From City of Corona, California
MEETING
ASSESSMENT
March 25, 2003
In the Matter of
Kathi Stringer
COMPLAINT
Date:
March 25, 2003
Meeting
Location:
Corona Regional Medical Center
Conference Suite - 2nd Floor
Corona California
In Attendance:
-
Susan –
Acting Spokesperson for the Dept. of Patient Relations.
-
Kathi –
Nursing Emergency Room Dept. Chief.
-
Kathi Stringer
-
Cristina
Cabrera - MA Degree in Interpersonal Communication
Length of
Meeting: Approx 45
Minutes
Scope: Cristina
Cabrera and I met with Susan, acting as the spokesperson for the
department of Patient Relations, and Kathi acting as the Nursing
Emergency Room Department Chief. Our meeting took place at Corona Regional
Medical Center on March 25, 2003 to discuss the incident
that took place on February 11, 2003.
Complaint:
(1)
Staff appeared devoid of empathy, as if I was a non-person.
(2) Before the physician assistant put the needle into my wound,
I asked him to wait until I count to ten to prepare myself.
On my count of ten, he proceeded.
After he injected the fluid in several places, it appeared he
went into the wound deeper. I felt a sharp pain. I
recoiled, and because of my flinch, the cop smashed down on the
handcuff on my other hand in what appeared as a tactic to subdue me
with more pain. Staff collaborated, distorted, and reported that
excessive restraint was necessary (in an apparent maneuver to
protect the officer) i.e.… clamping down on the handcuff when I
flinched from the pain of the needle entering the wound.
(3) Staff did not attempt to defuse the situation with
validation.
Response from
Hospital’s Representatives:
Susan and Kathi:
Accountability:
The Hospital’s Representatives took the position that they cannot
be responsible for the actions of the Corona Police Department and
that I should take it up with them.
They indicated that since I was intoxicated it is likely that
my perception was distorted because the Nursing Team viewed the
incident completely different.
However, I did confirm the Nursing Team’s view was that I
was angry, thrashing about and agitated, but I added, after the cop
synched down on the handcuff.
Problems
Identified: (1) Nurses tend to profile individuals before
treating the patient. I
was profiled as drunk, in handcuffs, and a psych patient.
The nursing attitude toward a psych patient are, “Attend to
them and remove them from the area quickly as possible to a psych
hospital.” The
hospital representatives conveyed that nurses feel uncomfortable
with psych patients. (2)
The emergency department was overwhelmed.
There were six ambulances that night, and three of them were
waiting in the street with their patients due to inadequate room,
staffing, and equipment. (3)
There is lack of in-service training that targets sensitivity to the
patient…i.e.…. “In room four is an patient with asthma”,
rather then, “Asthmatic in room four.” (4) One representative indicated there is a large amount of
negative complaints regarding emergency care at their hospital that
manifests from understaffing, equipment and room.
The other representative added that the problems of negative
responses from patients’ are not unique to them but a global
problem in all hospitals. (5) Lack of adequate resources,
(i.e.…department capacity, trained personal and equipment), create
a heighten level of stress within the staff that severely interferes
with the delivery of care. Or
to say it another way, “doing too much with too little.”
Corrective
Action: The
representatives did not state that a revision of Patient Quality
Control was necessary. They did state however that, “Perhaps in-service training
to the sensitivity to the patient would be helpful,” but did not
concretely guarantee that would happen.
One representative mentioned that perhaps I could help bring
insight to the nurse-to-patient-relationship during an in-service
meeting. The
hospital’s invitation was appreciated.
Discussion:
Discussed position of both parties at length. All parties felt punitive measures against the treatment
agencies would do little to improve the level of care and
sensitivity to the patients. It
was agreed that education would be more helpful to develop a win-win
environment that would create a positive agency-to-patient
relationship. For
example, in this situation a nurse could have validated my pain from
the excessive restraint by requesting the police officer to loosen
the handcuff slightly. Even
if the cop did not comply with the request, I would have felt
validated, heard, and listened too.
The acknowledgement would have facilitated my perception of
warm positive regard for me as an individual.
Summery: The
likelihood of defusing the situation would have would have improved
if staff had validated my request to loosed the handcuff and
acknowledged me as a human being with warm personal regard.
Through our discussion it appeared that I would be treated as
a non-person again unless, (1) the hospital would
provide frequent in-service training on sensitivity, (2) provide
sufficient recourses to accomplish tasks to help reduce heighten
levels of stress.
Notation:
About the cop. He
could have said, “I’m
sorry, it was a reflex reaction.
Let me readjust the handcuff.
You okay?”
Comments:
If we cannot provide sensitivity to a patient in our modern
day civilization, in a professional environment, in a trauma-aware
facility, then, as a race, how much hope is there for us?
If Corrective Action continues to be deferred and evaded,
then how will something change, it nothing changes?
Kathi Stringer
