,01

Dr Hess

-36lbs