Opinion
North Pinellas letters to the editor, July 5
TBO.com
Published: July 5, 2012
Take care of our ownPublished: July 5, 2012
Validating the Affordable Care Act by the Supreme Court of the United States was a remarkable advantage for Americans who cannot afford or cannot obtain health care for one reason or another. But immediately the squabbling resumed.
I am tired of hearing the Grouchy Old Prevaricators complaining that the cost of providing health care to the poor is out of reach.
I would like to remind them the cost of those questionable "wars" in Iraq and Afghanistan is estimated at $3 trillion to $4 trillion, not including interest on the debt used to borrow the funds.
If we can afford to waste that kind of money killing people, we surely can afford to spend it taking care of our own.
John Tischner
Dunedin
Total approach
I would like to respond to Fred Palensar's letter regarding his hospital stay and his idea of "bedside manner." I have been a nurse for 35 years and have seen many changes in the health care delivery system, especially in hospitals.
I work at a large, well-run and well-respected hospital in Clearwater. The use of electronic medical records, or EMRs, has been federally mandated, and we have been transitioning to this form of charting for several years. It has been a challenge for us to learn something new, and it is frustrating because it is so detailed. However, it facilitates communication between all the departments and all our campuses and facilities. We are using bar code administration, or BCA, to cut down on medication errors.
I believe Mr. Palensar's being given the wrong medication is a miscommunication between his doctor and him, not the nurse who gave him the medication. Nurses don't prescribe medications, but we do communicate with the doctor if a patient is having a problem with a medication. And we do double-check the computer with the doctor's orders.
Also, it seems as if Mr. Palensar's description of "bedside manner" does not take into account the other things we do for people while they are in the hospital. Are we courteous? Do we treat patients with respect and privacy? Do we explain things in a way patients understand? Do we involve the family?
Bedside manner encompasses a total approach.
Carol Ryan
Tarpon Springs