Univ Of Ca San Francisco
Doctor: ? Er Nurse/staff O 4/1/11
having chart hidden from me as well as abuse
Hospital Complaint About: Univ Of Ca San Francisco - ? Er Nurse/staff O 4/1/11
Author: Meda Lopez
Hospital Service: Hospital Staff Unprofessional - Nurse: she refuse
Occur date: Apr 01 2011
Post date: Apr 04 2011, 08:49:40 AM
Doctor Complaint: ? Er Nurse/staff O 4/1/11 - Univ Of Ca San Francisco
I have been in and out of the emergency room four times recently, yesterday April 1st being the latest. I was admitted priority overnight for pain shots even though I can take stronger stuff for pain management at home; the main concern was dehydration at the time since I have had difficulty swallowing. The doctors at the pelvic pain clinic have no idea for sure what is wrong and suggested that an ovarian cyst may have ruptured or that my endometriosis may be worsening. Suffice it to say that I have experienced an inordinate amount of pain and stress lately, but hopefully the doctors will schedule an exploratory laparoscopy soon (they are going into my abdomen with a laser to determine what is wrong since the CT and sonar are clear) and if it is just an inflammation of my endometrial lining they will remove it and it should help. The odd thing is it hurts to breathe deeply and my anxiety attacks have been nonstop (as I have had to quit school and halt my daily life) so drinking and eating have been hard which is why per my doctors advice I went to the ER yesterday where the medics treated me like I was a junkie whore. The head paramedic actually looked at me and said “oh honey you are good and loaded you are feeling really good, huh?" and refused to let me use the sit up gurney and forced me to walk to the ambulance saying “oh she is fine- she is floating on air” and I had to struggle to carry bags and I told him I was not a drug seeker and to shut up and not to speak to people that way. Afterwards, I was treated with contempt by hospital staff. There was a nice medic who told me how to file a complaint and that the information would be in my chart (so that I could determine the name of the head paramedic and find the appropriate form for filing a complaint), and he actually calmed me down. So when it was determined (as I already knew) that I was experiencing anxiety, dehydration, and pain, I was treated with IV hydration and a shot and was preparing to be sent home, I asked the nurse for the information sheet the medic gave (by law) called a PRC and she refused to show it to me stating I had to appeal via medical records and then she abruptly left closed the curtain and I heard her remove the chart from outside my room! I told her it was my right to see it and every other patient has one (mine disappeared before actually leaving?). I pointed to all the other charts outside the rooms that were occupied and indicated that only mine was gone-and I recalled it was the same medics who admitted the person down the hall (this medic was actually nice and wrote the PRC he was going to tell me how to get the “mean guy’s info") I finally said 'I gotta pee' and the nurse started yelling for security. I told her I just had to pee, but I guess she actually thought I was going to look at other peoples charts. . .what a mess. She denied me access to my chart and treated me like a crazy person, so I just went home feeling worse. She refused to let me see a charge nurse or my doctor and ushered me out the door. I was admitted for debilitating pain and anxiety and on morphine so I doubt that any reasonable person would consider me much of a threat for attempting to use the toilet; I think she yelled for security to show that I was unstable. I never used harsh words, only invoked my right as a patient to see my chart (which I am convinced she hid!) and was threatened with security. . .what a mess- I am never going there again! I am a UCSF client and have never ever been treated so harshly and I know that she violated my rights by not allowing me to see my chart for reporting the incident with the paramedic (and instead telling me I must appeal records) because I used to work as a nurse.
No one should be treated this way. The head paramedic and this nurse exhibited shamefully unprofessional behavior and made what was already a painful and stressful experience infinitely (and unnecessarily) worse. I hope for the sake of future patients that hospital staff and paramedics refrain from disrespecting and endangering their patients in a similar manner. The head paramedic flippantly determined that I was capable of walking and jeopardized my safety by making me walk to the ambulance when I was dehydrated, experiencing respiratory duress, and in pain and degraded me as a woman and human being by calling me “honey” and intimating that I was merely a drug-seeker (which was preposterous since I have ample pain-management resources at home). This paramedic is a liability if he regularly encourages patients bound for the hospital to walk downstairs to the ambulance rather than use a gurney if they feel they need it. If this hospital is not concerned with patient comfort or safety, then perhaps it can be concerned with the lawsuits filed if someone is injured on the way to the ambulance due to this paramedic’s negligence and cruelty. The nurse who prevented me from being able to rectify the situation in a timely manner by filing a report immediately is also a liability when she interferes with patient rights and attempts to cover it by misplacing paperwork or threatening patients with security guards.
I demand a written apology (and may also sue as my patient rights were violated and may call OSHA as well). The deterioration in bedside manner and quality of care should be addressed effectively. I strongly encourage you to take this matter as seriously as I do and mandate professionalism, ethics, and an environment free from sexual harassment and the willful endangerment of patients. People suffering from physical illness and trauma have enough to worry about without having their stress compounded and their safety endangered by those who are supposed to be providing their care and comfort on their way to and in the hospital.
Sincerely,
Medea Wrench Lopez
call 415 385-6311
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