You can do all the research you want on what makes a hospital stay or doctor visit easier; but no one can give you better advice than the people who are making it happen. If you want advice from the experts, go to some of the people running the show: the nurses at your hospital and doctor’s office! Here are some of the best tips that they can offer to their patients.
Tell Your Doctor Everything You’re Taking—Literally
You already know to tell your doctor what prescription medications you’re taking, if any, since they don’t want to prescribe you anything else that could mix with it the wrong way and cause adverse side effects; but they need to know more than just your prescriptions.
One nurse tells Reader’s Digest that over-the-counter drugs and herbal remedies are important to mention as well, and that just because it’s “all natural” or “organic” doesn’t mean it automatically mixes well with everything. There could still be an undesirable side effect, so make sure your doctor knows about any aspirin, vitamins, etc., that you’re taking.
Don’t Be Afraid to Speak Up about Germs
It doesn’t matter that they need to be completely sterile much of the time, hospitals and doctors’ offices are still filthy and full of germs. Some medical professionals may forget this, or some may simply choose to overlook it.
Nurses reassure us, however, that there is nothing wrong with kindly asking your doctor, “Did you wash your hands?” before he touches you. They should do it in the room right in front of you; if not, say something—especially since CNN reports from a Consumer Reports survey that 26% of nurses witnessed a lack of hand-washing. Yuck!
Also, never be afraid to ask your doctor or nurse to put on gloves before they approach you. Even if they’re doing something very easy and simple, requesting rubber gloves is perfectly acceptable.
Double-Check Their Work
Your life is in your doctor’s hands, so you can rest assured that it’s acceptable to ask questions! For example, have them verify the spelling they have for your name. Mix-ups happen, and you don’t want to receive Joe Smith’s medications when you’re John Smith.
This also applies to medications you’re being administered. CNN shared another story of a nurse who was visiting her father in the hospital, and caught his nurse nearly giving him a medication he was allergic to. It could have killed him! Remember that hospitals are stressful, chaotic, exhausting environments. Mistakes happen and things can go wrong; but you can catch them before it’s too late.
For these reasons, we’re being advised to check the names and dosages of every medication, in addition to when they should be taken. It’s better to be safe than sorry!
It can be super intimidating to question your doctor, or even to simply provide extra information to make their job easier. Even if you don’t get the best reaction from them, our nurse friends are saying that we should do these things regardless! In some cases, it could mean the difference between life and death. If you remain assertive but respective and polite, you should have nothing to worry about.
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