Hospitals
a book by Diane Barnet,RN |
Hospitals
a book by Diane Barnet,RN |
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Interview
by Shawn Shepherd For many patients, a hospital is an unpleasant visit to a foreign land. But an Austin-based writer and nurse is working to change that with her new book, Hospitals.
Q: What is the message of Hospitals? A: I see so many problems in the current system in the [United States], and it boils down to the fact that this society has not defined whether health care is a right or a privilege. [In the book] I’m trying to empower the average healthcare consumer, to demystify how hospitals work and encourage the consumer to not take anything for granted. The average person knows a great deal about their computer or vehicle, but not much about their liver or even where it’s located—and this is their one and only body. Q: Why did you decide this now? A: Because hospitals, especially now under managed care, are managed by huge corporations. They may have a lot of high-tech equipment, but it’s hard to find someone who can bring you a glass of water. Q: You write that "a well-informed patient is a less anxious one." What do you mean? A: We all like to have control over our environments, and hospitals don’t always provide the information consumers need to deal with the strange situation in which they find themselves. [Hospital staff] will tell you where to park and where the gift shop and cafeteria are, but they won’t tell you where to get more information; where to direct questions, concerns, complaints; how the average floor units are staffed; the fact that there may be patient advocates you can go to for problems. Because [health care] is bought and sold in this system, it is fraught with emotional baggage—there’s less satisfaction and there’s often a confrontational relationship between the patients and their providers. We can overcome that with information. Q: How should consumers educate themselves about how hospitals function? A: I think they need to be very aware that all hospitals are not created equal. This can be a problem within a managed care network. Consumers need to check the credentials of the hospitals as well as physicians to know what the hospitals offer and what they don’t. Q: What is the single best piece of advice you have to offer patients? A: To become and remain as well-informed as possible about health care in general, what your community has to offer in terms of hospitals, and what your options are if you’re covered by managed care. Q: And your advice to nurses? A: To encourage their patients to learn as much as they can and to become their advocates. |
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Viagra Crossing
the Line Alternative
Therapy Burdens
of Care Juggling
Act EDITOR'S
NOTE Are
netizens really that sad? Assisted
Suicide Rural
Technology Electronic
Patient Records
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Author
Diane Barnet, RN, has spent more than 20 years in nursing, much of
that in hospital settings working in virtually every dimension of
care. Educated in Canada, she brings a cross-cultural perspective
to her analysis. While recognizing there are "pros and cons to
both systems," Barnet says her book is intended to help patients
and their advocates navigate hospitalization in the United States
effectively. "This is the culmination of 20 years of families
coming up to me to ask, ‘How is she doing today?’ not realizing that
not everyone has all of the answers," she said, adding that her
belief that a well-informed patient is a less anxious one led her
to write the guide.