Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with hospital

Collection ended up on credit report--help please!

Anonymous — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 21:24:39 -0800

Through no fault of my own (in brief: I was unconscious, but may have been unwarrantedly credulous later), a collection agency's action has become visible on my credit reports. How can I remove these? Here's the story: About a year ago, I was transported to a local hospital by ambulance. Fortunately, I pulled through well, and was discharged within hours with no sequelae.

The ambulance company ("Company A") took my particulars en route. I was in no condition to give my address, so they copied it off my driver's license. However, they failed to notice that I had updated the address on that document, and did not read the back of the card, where the update was. (I live in California, where this incident occurred, and there's a space on the back of my driver's license for just this purpose.)

It has been some time since my first California driver's license was issued, and so the forwarding service from my initial address had long since expired. Therefore, I never received any bill that they sent. Furthermore, as I was unconscious until I reached the hospital, I did not note the ambulance company's name and address (or, for that matter, anything else about the journey).

Fast forward to autumn 2009. I receive a letter from a collection service, stating that I have an unpaid bill to Company A, for emergency medical transportation! I had never received a bill for this, and having been incapacitated, wouldn't have known who to pay. I called the collection agency and told them about this, and they said I should send payment to the ambulance company, and gave me a "trip number" to mention. They also said that if I did so, there would be no complaint on my credit report. I sent payment and heard nothing more of it.

Fast forward once again to the present day. I have recently requested my credit reports, and have seen that all three have collection activity posted owing to this episode.

I am nuclear-pissed about this. While I am considering getting ACAB tattooed on my knuckles and telling people it means All Collectors Are Bastards, I'd readily settle for getting all mention of this out of all of my credit files.

I know I've done some stupid things here (admitting the debt, dealing with the collection agency via non-written means, not following up, maybe even more things), but can I fix this going forward, and if so, how?

Smoking lush seeks hospital advice

Anonymous — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 07:50:06 -0800

I drink like a fish and smoke like a chimney. Help me survive a possible hospital stay. By the end of this week I may well be in the hospital due to an ongoing (nonsurgical) medical issue. My doctors do know about my habits. To the extent it doesn't interfere with my treatment, how are such addictions dealt with on an in-patient basis?

Nursing Home Hacks

Thin Lizzy — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 10:34:34 -0800

What are some good nursing home/hospital hacks? My grandmother recently settled into a full time nursing home after living in the same house for 50 years. When we moved her in we brought as many things as possible to make her new room feel a little more like home- pictures of our family, some little tsotchkes my grandfather gave her, the comforter and pillows from her bed, as well as some small luxury items- nice hand cream, a bag of candy, a bigger TV, etc. While the nursing home is what she needs and is staffed with friendly, competent people, it still feels like a hospital and I get the feeling that she's a little uncomfortable there (but of course she doesn't want to worry me and insists that she doesn't need anything). So what are you're favorite nursing home hacks- things that would make her life just a little bit easier or provide a degree of comfort that's hard to come by in a hospital setting?

A little more about her- she's in her 90s and uses a wheelchair most of the time. She has some trouble with her memory, but is "with it" for the most part (she has reading material, but probably wouldn't be interested in puzzles or games). She has a roommate (who she seems to like) and her room is laid out much like a typical hospital room- the beds side-by-side with a divider between them and a private bathroom.

What can I do to most help cancer patients and those who love and care for them?

nnk — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 10:05:19 -0800

I've just started volunteering at a local hospital on the cancer ward. We've had some training and I do have some personal experience (family member) with cancer treatment, but I want to be as helpful as I can -- If you have spent time on a cancer ward, as a patient, family member or friend -- or as hospital staff, how can I, as a friendly stranger, be most helpful to someone like you? I realize people have a huge range of experience with cancer so I know I am not considering everything -- anything that you consider might make me more helpful to those on the floor would be appreciated. I am there for only 4 hrs/week, so I want to make the most of the time. What sticks out in your mind, positive or negative, big or small, from your experience?

Life after suicide attempt

Abbril — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 15:39:10 -0800

My brother attempted suicide. Now he's in the hospital. My brother was pulled off a bridge a couple nights ago. He is being held against his will at the hospital (St.Paul's in Vancouver). The dr's have said that he will be there for 3 days to 3 weeks, depending. My question is what is going on at the hospital? I'm assuming they are trying to figure out if he'll try it again (he's tried before but never been hospitalized) but I really have no idea how the days are playing out for him right now. I know that he's giving them a hard time and had to be sedated at least once. Of course, I'm half way across the country hearing all this from my mom, so there are layers of family drama to weed through and I don't feel like I really know anything. Any insight into the world of hospitalization following suicide attempts? Thanks.

