Does the Emergency Department suffer from unserious patients who treat it like a family doctor or the former admissions rooms? Or is the issue a lack of empathy or the hospital staff’s inability to deal with patients? Or perhaps it is the healthcare system that limits patients’ access to a specialist?
A regulation issued by the Minister of Health clearly defines the Emergency Department’s main task:
The hospital emergency department [...] provides healthcare services consisting of initial diagnosis and treatment to the extent necessary to stabilize the vital functions of people experiencing a sudden health emergency.
It is a fact that people who are not in a life-threatening condition seek help at the Emergency Department, counting on the quick and comprehensive diagnosis for which they would otherwise have to wait a long time.
Unfortunately, it is also a fact that there are poor opinions about how patients are treated in the Bolesławiec Emergency Department. These opinions show that customer service leaves much to be desired in public healthcare facilities (inappropriately called free, since they are paid for through the health insurance contributions of working citizens). Let us add that during the portal’s more than 13 years of operation, we have not received a single report of poor service at private practices.
One Story, Two Perspectives
Below, we present two accounts—one from the patient and one from the hospital—describing an incident from the beginning of this week.
Account by the patient, Krzysztof
I went to the Emergency Department on Tuesday, July 11, at 5:00 p.m. The day before, I had been in an accident at around 8:30 p.m. My car overturned and left the road because I skidded on oil spilled on the road. Just after firefighters pulled me out of the car, I did not feel any serious symptoms. My blood pressure was checked and was normal, and I returned home. I was sleepy and slept for a long time. After waking up on Tuesday, I felt unwell and went to the Emergency Department. I was counting on specialized equipment that could be used to examine me.
At the Emergency Department reception, I said that I felt unwell after the accident. After asking me some questions, the nurse refused to admit me and sent me to my family doctor without any explanation. I was shocked by the way I was treated at the emergency service.
I went to my family doctor, who referred me to a surgical clinic. I went there on Wednesday, July 12, with a referral stating: unspecified neck injuries and chest injuries. I went outside for a moment; they called my name, which I did not hear, and when I returned, the doctor was very rude to me. He spoke to me disrespectfully in a raised voice and shouted profanities. No one will probably confirm this, although a nurse was there. After the conversation, he sent me back to the Emergency Department and told me to wait there for about an hour for tests. I did not intend to stay at that hospital any longer. In the evening, I went to Zgorzelec, where they admitted me and another woman from Bolesławiec who had also been sent there from the Bolesławiec Emergency Department.
Account by the deputy director for medical services, Nikolaj Lambrinow
The accident in which the patient was injured occurred on July 10. My emergency responders happened to be passing the scene of the accident. Seeing that something had happened, they stopped and assisted the injured man: the driver was examined by a doctor, who found no serious injuries. The man came to the Emergency Department on Tuesday at 5:00 p.m. He had already been diagnosed on the day of the accident, which is why he was not admitted to the Emergency Department. He went to his family doctor and then, with the code “sudden incident,” came to the surgical clinic on Wednesday [July 12]. The doctor on duty concluded that, since the patient was complaining, it would nevertheless be appropriate to direct him to the Emergency Department and conduct a full diagnostic examination.
What do you think about this situation? What have your experiences been with the Bolesławiec Emergency Department?