Case Scenario: Compassionate Care During the past five years, I have filled out numerous standardized forms that ask questions that have been repeatedly asked by a wide variety of physician specialists and other caregivers. I've been told that my most recent specialist had great credentials. He came highly recommended. I grew more hopeful as I drove to his office during the early morning rush hour in a metropolitan city. I would finally meet someone who cared and understood my disease processes. As I walked into his office, I noted that my medical chart was lying on the desk in front of him. The sight of it on his desk comforted me, thinking that he had actually read my answers. His staff had said he wanted the chart several weeks prior to my appointment because he needed time to familiarize himself with my case. I soon realized several minutes into the conversation that he had not reviewed my medical chart. The forms that I had so painstakingly completed, hoping for an answer to my illness, had not been read. He inquired as to what medications I was taking. My husband accompanied me that day and noticed that the list of medications was laid in front of him; he didn't hesitate to point that out to the physician. The doctor asked questions within a predetermined range-one was, "What is your pain on a scale of 1 to 10?" How do I answer that? I am off your scale. I cannot remember not being in pain for the past five years. I sometimes wonder what it must have been like to be pain-free. I don't know that feeling anymore. Hello, is anyone out there? Eventually, I was admitted to the hospital for the first time. My nerve endings felt frayed, my stomach churned, my worries were multiplying, and my thoughts turned to, "Is it time to get more bad news?" I was extremely ill.
The waiting area in the admissions office was uncomfortable and uninviting. Privacy was minimal and soft music was nonexistent. I wondered what was going to happen to me. Things got worse when I was finally admitted to a room. I was in an unfamiliar room with drab, nondescript walls, and I was dependent upon people who barely had the time to dispense medications. The physicians and other staff members were rushing about, engaged in their everyday tasks. No one seemed to have time for me. Confusion set in, and the fear of being in a strange place caused me tremendous anxiety. Unfamiliar people looked at me, touched me, and asked me the same questions over and over again. The questioning seemed never-ending. I wondered, "Do these people ever talk to each other?" The surroundings were sterile and unfriendly, adding to my uneasy feelings. Why can't health care facilities be more compassionate and patient-friendly? Why must I worry about complaining and fear retribution? Provisions should be made for a serene environment with calming colors and carefully chosen people to gently ease answers from a frightened patient. More attention is needed in making a patient's room a calm and inviting place, which would help to soothe and carry the patient through troubling times.
1. In what way did the physician show a lack of concern for the patient's needs?
2. Describe how hospitals can provide a comforting environment for patients.