Results: I assume that no TW member actually likes having to spend time in a hospital. Sometimes the reason to go home is because of improved health but at other times the desire is mainly to escape "The Hospital of Doom". We have recently experienced the latter.
Published on 02/18/2025
My wife has recently returned home after a 2 week hospital stay and we both think it was not a moment too soon. We have never experienced anything like this over the years so I wondered if it was the new norm. Here are some examples of medical treatment that were potentially hazardous to my wife's health.
QUESTIONS
GO to COMMENTS
Comments
1.
1.
I will start with some events from the time we called for an ambulance to the triage in the ER department until my wife was transferred to a ward in the main hospital building. Have any of these events happened to you and/or something else at this step of your medical treatment?
We have a phone hot line (dial 811) to get initial advice and the nurse there was excellent. She suggested to call 911 for an ambulance and the emergency operator handled everything perfectly and stayed on the line until the ambulance was at my door. This area of care was handled efficiently and professionally.
8%
201 votes
My wife was in great pain and unable to stand. There was no protocol to get someone in her condition from her bed to the gurney out in the hallway. We had to put her in an office chair with castors and push/pull her to where the gurney was and then up onto it.
6%
151 votes
The triage system at the ER fast tracked anyone arriving by ambulance so as to release the EMTs for other calls. After that however, since no doctors were on duty, my wife had nothing to eat or drink given, no ability to go to the washroom, no medications given, and blood work was only done at my insistence (my wife is diabetic).
11%
265 votes
Even though my wife's medical history was readily available and she was wearing her Medic Alert bracelet, staff didn't read them. If not for my intervention, my wife would have been given medications for the pain to which she is allergic.
3%
67 votes
She was taken from our home at 11AM and was not examined by a doctor until 6AM the next day.
7%
174 votes
Other (please specify)
2%
42 votes
Not Applicable
64%
1600 votes
| Other Answers | Percentage | Votes |
|---|---|---|
| 1.33% | 12 | |
| None of these has happened to me, but I have noticed that sometimes in hospitals the right hand doesn't know what the left hand is doing. Duplications and errors a lot. | 0.11% | 1 |
| All of the above are similar to things that had happened to my dad before he passed | 0.11% | 1 |
| I had to fire a doctor and get another.Security wanted to arrest me for being in the way of a paint the parking lot crew.I have not seen a medical doctor since 2016. | 0.11% | 1 |
| none of those, but that is just horrible to be "cared for" in a hospital the way y'all were. | 0.11% | 1 |
| Have heard of other similar stories | 0.11% | 1 |
| My son was in the ER hallway for an entire day before they put him in an ER room. Then another day to find him a room. | 0.11% | 1 |
| except for the first, the rest are all unaceptable! | 0.11% | 1 |
| Actually had the wrong part of body with anesthesia vs the correct place & felt the doc start the knife poke & screamed before given general--downhill from there--downhill from there! | 0.11% | 1 |
| I've had all of the last 3 happen to me.I have a chronic condition,requiring frequent ER/ambulance trips,they ignored me once so long in the ER during a flare-up of my Cyclic Vomiting that I actually had a heart attack! The local hospital is terrible | 0.11% | 1 |
| My sister never got a room when I took her to ER. She stayed in the hallway the full 5days | 0.11% | 1 |
| I've had some pretty awful experiences, as well. | 0.11% | 1 |
| was taken to a hospital by ambulance and not seen for 11 hours, sitting in an Emergency waiting room | 0.11% | 1 |
| Most of these things are pretty regular for the hospital I had to stay in, following a bicycle accident. It was a nightmare and I will never go there again. I feel your pain. | 0.11% | 1 |
| Her health care was deplorable | 0.11% | 1 |
| Went to er at 5pm came out at around 3am | 0.11% | 1 |
| appendix removal in ER | 0.11% | 1 |
| Will explain in comments section | 0.11% | 1 |
| I was taken to a ER, told I had a heart attack, admitted over night and then told the next day I really didn't have one | 0.11% | 1 |
| Emergency dept was great but after that my wife was treated like she was bothering the staff. If you pushed the button for assistance, were lucky if anyone replied in 20 minutes. | 0.11% | 1 |
| Only the first was similar. My wife was handled quickly and with compassion at every step. Although her broken leg was less urgent than some others in the ER, She was given speedy attention with appropriate questions and medical background search. | 0.11% | 1 |
| There were no beds and my wife was vomiting regularly and the staff decided that the waiting room was the best place for her. | 0.11% | 1 |
| I do not thing any healthcare knows what they are doing anymore. | 0.11% | 1 |
| Not exactly but similar | 0.11% | 1 |
| I can relate to points 1 & 2 , along with the first part of 3. | 0.11% | 1 |
| All of the above | 0.11% | 1 |
| ER nurse put me in gown with polyester after I warned I'm very allergic. She didn't bother to check the content label. When I started reacting, she refused to remove it. It was 55% polyester. I removed it myself. | 0.11% | 1 |
| Transported me by ambulance to 3 hospitals because the first 2 were not equipped (didn't have testing machines needed. In severe pain the whole time | 0.11% | 1 |
| the healthcare system is too poorly designed | 0.11% | 1 |
| Report names and dates to hospital, keep a copy of what you wrote to them | 0.11% | 1 |
| unsure | 0.11% | 1 |
2.