Why Should You Use Social Networking at Work?

Jaybo — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 19:06:47 -0800

Many workplaces ban social networking sites such as Facebook, YouTube, Twitter and so on. What are some of the reasons workplaces should allow (and even encourage) staff to use social networking sites? I'm particularly interested in the case you would make to someone in the healthcare field but examples that are applicable to other areas, especially those that may ban social networking site for privacy or productivity reasons, are welcome as well.

mystery diagnosis

WeekendJen — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 13:04:45 -0800

Did the hospital save my blood samples and could they be retested? Would swine flu cause a positive test for regular flu? In March I was in the hospital for 7 days with an undiagnosed virus. In April the swine flu was identified and the county I reside in had the highest # of infections in my state and my town's schools closed for 2 days due to student infections. While in the hospital I tested negative for regular flu, but was not tested for swine flu becuase it was not a known issue yet. So if I had swine flu, would my regular flu test have come back positive? If not, is there any chance the hospital would have saved any of my exorbitant amount of blood samples and could those samples be retested? If I gave a new sample, would that test positive for swine flu fighting blood particles (or, um, whatever fights viruses) now that I am recovered?

Thanks for any help!

Best flowers when someone is seriously ill?

GarotaDaCidade — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 12:24:45 -0800

What types of flowers or arrangements are appropriate for the family of someone in the ICU? My friend's father is in the ICU with sudden grave complications of another illness. The doctors have warned the family that they may lose him.

A group of us are pooling money to send flowers, and I am in charge of doing the flower selecting and sending. What colors and types of flowers would be good to have in the arrangement? E.g., white lillies aren't called for in this case, right?

Direct links to flower arrangements I can purchase on the internet would be fantastic. Also, recommendations/warnings about certain online florist companies would also be appreciated.

What does a hospital do with a truck of liquid oxygen?

Amanda B — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 19:28:27 -0800

What is the hospital doing with a truck of "oxygen refrigerated liquid"? I live next door to a large hospital. Every Saturday evening, a large truck labeled "oxygen refrigerated liquid" pulls up, hooks up some tubes and makes a LOT of noise (a loud sort of rumbling noise). It appears that they are flooding a hallway with this stuff - it seeps out in clouds from the open door.

When they finish, you can hear them hitting the tubes to disconnect them, since they've frozen to... something. There's also a sound that could be described as a hissing or water running through pipes.

So all this leads my boyfriend and I to wonder: are they freezing bodies? Storing the oxygen? Preventing a zombie uprising?

Can anyone explain what exactly they are doing? Any guesses?

Here are some pictures of the mysterious operation taken from my apartment window:
One.
Two.

Sexual Assault in NYC: how to address medical incompetence and find better resources for women?

zoomorphic — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 12:28:01 -0800

Awful Filter: What are the best women's crisis centers in NYC who address rape survivors? How can I locate affordable therapy in New York for a rape survivor? How do I call attention to hospital incompetence and unqualified social workers? Much, much more inside. A friend, "Jane," was raped last week by a guy she met through work who asked her out for drinks under the pretense of discussing job opportunities. They got very drunk and wound up at his place, but Jane firmly said "no" when he initiated sex. He ignored her even when she repeated "no" multiple times as he raped her. Afterward he was clearly unaware of (or uninterested in) the damage he'd perpetrated, as he suggested they go out again before he moved to another state in a few days. Jane said she never wanted to see him again and went home.

Over the next two days, our friend persuaded Jane to go to the hospital for an examination and potentially to contact authorities. They went to the Coney Island hospital because a reputable website listed it as a S.A.F.E. center. They were directed to a special room where Jane told her story again and again, only to be asked as many times if she was "sure" she wanted a rape kit because it took 3 hours and Jane had waited almost 3 days to seek medical attention. The doctor and secretary also misinformed Jane that if she took the rape kit, she'd be forced to contact authorities. Jane balked because she didn't know yet what pressing charges entailed, but luckily our friend knew better and corrected the situation. She then waited 4-5 hours for a time-sensitive test that is only useful during the first 96 hours after a rape. During the examination, hospital staff repeatedly and rudely badgered her to make up her mind about pressing charges. She also met with a social worker, aka the S.A.F.E. adviser assigned to offer "psycho-social and legal support," but the woman didn't even know what date rape was. The hospital coordinator curtly asked her--in the middle of the ER--if she was "sure" she wanted to call the cops. He incorrectly chastised her for coming into the hospital earlier and then leaving (untrue--so one wonders if another woman was too alienated by this incompetence and changed her mind). When Jane decided to notify the police, the staff didn't call them for much longer. No one offered her the required information about counseling services, but suggested that she could visit the same social worker again (the one who couldn't define date rape) in another week or two.

