As a parent of a hospitalized child or even for your self, ASK ABOUT EVERYTHING! (I know that the all caps seems like yelling, but maybe I am.) Too many drugs have similar names, make sure they are giving you the right thing and verify what ailment/sympton it is to be treating. With children, doses need to be cut back–ask what dosage they are giving your child and what is the adult dosage to make sure it is an appropriately reduced amount. Or even if it is appropriate and recommended for children.

I know Walgreen’s has made several medicinal erros in my family alone. That’s just the pharmacy where all they are doing is drug dispensation. Imagine the nurse who is handling too many patients, for long hours, and can easily be distracted by being pulled in multiple directions.

I understand the obvious benefits of “asking about everything” during a hospital stay, or even at the pharmacy. I am more likely to double-check at the pharmacy, where I can compare the specified medication per the written prescription against the filled prescription. But in a hospital situation, I have found that nurses and doctors typically don’t really like to be second-guessed …or questioned……..and I often perceive a certain level of disapproval, even when I’m on my best behavior, using my most finely-honed negotiating skills, subserviently postured. It’s like sending an undercooked steak back to the chef. Knowing what can happen when food is returned to the kitchen, I think I’d rather eat it as it was first served.

Thankfully our son hasn’t had any hospital stays so far. The only medicine he’s gotten has been antibiotics.

My wife had a bad reaction to medicine a couple of years ago. Her doctor supposedly knew her medical history and what meds she takes. She was prescribed another medication for an issue and after two doses she began experiencing a lot of problems. Basically the new medication counteracted some of her other meds. She was immediately put onto another type of med, to take care of the concern, but she didn’t fully recover from the after-effects of that bungle for a month. She now has to specifically tell doctors that she’s “allergic” to the particular drug.

Personally, I’d gone into a hospital several years back and they were going to put me on a morphine drip afterward. I asked for them to put me on something else or nothing at all, but they went ahead with the drip. I could control it and wasn’t going to use it but was encouraged to use it, to ward off potential pain. I allowed two doses. I wasn’t having a pain issue and didn’t have any pain for the two days I was in the hospital. On the other hand, I immediately experienced feelings of depression (which I knew was drug related) and couldn’t keep anything down, not even a sip of water.

My problems with doctors and hospital nurses hasn’t been so much medicinal issues as much as listening in general. Almost every step of the way from injury to surgery I was treated as if I were lying or ignorant. If I hadn’t insisted on an x-ray at the ER, the resident may have caused me greater harm than I already had. If not for the x-ray she wouldn’t have known about the glass in my leg, much less that it was resting on a vein! She would have just sewn me up. Then there were the two orthapedic surgeons who treated me as if I were shamming my leg injury, that I was faking the degree or rather lack of degree of movement and strength I had in my leg. Then, the idiocy of the doctor in not putting a catheter in me while I’m still out, instead waiting until I’m awake. Urinary catheters are no fun. I’ve had three surgeries. I’ve only had one doctor who had the presence of mind to do it while I was out. After one surgery, the doctor and/or aide had the audacity to give it to me, then remove it and give it to me again, later! I wasn’t going anywhere and I had an epidural!!!

We’re always checking dosing amounts and often call a pharmacist to check for potential issues and concerns.

As logus (#3) points out, it isn’t just the kids you need to worry about. The more I know about the medical field, the more people I see screwed up by the witch doctors, the less I trust any of them. Wrong meds and wrong treatments that not only don’t cure you but leave you worse off than you were before. Botched screening tests–hey, you didn’t have a damned thing wrong with you before they perforated your innards with a colonoscopy. Major ATTITUDE where the doctor is (or thinks he is!) god-almighty and you are too stupid to even begin to understand their GREAT WISDOM. I don’t know if the problem is that the doctors and nurses and pharmacists are overworked. Frankly, at this point I don’t care. I just know that the best way to stay healthy is to stay away from the medical profession!!!!!!

Can you tell that I have some “issues” here…?

Deregulate everything!
Let the republican free-market work it’s magic.

When Clinton was President gas cost less than $2 a gallon and a gallon of milk and a dozen eggs cost $2.89…..Today! Gas will cost you $3.35 a gallon and the milk and eggs will cost over $7…………..

Thanks George!…..Heckuva job!
How’s Paris Hilton enjoyong her tax cuts?

I don’t know that the White House occupant has a big impact on medication mistakes in hospitals, so let’s stay closer to the topic…

As usual, Garrison extrapolates a wet noodle from dry rice.

A hospital, doctors office or pharmacy is going to have procedures to hopefully prevent problems whether there is regulation or not. There have been problems in the medical field for ages, non-dependent on Federal administrations or parties.

I’d love to hear your explaination on how you can correlate rising fuel and staple goods costs to doctor errors?

#2 Ryan on the E,
You are probably right that many of these folks don’t like to be questioned or second guessed. That is a shame. As often as hopsitals and medical professionals are sued, you would think they would be grateful that you were taking some responsibility for your care (or that of your charge). However, some of these folks think we are insulting their intelligence. Can’t they see we just want to improve our medical IQ? I find it hard to swallow that inquiries will be followed by subsequently less care. After all, the person with enough gumption to ask about their care has enough gumption to find out what is the appropriate care.

How many times do we go to the mechanic, are told we need a fix and immediately ask how that will fix the issue and what the fix entails? The mechanic (or service writer as the case may be) usually responds without indignation to such inquiries.
Why should we be more educated on the care of our car than of our selves/children?

The wet noodle is that Bush wants to deregulate the entire healthcare system in the United States…Bush wants healthcare to be a private market without government interference. Bush has already pushed for laws that cap payments for medical lawsuits….

We’ve seen what deregulation has done to our financial markets…….
Let’s apply the same formula to healthcare…….

To answer you question #7….Look at the deregulation of the airline industry (today’s report) and compare it to what has happened over the past seven years…..

Let the market solve our problems..

Doctors are humans and human’s are not perfect.
There will always be a chance that they will make a mistake.

Some people just trust doctors without question and some just assume they will mess up and watch them like a hawk.

I prefer to settle right in the middle. I stay on top of what is happening but at the same time I trust them to do what is right. There has to be an in-between place.

At the same time you have to be truthful with you doctor. Dont lie about if you smoke or drink or what medications you are taking. You would not believe how many pregnant woman lie about these things then sue the doctor when complications arise.