Nursing & compassionate care.

[kristina]

I am writing this having listened to a Radio programme about nursing care.

The presenter was desperate to know why patients thought that nurses
did not provide the level of compassionate care the patients expected.
He invited nurses to phone into the programme.
Only two nurses of mature years phoned in to explain
what was going on in the nursing profession.

Evidently, nurses today are required to have a degree
or some qualification at that level, and although the nurses
in their introductory course for nursing are told all about compassionate care of the sick and disabled,
when the nurses actually get into their job in a hospital,
the nurses today as part of their role do some work which in former years was the responsibility of a qualified doctor,
and so these nurses with their qualification and degree of responsibility feel
that making a cup of tea or talking to a patient in a compassionate way
or doing any of those other little caring things which make a patient feel comfortable & reassured
are beneath them and so they do not bother about these all important details.

Added to this, and because of a heightened climate of litigation which exists today
the nurses are forced to fill out forms in great detail about their activities and about patients activities,
which of course takes up a great deal of time & they have to get the patients permission before
they can touch the patient like wiping the sweat from their brow or holding their hand to comfort them.
 
Also, it was said that there was nobody at the hospital to fulfill those small but important activities
which the nurses were not doing. Therefore family members or friends of the patients had to step in.

Now, my question is does this ring any bells which those experienced in going to Dialysis-Centres?

Thank you, Kristina.

[sullidog]

We have a nurse that isn't caring to the patients, well she doesn't seem like she is anyways, she just sits at her station and gives meds and wants to go home.
Troy

[Zog]

Nurses don't really nurse anymore.  They really just execute doctor's orders, gather information for the doctor to use and maintain records for the doctor, the lawyers and the accountants.  There needs to be another title for them besides nurse.  I don't think we will ever see the traditional ideal nurse who wore all white, had a warm and caring smile, and cared for people like babies--waiting on them hand and foot.  I think those nurses were more popular back in the days when there were no professionally managed chronic health conditions.  People went the hospital and either were cured or they died.  Back then they could afford to treat you well, because you were going to die in a day or two or leave.  You wouldn't be back over and over again.  They didn't have to worry about you suing them or about working long hours because of a trained nursing shortage.

I don't look for the nurses to be compassionate.  I really don't care what they think.  I just want them to carry out their orders perfectly.  If my wife needs something or someone to talk to I'm there most of the time.  For patients that don't have someone to care for their emotional needs, there really needs to be some person who doesn't have to be certified or trained all that much.  Just someone who will listen and keep track of what is going on for the patient.  It is sad when Jenn is in the hospital and I have to keep track of little details and remind the next nurse or doctor what is going on and what Jenn needs.  I feel like I'm doing the job they should be doing.