2.
We are now in day 3 and my wife is now being moved to the main ward. Here are some experiences from this step in the process. Which have you experienced or something similar?
My wife was put on an IV that allowed fluid to flow into her body at such a speed that her system could not handle it. She swelled up like a balloon with the excess fluid and staff taking care of her assumed she was morbidly obese and body shamed her.
12%
297 votes
The nurse looking after her didn't want to have to get my wife out of bed to go to the washroom or use a commode so instead used an adult diaper which was not changed for more that 24 hours.
9%
236 votes
The bed had been cranked into a position that was not adjusted for comfort or to relieve pressure on the very area of pain my wife was hospitalized for. By day 3 my wife had developed a bed sore which will now take weeks to heal.
6%
160 votes
Other (please specify)
1%
34 votes
Not Applicable
74%
1855 votes
| Other Answers | Percentage | Votes |
|---|---|---|
| 1.38% | 10 | |
| Daughter's IV was drawing blood *in*. I told nurse at station, TWICE. Nurse said I didn't know what I was talking about but marched into daughter's room in a huff... only to see blood in the IV. She soothed m daughter but said nothing to me. | 0.14% | 1 |
| No but they sent my dad home with a draining chest tube still in him. Without instructions | 0.14% | 1 |
| Night shift staff were having a gathering in the staff room and did not respond to repeated attempts to contact them via the bedside call button. | 0.14% | 1 |
| I had to bath an take care of my wife at the hospital every day after work. | 0.14% | 1 |
| Being a retired RN, this sort of "care" is just totally wrong in every sense of the word. | 0.14% | 1 |
| My husband was left out in a drafty hallway with no attention given to him for 24 hours. Liuckily I was there to help him. He was very embarrassed to go to the washroom with only a guerney to protect his vital parts. St time we go there. No apologie | 0.14% | 1 |
| Pulling me up in the bed gave me a bed sore | 0.14% | 1 |
| I had to wait for an hour one time for a nurse to come help me with a bed pan when I was on 30 liters of oxygen and bed ridden. | 0.14% | 1 |
| Have heard similar horror stories | 0.14% | 1 |
| in overnight for a.m. sx--requested a snack before midnight as I am diabetic. Nurse forgot & shift changed. I didn't get my snack until 1 a.m.--longer story | 0.14% | 1 |
| Sounds rterrible | 0.14% | 1 |
| How dreadful. | 0.14% | 1 |
| Very unprofessional | 0.14% | 1 |
| 21 days of stuff like this during my husband's stay in October ... excruciating pain and I would have to track down a nurse cuz no one answered the bell call | 0.14% | 1 |
| Awful | 0.14% | 1 |
| I had to wait 5 hrs in an emergency room | 0.14% | 1 |
| I have had my antibiotics pumped into my arm muscle causing it to become hard and cause me pain for days | 0.14% | 1 |
| First hospital recognized by x-rays that my wife had joint replacements at both ends of the broken bone. The advised transfer to another hospital with more experience in that kind of thing, and they arranged for transfer when we agreed. | 0.14% | 1 |
| Hope she is doing better now. | 0.14% | 1 |
| Father had multiple medical errors. | 0.14% | 1 |
| Others just as bad happened to my father in Canada. | 0.14% | 1 |
| the healthcare system is too poorly designed | 0.14% | 1 |
| Get busy write letters, call and talk to someone this is terrible. Hope you have names of the nurses | 0.14% | 1 |
| unsure | 0.14% | 1 |
3.
3.
Up in the ward, things didn't improve much. Here are some challenges we faced while in their care. Have you had some of these types of experiences?
The button to call for help from staff was consistently left at least 3 feet beyond where my wife could reach.
14%
346 votes
Meal trays were placed on a mobile table which was even further out of reach. Staff then gave my wife a hard time for not eating her meals.
8%
199 votes
On many occasions, if my wife need to go to the washroom and called for assistance from a staff member to get there (she was on an IV, the bed had side railings, she had a catheter, the route from her bed to the washroom was blocked by hospital equipment and she was not able to take more than a few steps without support) the staff member would not show up for 45 minutes or more, by which time my wife had already "gone" requiring many more staff involved to clean everything up. This was so dehumanizing that my wife lost all hope for eventual recovery.
12%
301 votes
When needing help from a staff member, I observed that most often there would be many staff around but they were sitting at a computer or using their own smart phones. Patient care was an interruption. There seemed to be no supervisors present.
