What an eventful night. From the moment I got in to when I got out ten hours later, I did not know what was going on.
Is it very difficult to decrease the waiting time almost every patient must go through? I was told by one that he had to wait nine months for his endoscopy! This is completely ridiculous. The NHS has the resources (or does it?) and man-power (atleast it says its the biggest employer in Europe). So why not just make a few minor changes? Oh well, who am I to complain?
Right, what happened last night, was very unfortunate. I can pin-point who's fault it was but that would be too un-professional. Lack of experience is not an excuse for negligence. That patient had to wait four hours in the waiting area just to be seen by the triage nurse, who considered him priority 4 when it should have been 2 (means he should have been seen before everyone else in the waiting area). Priority 1 applies to patients that go directly into resuscitation room (e.g. those with heart attacks).
He was only complaining of a sore tummy. But he was as cold as ice. Looking at his card, he had been in the waiting area for four hours before coming in. His shirt was stained brown with vomitus, means he was sitting in the chair and vomitting. His tummy was very tender to touch, which according to him got a lot worse in the past hour. He asked for help but no one listened.
From his appearance alone, he looked like going to intensive care. Blood sugar was 35mmol/l (that is extremely high). He had insulin in his bag. Tongue was extremely dry. He was quickly losing consciousness. The oncall medic lady agreed with my diagnosis that it was DKA (diabetic ketoacidosis), occurs when the blood sugar is poorly controlled, the blood is very acidic and the patient is extremely dehydrated. It is potentially fatal but treatable.
Within fifteen minutes, he was in ITU. But he did not look very well. Two hours later, I got a call from the medic that the patient died. Now, I was sad and furious. Why was he made to wait four hours when the less serious ones were already seen and sent home. Should we accept that the ones who initially saw him and made him wait were not competent?? Is incompetence an excuse for negligence?
I really wish I could have saved him! He was not very well from the moment I saw him but when I asked how he was, He said, "Im great doctor, how about you? Well actually just got a problem with my tummy, its a bit sore."
And when a doctor makes a mistake, they are quick enough to catch at his throat. But I hope this incident is a lesson to the ones involved.