In the aftermath: Surely there are better services in New York City for sexual assault survivors. Jane has been remarkably calm and sanguine given the circumstances, but obviously she still needs solid, specialized therapy, especially if she crashes. She's not employed, so we need information about affordable/free counseling. My friend and I are also willing to jointly pay for a good private therapist if you have any suggestions.

As a rape survivor and women's center volunteer, I know that Jane didn't receive adequate care from a hospital that is purportedly an accredited S.A.F.E. center. Jane, our friend and I want to address this hospital's incompetence and insensitivity as quickly and effectively as possible. I've already called NYC Alliance to get it removed from their list as a S.A.F.E. center. We want to make sure that social worker never counsels another rape victim again. I want to know how SAFE centers are certified and why a hospital can so manifestly fail at helping women. How do I go about this?

Lastly, Jane decided to not immediately press charges. I understand her decision, but everyone is naturally concerned that the guy could repeat his actions on someone else. If she decides to let him off the hook, she has expressed interest in contact him to let him know that he did indeed rape her and that she was seriously considering pursuing legal recourse. She'd probably email him from a throwaway account and then spam his email at her regular email address. To me, this sounds therapeutic but potentially damaging, especially he finds a way around that spam filter.

Apologies for this diffuse question. To sum up, I'm looking for:

-ways to address hospital incompetence in the wake of sexual assault
-recommendations for resources tailored to victims of sexual violence
-recommendations for therapists, either free or private and sliding scale
-any advice whatsoever regarding the final paragraph.

Thanks in advance.

I got you this cosplay custome so you can wear it at the wedding.

jstarlee — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 10:17:00 -0800

[WeddingGiftFilter] Looking for a wedding gift for a friend of mine. Male and works in a hospital. A friend of mine is getting married in October. I've known him through a mutual good friend but consider him a decent friend as well. Since we live in different states we've only met each other a couple times - however we used to play the same online game everyday and would constantly talk to each other. I know he likes the sportscar Integra, Japanese anime (full metal alchemist) (but definitely not an otaku), plays guitar sometimes...and that's pretty much it! Oh and he's Asian!

I've thought about getting him something anime-related but figured that's too immaturish. I want to get him something that he can still look at in a few years and appreciate as much. Price range $50~$85 would be great.

Thank you for your help Hive Mind!

So damn smug I need my own room.

shiu mai baby — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 07:15:45 -0800

Is it worth it to switch practices just to have a better shot at getting a private room? I'm pregnant, due at the beginning of October. While I'm technically classified as a high-risk on the account of being a diabetic, I've been very fortunate that everything has gone very smoothly so far. The practice of doctors that has guided me through this has been pretty great. I've had a lot of appointments, a lot of ultrasounds, and overall I've been very pleased with the people I've been working with. The only slight drawback is that it is a pretty huge practice, so while I know my main OB/GYN pretty well, there are about a dozen other OB/GYNs whom I haven't met, and my understanding is that, depending on when I give birth, any one of them could be delivering this kid.

Anyway, last night Mr. Shiu and I took the tour of the maternity ward of the hospital (call it Hospital A) that this practice is affiliated with. All told, it's a very nice hospital, and the MW seemed to be a good place to have a kid, with one major exception: they only have four private rooms, and all the rest can be converted to semi-private, if need be. Whether or not you get a private or semi-private room is luck of the draw, and whether or not your semi-private room has another patient in it is purely driven by how busy they are at that particular time. Pregnancy being the unpredictable thing that it is, there's no way to anticipate how busy they'll be when I go into labor, so maybe I'd get a private room, maybe I wouldn't.

And this is really, really worrisome to me (as if I didn't have enough to worry about, right?). The pregnancy has been a bit of a struggle for me, emotionally; like, I'm happy about it, obviously, but I've never been one of those OMG! BIOLOGICAL! CLOCK! women, I kind of hate the majority of twee shit that surrounds pregnancy and motherhood, and I am mortified at Victorian-era levels by even contemplating all the squicky details of the actual birth process. On top of that, I have a weird antisocial streak to begin with, which I can usually hide fairly well under normal circumstances, but I imagine that nice veneer will be thin and brittle indeed after the grueling process of giving birth.