14%
347 votes
Other (please specify)
1%
22 votes
Not Applicable
65%
1630 votes
| Other Answers | Percentage | Votes |
|---|---|---|
| 0.41% | 5 | |
| Later in comments | 0.08% | 1 |
| Linda had to disconnect her traction and that desturbed those on the floors below and above hers. | 0.08% | 1 |
| Unfortunately, have seen these instances happen too often during my 35 years of nursing. | 0.08% | 1 |
| Have heard similar stories | 0.08% | 1 |
| again, this is all unaceptable | 0.08% | 1 |
| I feel that many nurses now-a-days are just there for the paycheck,not because they really care about us patients,which is really sad. | 0.08% | 1 |
| Get aclawyer | 0.08% | 1 |
| Appalling | 0.08% | 1 |
| I was told I should be taking my own 90-year-old dad to the bathroom myself bc they were short-staffed. I have no experience caring for infirm adults. | 0.08% | 1 |
| I was in the ER for observation but had to yell to get someone to take me to the bathroom as no one was in the area. So much for observation. | 0.08% | 1 |
| The second hospital took rapid care, and my wife now has a titanium rod bracing the set bone. They arranged for a transfer to a rehabilitation facility once we agreed. | 0.08% | 1 |
| My wife was vomiting regularly even after admittance and the only thing the staff was worried about was getting something to stay down so she could be discharged. | 0.08% | 1 |
| I was treated really bad after my surgery. No once seemed to care what happened to me. | 0.08% | 1 |
| I've heard of these kinds of things happening at some of the care homes in the city I live in. | 0.08% | 1 |
| I'm allergic to tomatoes. Ordered salad after being assured it was tomato-free. They just removed them from pre-made salad, so naturally I had an allergic reaction when I ate it. I discovered a tomato seed too late, and raised hell over it. | 0.08% | 1 |
| So sad, no patient should ever be treated like this. | 0.08% | 1 |
| unsure | 0.08% | 1 |
4.
4.
My wife did recover despite the care she was given and the day of her discharge was approaching. Fate continued to intervene however. Have you ever experienced any of the following or similar?
My wife was in a semi private room and her room mate, who had cracked ribs from a fall, nevertheless managed to climb out of bed and attacked my wife as she slept. She had been given opiates for her pain even though it was marked on her chart not to (they caused her to have psychotic episodes).
11%
278 votes
When medications were given, the patient was not told what they were and, with staff not reading the records for allergies or other adverse reactions, the risk of being given the wrong medications was high. Every other hospital we have experienced would say what the medication was called and what it was being used to treat. Patients are not always alert or knowledgeable enough to catch mistakes in medications.
9%
229 votes
When my wife was actually released from captivity, her walker was removed from her room and she was expected to get from her bed to the elevators and from their to the parking lot without them providing a wheel chair or similar. When I asked for some wheels to get her to the car, staff acted as if nobody had ever asked them before. At the same time I was required to prove that I had a walker available at home for her use or they would not release her.
5%
129 votes
At every work station, there is a poster that says raising my voice to any staff member could cause me to be banned from the building. They have obviously experienced this in the past - I wonder why?
7%
166 votes
Other (please specify)
1%
26 votes
Not Applicable
71%
1786 votes
| Other Answers | Percentage | Votes |
|---|---|---|
| 1.09% | 9 | |
| My father had suffered multiple (at least 4) heart attacks, but they wanted him to go home for the weekend. All entrances have steps, both outside and inside. They reluctantly let him stay. He died 2 or 3 weeks later. | 0.12% | 1 |
| You need to talk to someone like Fox and Farmer you have a case and they should be paying you for being there. | 0.12% | 1 |
| I'm glad your wife survived this dreadful ordeal! | 0.12% | 1 |
| Heard similar stories | 0.12% | 1 |
| Never saw sx for discharge info--papers didn't say not to go back to work, nor say they had done more extensive work that would prevent my keying 10,000 words for a book deadline at work | 0.12% | 1 |
| After being given meds I am allergic to & having horrible reaction,which the nurses brushed off & acted like it was no big deal,I learned to always ask what the meds are if the nurse isn't going to say. | 0.12% | 1 |
| Sounds illegal | 0.12% | 1 |
| I was given a medication that was NOT on my very short list of meds. I had an allergic reaction and literally had diarrhea for 2 months. Had to have hip surgery while I was there and had diarrhea during surgery, they said. There is so much more. | 0.12% | 1 |
| Health care is spiraling doesn't | 0.12% | 1 |
| Patient ignored when help asked for - repeatedly | 0.12% | 1 |
| My wife has allergies to several, commonly used medications. Staff at all 3 facilities were aware by her history, but confirmed through questions. | 0.12% | 1 |
| This sounds like the hospital from hell. | 0.12% | 1 |
| They want to make sure no matter what they say they are always right even if they bring harm to you or you loved one. | 0.12% | 1 |
| All of the above and much more! | 0.12% | 1 |
| the healthcare system is too poorly designed | 0.12% | 1 |
| I am a retired RN and would never treat a patient like this. Complain to the hospital and demand an answer or call the news station. | 0.12% | 1 |
| unsure | 0.12% | 1 |
COMMENTS