This year I had quite a few scares. One Aunty thought she had a burst appendix but was scared to go to ER for fear of COVID. The Colon-Rectal Surgeon waa a sweetheart who agreed to trear her out-patient. By Grace of God, pain is Gone. An Uncle has heart pains on and off. He's been to ER numerous times since settling in USA, and each time, Doctors don't know the cause, and the problem goes away. Now he's especially scared to go to ER because he'll certainly get COVID! Another Aunty suffered wth dental pain and couldn't enjoy Diwali sweets. Finally she had to muster the courage to go to the Dentist. Luckily she is fine (and her teeth are getting better). But what about BABIES???? I stumbled across an article that twins were born premature and contracted SEPSIS due to unsanitary tubing. WTF? My Preemie Died From Sepsis And This is What I Want Other Parents to Know "Dr. Kissoon says that strict sanitary measures, like hand-washing and wearing gloves as well as goggles, are key when handling babies in the NICU. It can also be helpful for parents to check on the usefulness of every line, tube, or catheter, and ask that they're removed as soon as possible." We are thrown into helpless situations and I've seen some staff so clumsy. Once in ER a baby nurse (less than 5 years on the job) couldn't draw the damn blood out of an Uncle's arm and blood splattered everywhere. And wash your hands. Wash your damn hands!!! I'm interested to know thoughts from this diverse forum - people from Indian diapora - people who are in Medical and other professions.
There is always an element of risk when you enter a hospital, even more so with Covid. Unfortunate incidents do rarely happen. If you have an emergency then by all means seek the medical help you need, whether it means going to the ER, doctor or dentist's office. Maximize your safety by going to reputable practices and weigh whether the risk of waiting is better than the alternatives.
Hahaha.... A burst appendix, indeed !! If it was really a burst tubing inside, it would need to get cleaned and patched up. These days appendix removal is done without cutting the belly open. They can send surgical equipment and a video camera through a single tiny hole, and do it. The surgeon will seem like s/he is playing a video game -- looking at a monitor and holding some joy-sticks that are coming out of a hole in the patient's stomach. In some surgeries, the patient can also watch the video. Boring stuff, actually; no music or dialogue. Covid is saving him gobs of money. There is bound to be a silver lining in everything !!
Rarely ? Just like doctor-ratings, hospitals also have ratings. I am not sure where the basic raw data (on hospital acquired infections) resides, but somehow, just like Uber drivers, everyone is eager for good ratings these days. Perhaps the Insurance industry has the information. One in my family was an avid reader of this magazine. Whenever there is a desi author, I get to see the article. A Life-Saving Checklist
Now every business runs on Google/Yelp/Zocdoc reviews. If you are supposed to visit a specialist doctor without referral, do you visit him/her without checking the details and reviews? Ofcourse there are many fake reviews out there to boost the business. But I usually don’t believe the reviews from someone who has posted only 1 or 2 reviews. Definitely I will look for local guide or someone who has good reputation.
Ttha nk you for these lovely replies. I will address them soon. I need to post another thread for separate question.
Unfortunately, entering ER is like entering Death's door. Once when my Uncle had to undergo tests my Aunt was rushed to sign papers by the staff without carefully reading it. Situation must be really really bad that person surrenders to ER. It would be wonderful if surgery was done remotely. Equiment would need to be developed that can respond to commands across the network. Perhaps if IoT becomes reality, this will be next thing. Yes, there is always a silver lining in everything, we just need to realize it. I'll read the article soon. But ratings. Is it human or bot who posts? I look at negative ratings to see how bad a situation is. Some states post the Doctors education qualifications, how long they have been in practice. It's not the Doctors that are the problem, it's their staff. Patients interact with time-pressured, less-qualified staff 90% of the time, and the knowledgeable Doctor (who is also time-pressured) 10% of the time.