Anyway, according to last night's tour, while the delivery is in a fully private room, you're in there for about two hours immediately post-partum before they move you into the room you'll be in for the rest of your stay. Maybe it will be private, maybe it won't, it all depends on volume on that particular day. Moreover, unless you luck into one of the four genuinely single-patient rooms, it might start out as private, but then you might get a roommate the next day. Can I just say, given all the details of the preceding paragraph, how very, very badly I do not want to share a room with another woman, separated by only a curtain? Seriously, the mere thought of it just makes me panicky. Not only that, but if you're sharing a room your S.O. can't stay overnight, whereas he/she can if you're in the room by yourself.

This morning I called the maternity ward at Hospital B in the area. It's a little farther away from us than Hospital A, but not unreasonably so. A friend of mine who lives in my neighborhood had her baby at Hospital B in February, and my next-door neighbor, who is also pregnant, will be having her baby there in January. According to the nurse I spoke to, the majority of the rooms in this MW are fully private, and they only do semi-private in the rarest of circumstances, e.g. when volume is ridiculously high. Furthermore, at the end of this month Hospital B will be opening their humongous new expansion, and when they do the maternity ward will be taking over the entire second floor, which means even more private rooms. As I said, this kid's not due until October, so things will almost certainly be settled with the expansion by the time I get around to having her.

On paper, at least, it would seem that Hospital B would be ideal. The problem, though, is that in order to have my baby at Hospital B I'd need to switch practices completely. Again, I'm technically high-risk, so this is a little more daunting than if it were a regular pregnancy. I have no idea how practices affiliated with Hospital B deal with high-risk pregnancies (although I'm certain that they do, they must), so I'm completely in the dark there. Since I'm diabetic, I have to be very closely monitored in the last eight weeks, too -- I have to go in for a fetal non-stress test twice a week. It also means that they might induce me early; at the very least, if I haven't gone naturally by my due date they are absolutely going to induce me on that date, because it's dangerous for women like me to go late.

So on one hand, I do feel sort of loyal to my practice, in that they've done a great job navigating me through this mess from the beginning, but on the other, I have major anxiety about sharing a room post-partum. Also, while I really like my current practice, it is, as I said, pretty huge, so I'm not, like, ultra-tight with any of the doctors. And I have no idea what to expect if I went to the other side of the fence. I'm fairly certain I'd be able to get a recommendation for a good doctor from one or both of my neighbors who are connected to two of the practices affiliated with Hospital B, but it's still a crapshoot. They'd probably be able to take care of me just fine, but there's no way to know that without actually pulling the trigger and making the switch.

Neither home-birth nor the crunchier birthing centers are options for me, given the high-risk status. Also, I <3 drugs, and intend to have the maximum amount of painkillers that they'll give me, so yeah, it's gotta be in a hospital.

And that's the conundrum currently percolating in my brain. Any suggestions, recommendations, and been-there-done-that insight would be deeply appreciated.

Talking to children about a parent's depression as a non-family caregiver.

Felicity Rilke — Wed, 27 May 2009 19:54:29 -0800

How do you talk to young children about a parent's depression? I began providing childcare this week for the five-year-old son of a woman I know through one of my local drop-in centres. She is suffering from severe depression and is unable to care for her son. Dad works long days and isn't entirely equipped to step in as primary caregiver, which is why I am helping out.

I am uncertain how much the boy knows/has been told about his mom's illness. He knows that mommy is sad, he knows that she's been in the hospital. This morning when I was getting him ready for school, he asked why his mom wasn't there to say goodbye (the previous two mornings, she got up to give him a hug and kiss before he left). I explained that she needed to spend a little time with her doctors so they could help her feel better (this is her second hospitalization in a little more than a week). He accepted this and moved on to another subject without any questions, which worries me more than if he asked about it.

I know that the kid is scared and confused about what's happening. His behaviour is changed (he's not acting out, rather, he's on his best behaviour, which is unusual since he generally has a healthy amount of the naughty). Since he's spending the majority of his waking hours with me, I'd like to know how I should talk to him about what's going on. Should I encourage discussion or wait until he brings it up? How much information should I give him? What do I tell him when he asks when his mom will be back?

