Make Medicine Better

My dad was recently brought to Barnes ER with stroke like symptoms. The immediate care was great but once he was stabilized he was transfered to another room in the ER where he waited for 13 hours before being admitted to a room. When we questioned the nurse we were told “This is a busy hospital” and “That’s pretty standard wait time.” We had no idea which doctor was in charge of his care and at 10 pm we finally met a resident who would take over his care. We usually go to St. John’s for care and have NEVER waited that long in their ER. The EMTs wanted Barnes because it was the closest. I’m sorry I let them talk me into it.
Once on the floor the RNs were also “busy” and I heard at least four RNs say to me when asked for something for my Dad “He’s not my Patient.”
The nurse on the first night, Natasha was the best. Very caring and good. The aide Dana was just super. She was so compassionate and understanding and treated my Dad with a dignity that others lacked. She was the highlight of the visit. Dana and Natasha are two women that Barnes should be proud to have on staff.
I too am an RN and was deeply disappointed by the nurses I encountered. We were taught that patient care is the primary responsiblilty of the nurse. If he’s not your patient, then offer to get the nurse who is if you are too busy to help a family member pull a pt up in bed. My Dad may just have been the “cancer pt in 11223″ but his diagnosis was new to us and we were having difficulty adjusting to the news. It was not an overall good experience.