A friend recently had spine surgery that took 5+ hours. After regaining consciousness, she found herself in the recovery unit…for the next 26 hours! Groggy from the anesthetic and not knowing whom to talk to, she languished there until a friend arrived and raised hell. She subsequently learned that private rooms were available throughout the 26 hours, but somehow the Recovery Unit staff wasn’t aware of any. When they finally wheeled her to a private room, she waited another hour for the room to be cleaned.

That’s not all: This same individual was informed that she would be discharged days before she felt ready to return home.  Firm words from another friend to a relatively senior staff member got her stay lengthened for four days so that she would receive physical and occupational therapy.

When she was discharged, the discharge doctor failed to SIGN a prescription for a pain medicine. She didn’t know that until she tried to fill it at a local pharmacy. Naturally the pharmacy rejected it. When she phoned the hospital to get the prescription signed, she ended up in what she termed “voice-mail hell.’’

The morning after her release she awoke in a pool of discharge from her surgical wound. She took an Uber back to the same hospital’s emergency room where she waited to be seen for another seven hours. After she saw the ER staff, she learned to her horror that the hospital had failed to arrange for a nurse to visit her at home to change her dressings and ensure the wound was healing properly. Less than 24 hours after her release, and nearly ten hours since her return to the ER, she was readmitted.”

Mind you, this is a highly regarded Washington DC hospital where everything that could go wrong went wrong.

Before going to an ER or entering a hospital for surgery and especially when getting discharged, try to recruit a relative or friend to be your advocate. Most patients can’t wait to be discharged and may still be semi-sedated. Your discharge instructions can be complicated and medication plan confusing. You need someone to review this information.

If this is impossible, see whether your hospital has a Patient Advocate and get her contact information.

Like many of you, I have an Advanced Care Directive comprising a Living Will and Health Care Proxy (or Power of Attorney) to make decisions for me if I lose my capacity to do so. I live in a jurisdiction (the District of Columbia) that permits physician-assisted death. My family and I have discussed my health care values and preferences. If I ever have a mind crippling illness and had earlier told my family and physician my preference not to continue living in that situation, my family and doctor know what to do. Right? Wrong!

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My last blog listed types of listeners. From the ‘pouncer’ to the ‘monopolizer.’ Now, on a more positive note, this post suggests ways to enhance conversation. The first (and for me) most challenging step calls on us to become empathic listeners. I came across this term in an article by Dr. Tammy Lenski* who attributed it to author Steven Covey. For Covey “empathic listening is listening from the other person’s frame of reference. Only empathic listening comes from a desire and commitment to listen without an agenda (emphasis added).”

Developing the “mental muscle” to listen empathically takes practice. Give it a shot the next time you’re engaged in dialogue. In addition, consider these techniques to enrich your exchanges:

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One of the topics Carolyn and I discuss in our presentations about our new book Love’s Way involves Listening.  Most of us don’t listen well. And even when we think we are listening, we sometimes fall into one of the following categories:

The Pouncer: This non-listener is waiting for the other speaker to pause just long enough to inject his point into the conversation.   The speaker may be in the middle of conveying a thought, but hesitated to take a breath or sip some water. That’s the moment the pouncer has been waiting for: to take charge of the conversation.

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Talking with your doctor (provider) is not just about what ails you. It’s more.  Lot’s more. Let us count the ways:

First, a patient should know his or her health goals, or seek help in defining them, especially as she or he advances in years.  For example, if you became severely ill, even mortally ill, how much ‘heroic effort’ would you want your doctor to provide?  You should understand your medical options in case a health crisis occurs.  Bottom line: What quality of life would you want were you severely ill with questionable chances of recovery?  

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