The facilitator of the drop-in centre is arranging for a school social-worker to help out, but I don't know how long that will take to get in place. In the meantime, I'd like to know what I can do to help the boy understand and adjust to this situation.

(Any advice on how to help support the mother as she goes through this is also appreciated.)

How best to request digital copies of xrays and catscans from my hospital?

prodevel — Wed, 13 May 2009 18:51:06 -0800

I would like to request my hospital send me either via email or dvd any CT Scans and x-rays from the hospital and/or Diagnostics dept. or my Primary Care Physician, in digital form. Best practices? (no pun...) Please let me know if you've done this before and have any experience doing so. Is in-person better than via the internet? Should I make the request of the Diagnostics dept. or my Primary Care Physician? I'm simply curious about best or most used method, since this is my first experience with a hospital in 17 years. The whole hospital process is fairly confusing for me these days.

How to turn a process into a roadmap

eisenkr — Tue, 12 May 2009 12:49:45 -0800

I'm designing a step-by-step procedure that caregivers can use to create cultural change in hospitals. The doctors I'm working with want the tool to look and feel like a "roadmap for change" and I'm not sure how to get it to look like one. Over the past few weeks, I've helped develop a tool that can help caregivers (doctors, nurses) increase the patient safety culture of their hospitals in a systematic manner. Basically, the process teaches people how to change the culture of their hospitals iteratively, by creating solutions to specific safety issues that also start to change the culture. The entire procedure is a six-step process that starts with identifying a specific safety issue and ends with measuring the success of the implementation/changes in the hospital's culture.

While I'm happy with the content of the tool, the doctors I'm working with really want the tool to look like a "roadmap to culture change," not like a six-step process involving check-boxes and open-ended questions. I'm hoping that some visually-inclined me-fites can suggest ways to turn this algorithm-looking thing into something more like a roadmap. Examples of something would be especially useful.

ps - In case it matters, this project is for a non-profit. The tool is going to be used to teach caregivers how to create safer hospitals and will be given away for free.

Rare medication alergy, what should I do?

blackout — Fri, 08 May 2009 20:27:08 -0800

I'm allergic to benadryl, as in can kill me. Even a normal does causes me to brake out in hives and my airway to swell. Do I need to wear some sort of med alert bracelet (is there even one?), is there something I should, at the least, put in my wallet?

Inhospitable Hospitals

johannahdeschanel — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 15:36:17 -0800

Can anyone point me towards detailed comparisons or information about the management fees and/or costs at hospitals in other countries? My uncle, who is a doctor in the Philippines, had a stroke and was in a coma for months. He had brain surgery and doctors will not complete the procedure (i.e. place the part of his skull that was removed due to swelling, back on his head) until payments are made in full. Since my relatives are short 12,000 USD, he is stuck in the life threatening situation of an incomplete brain surgery. It is a bit unbelievable that it is standard procedure for hospitals in the PI to not complete emergency procedures without full payment. The sad thing is, since he is a doctor, the procedure itself was free. All of those hefty fees are just management fees - fees for using hospital equipment. It does not seem that there is any way out of this situation now, but after the fact, I would like for there to be press exposure on the topic of changing these unreasonably high management fees and lack of ethics in certain hospitals.

I came across BioMedCentral - Ethics as well as Medical Decision Making but I would appreciate any further advice/sources covering the issue. Thanks.

How do you thank someone for a well-timed Lethal Weapon II joke?

troika — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 08:59:28 -0800

What can we do to thank some extremely helpful Emergency Room staff? My boyfriend had to go to the ER late last night for a dislocated shoulder. The staff had a ton of patients to deal with and they were all genuinely pleasant and helpful and upbeat (on the graveyard shift on a Monday, no less!). What can we do to properly thank these wonderful doctors and nurses? Is it okay to bring them a few dozen donuts, or something like that?

We caught most of their names and are planning on writing a glowing letter, but who would we address it to? The board of directors, their supervisors, the chief administrator? What kind of information should we include?

And there were lots of staff that we didn't directly interact with that probably deserve thanks as well.

This is Howard Univ. Hospital in DC.

Source for Medical Malpractice Insurance Quotes for Doctors/Hospitals?

