Last week my daughter, Maya, dislocated and fractured her elbow while practicing at her cheer gym (ironically you can learn more about that in my recent tamale blog). She had an emergency reduction surgery the night of the accident to put her elbow back in place and a second surgery a few days later to insert a screw to correct the fracture. All went well, but they decided to keep her overnight to help control her pain. And that’s where my 40x40 experience comes in.
Certainly staying overnight at the hospital with a recovering child is something any mother would do and there is absolutely no place I would have been that night except by her side. But it was especially enlightening for me as a person who has built a career in patient experience. I work for The Beryl Institute, a thought leader and community of practice on improving patient experience in healthcare. While I build and promote resources to help our community improve the experiences of patients, families and caregivers, I’ve been blessed to have very few patient/family experiences myself. It’s amazing how your perspective changes when you’re sitting inside the hospital walls. So, for this 40x40 I’d like to take a different approach and share a few of the realizations I faced while caring for Maya.
- Patients (and those who love and care for them) are incredibly vulnerable in a healthcare setting. I think Maya and I are pretty confident in our regular routines, but we were a bit clueless at the hospital – even with simple things such as ordering meals and turning on the TV. More significantly, we were at the hands of the staff to know what medicines she should have, if her body was reacting as it should to the surgery and how to best control the pain. We had to trust the healthcare team. As a children’s hospital, I must acknowledge they had several things in place that helped Maya feel more comfortable. Volunteers brought her a stuffed lamb and they let her select from a fun collection of super soft blankets to use while there that she could also take home. The hospital even had a Build-a-Bear Workshop on site, which I believe was the key motivator in getting her walking around post-surgery.
- Healthcare workers are human. I think we often place doctors and nurses on pedestals in our minds assuming they should have perfect accuracy, bedside manners and responsiveness. While Maya had some great people caring for her, I was quickly reminded they were human. They had varied levels of experience, focus and relationship skills. As humans they also had their own lives that did have an impact on how they cared for my daughter – maybe stresses at home, conflict with co-workers or even their own health challenges. Regardless of how dedicated and professional, humans make mistakes. I came to appreciate all the checks and balances they implemented to help prevent that. At first I was a little disturbed by the redundant questions like “What is your name? Birthday? Any allergies?” But as I reminded myself the staff were each caring for multiple patients, I learned to appreciate their diligence to make sure everything matched up. That said, I do suggest they reconsider one phrase in their vernacular. From the time we registered for surgery until we left the next day, we had at least 10 people ask, “What are you here for?” That’s a perfectly fair question for someone showing up at the Emergency Department or having a random appointment at their physician’s office, but there is an expectation when you arrive somewhere for a scheduled surgery that they are expecting you and know why you’re there. I suggest a simple, “I see you are here for ______. Is that correct?” as an alternative as it would go a long way in giving patients confidence in their healthcare team.
- Patients need advocates. The vulnerability and realization that the staff treating Maya were human reinforced a point I hear a lot in my work – the idea that patients need advocates. A few years ago a co-worker’s husband was in the hospital and she refused to leave his side. As much as she respected the healthcare team caring for him, she realized no one had his best interest at heart as much as she did. She was there to be sure they gave him the right medicines, at the right time and in the right amounts. She kept a journal of his condition and symptoms to share with the doctor, and she was there to be sure he ate, had food choices he liked and any assistance he needed. After being in the hospital with Maya for just one night, I understood her point completely, and not just because Maya was 11. If I’m ever in the hospital, or my husband, parents or sister are, I hope we’ll have the ability to have a personal advocate by our side.
Maya was lucky that her hospital stay was short and she’s on the road to recovery. Being with her that night did enrich my life by giving me a more personal reflection on something I speak to everyday. And that reinforces my purpose, both as a mom caring for a child and a professional passionate about making the healthcare experience the best it can be for everyone.
Experience #12 taught me lots, but I hope and pray the next 28 get back to planned fun, adventure and new encounters.
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