During a recent hospital visit, I became concerned about multiple mistakes that could have made me very ill. I was fortunate to have a caretaker with me since I was in bad shape. During my stay, the staff brought the wrong medication and the wrong meal. Since I was instructed to have no medication by mouth, this was serious. I was given two large pills with a cup of water. Yet I was supposed to have all medication through my IV. I could not swallow and I could have choked.
Additionally, I was supposed to have a liquid diet for the first 4-5 days and I was given a full breakfast of eggs, toast, etc. I had instructed my caretaker to keep a journal of the time, date, and personnel who administered food and medication. The reason for the journal is so that I could document anything that could have caused severe injury, death, or exacerbated my condition.
I realize that most people cannot bring someone along to the hospital to take notes. But if you are well enough, I recommend that you document events. If you have a friend or loved one with you part of the time, ask them to help.
There have been numerous cases of mistakes and lack of adequate care at hospitals. If you end up filing a complaint, you have to document details or they cannot respond to your claim. I also needed immediate care several times and pushed a button at my bed to alert the nurses. They did not respond to the call. My caretaker went on the floor to look for a nurse and they all said they were attending to other patients. Really? I guess an emergency doesn’t matter. That is why I recommend documenting as much as you can. I wish we didn’t have to be in a situation like this.