Quarter Pincher — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 18:28:59 -0800

Do you know of any reasonably credible sources that list the premiums and deductibles that hospitals/doctors (of any kind, but largely medical surgeons for intensive-care/emergency/surgical hospitals) pay for medical malpractice insurance? I'm researching figures for a malpractice reform idea. The idea is based on a rumor that medical malpractice insurance is an absurdly burdensome expense for hospitals/doctors who must pay it in order to legitimately practice. If there were a way to eliminate that particular burden, the massive periodic (monthly/etc) savings would gradually equal lesser medical expenses for Billy and Susie down the line.

My idea was to eliminate the need for malpractice insurance by enacting legislation requiring the hospital in question to add the malpracticed-against as simply a new employee, paid out of the standard payroll expenses, at a comfort-offering rate (variable according to terms of the suit and local standards of living) instead of having to lop over this giant sum (and pay insurance for the dark cloud of a giant sum to loom over them, waiting to be dished out). Does this idea hold much water?

I think I'm turning... my ankle. Fack.

adamkempa — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 16:13:19 -0800

American injured in Japan filter. I'm currently staying in Harajuku with 4 other Americans. One of my friends twisted her foot/ankle pretty badly walking home last night, and now it hurts to put any weight on it. She has traveler's insurance. We're looking for suggestions on how best to proceed with getting treatment / diagnosis (we've been looking at international hospitals online, specifically St. Luke's); information on what to expect; and suggestions for macguyvering maneuverability for the rest of the trip. All help welcome. Domo Arigato Gozaimasu!

How are suspected criminals given hospital treatment?

Bobby Bittman — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 11:10:11 -0800

What would happen to a suspect who was seriously injured while being arrested? Would they be treated in a regular hospital while under guard? If there are any police officers or lawyers or criminals on AskMetaFilter (and I know there are), could someone please detail for me what the process is?

I just want to know if my assumption is correct - that the suspect would be treated in a hospital for their injuries under police supervision, and then any recovery time would also be under strict police guard.

But also, are patients/suspects put in a special area of the hospital? Are they restrained in any way (handcuffed to the bed, eg)? How many guards are assigned to the suspect? Are there any other complicating factors I'm not thinking of?

How can an injured homeless person expect to be treated at a hospital?

Sully — Sun, 01 Feb 2009 08:13:37 -0800

How can a homeless person who has been injured (stabbed, for instance) expect to be treated at a U.S. city hospital with no money or health insurance? Surely they wouldn't let him bleed to death? And if they do turn him away, what are his options?

Right now it's more of a 'gesture'...

twine42 — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 04:26:56 -0800

In the medical world, what is the difference between an "operation" and a "procedure"? The doctors looking after my grandfather refer to some jobs are procedures and others as operations. They can't explain to me the difference between the two.

Is this a UK distinction, or is it in the US too?

What can I say 'no' to?

serazin — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 14:52:55 -0800

What treatments/procedures/personnel can you decline in the hospital? I know that I have the legal right to decline anything, but does the hospital have to continue to serve me if I do? Does it matter if I do or don't have a regular doctor affiliated with the hospital? Does it matter if its an emergency or not? Here's a scenario I'm imagining: I check in to the local ER with, say terrible abdominal pain. ER has to accept me I know because its an emergency. Say the doc there wants to admit me because she thinks I have appendicitis. If I agree to be admitted but I refuse to sign any consent forms, must they still admit me? What if I cross out portions of the consent form (for example, lets say in a teaching hospital I cross out the parts that say that students can perform procedures on me)? What if I refuse aspects of treatment that the docs believe are essential to my care? Say I decide that I'll have the appendectomy but I refuse all antibiotics. What if I say I hate my nurse and I want a different one. What if I say that about my surgeon? At what point can the hospital say they won't serve me anymore? I know if a doctor doesn't want to serve you she is supposed to give you time to find an alternative care provider. Do these same expectations apply to the hospital? Do these decisions belong to my personal physician to make? What if I have no physician - then who decides?

I'm wondering for personal reference - as a patient who has frequently refused treatments for myself, and also for professional reference - I'm a nursing student. My nursing school law and ethics teacher wasn't able to answer me on this, so perhaps it's a legal gray area, but I'd love to hear any informed opinions, references, etc on this.

What is a good gift for hospital staff?

k8t — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 09:11:08 -0800

Suggestions for a thank you gift for NICU staff? Our new baby has been in the NICU for 5 days. He's getting discharged today (yay). We want to give a gift to the awesome staff, especially the nurses. What's a good gift for a group, 12 hour shifts, busy and in a sterile environment (although they have a break room)? Fruit basket? And do we cite specific extra helpful nurses or just leave it to the group?