Pediatric Hospitals Make Errors, Too

Reader Comments
Back to blog

I recently made the transition from a pediatric hospital to an adult hospital. This was a move I've been dreading since I was 11 years old- but I knew the time had to come.
It's everything I though it would (wouldn't) be. My doctors are still amazing, and there are the occasional nurses. But its nothing like the extreme care and one-on-one time you get being in a child-like setting. When observing pediatrics, people seem to care more about the psychological experience of being in the hospital. There are softer lights, brighter colors, newer equipment, and fewer residents running around with their heads chopped off.
In the few months I've spent in the dingy, beige, creepy, white-gloved, asylum-ish adult hospital, I've come to appreciate the pediatric world.
Things are so much different! In a mostly negative way, I feel like I've walked into a corporate office, hell bent on production and cost effectiveness and getting it done. They're worried about product, not process! Adult facilities don't focus on making anyone feel like they have individualized care! We're treated as if we're all the same and can therefore be "tackled" with a general course of action.
Hello? I don't have to wear leg straps because I am MOBILE. No DVT's here! Why the formalities...My name is Luci, not Miss C.
Why do I get sat in the hallway for an hour waiting to be transported? What's with all the harsh cleaning chemicals and everyone's avid perfume use? And what do you mean you can't do IV's in feet? AHHH!
What I don't understand is why all hospitals can't take on the general atmosphere of comfort that children's hospitals do.
Wouldn't it be healing and soothing to find volunteers who provided interaction in the form of music or games?
Can't adults benefit from a positive environment that feels happy instead of impending doom? Why can't there be an activities room? Why aren't there any options for young adults who aren't 19 anymore, but who certainly aren't 80? And let's just forget about food options. Really, don't mention it.
Think about that next time you name a "best" hospital.

Luci of MO 9:42PM July 14, 2008