I will say it again, but here I go… any patients having problems in-center might want to vist this website below, they’ve been around for a while and have helped patients in difficult siutations with their clinics and have solved many cases. This organization have gone great lengths to solve extreme cases! One of the best advovates for dialysis patients I ever found on the net…
Can you provide more detail on how Dialysis Ethics help patients solve problems?
Go to their forums and search some of the patient postings seeking help. Dialysis Ethics have lawyers, but they first try to resolve the issues with the renal networks. One good example is this recent posting on their forum…
The founding dialysis registered nurse and others…
http://www.dialysisethics.org/feedback/index.html
Hi
I’m not saying to run as soon to a lawyer, but sometimes things do happen in a medical setting that do .
I’ve been a round and seen that sometimes talking as a single voice isn’t going to work. Lets not kid ourselves. When push comes to shove companies are always going to look out for the company best first. And there is nothing wrong with that, but a line has to be drawn somewhere.
For me the centers I’ve been in, as far as tech are concerned the only thing they need is high school or GED, then 6 weeks of training . then cut loose. In the center I’ve was in they are so short staffed, that proper oversight is a second thought. I can recall very easy my first day in the center. I was placed right next to two others so close we could not but the wings up on the chairs. When I asked about infection control A nurse told not to worry that everything dies within 2 ft. So If the guy next to me had a cold or the flu I was not to worry. So let not kid ourselves If I can see this and others see this , then the company must know. If the person in charge isn’t aware of what is going on and the staff isn’t, we have some major problems.
bobeleanor 
Beth:
Therefore, if you’re trying to make sure that clinics do the best job of preventing medical errors and respond appropriately if/when medical errors occur, I’d suggest the state health department first
.
I have said several times now that I would not feel comfortable calling in the state as I do not think they are effective in all cases. As I said, I have seen the state survey units in several regions, and when they left, glaring violations were not sanctioned.
Let’s just take the violation of an unclean unit…a unit that has it’s floors swept and mopped, but is filthy in every crack and crevice and medical carts, chairs etc have an accumulation of dirt, dust and grime that is unbelievable. Maybe I’m abnormal, but to me this is totally unacceptable. Yet, I’ve seen the state walk in and walk out and this was ok.
Now, how can I trust the state if this has been my experience? But even more than that, how can I report the unit if I have to go to dialysis the very next day in order to live and my management could “dump” me for reporting them, falsely accusing me of being a troublemaker!?
Now, a unit is not supposed to be able to dump a patient for filing a legitimate grievance, but there have been many reports of this happening. Whether real or perceived, most patients fear filing a grievance as they have no idea if the Network and the state will protect them from being “dumped” or harrassed.
It is so very hard to get through dialysis txs in-center as the txs are so subpar and we are beholden to our medical staff who hold us together by a thread some days. How can we cut off the hand that feeds us? As I see it, it is not the floor staff who is responsible for the many corners that are cut- it is management who is not training them properly or telling them to cut corners.
So many ppl say, “just call the state”, but is their life on the line? No, of course not! I’m sure more patients would report violating units if only they knew they could not be dumped or harassed. But they don’t know that and that is the problem!
What really gets me is these violating units are so brazen. They do not even try to hide their violations from patients, staff and patients’ families. I’m sure they count on most patients not knowing that violations are taking place. And although some staff may know that violations are occuring, I feel sure most don’t know as they have never truly been trained in infection control and don’t know more than the way they have been trained that they might unwittingly be performing their job wrong, putting patients at risk. Those few who do see what is happening are in a Catch 22 -the worker has his job to protect and the aware patient must protect his life.
Again, I do not think there would be so many violating units if patients or workers were ensured protections when filing a grievance. But in the current system there is no guarantee of this in various regions.
Gus
I will say it again, but here I go… any patients having problems in-center might want to vist this website below, they’ve been around for a while and have helped patients in difficult siutations with their clinics and have solved many cases. This organization have gone great lengths to solve extreme cases! One of the best advovates for dialysis patients I ever found on the net…
From what I l know of dialysisethics, they attempt to go through the correct channels to advocate for patients, but again, unless patients are ensured protections, dialysisethics as any other advocate, could do more harm than good.
They do it carefully, they listen to both sides…they investigate the situation beforehand.
As a patient, its more dangerous on your own…no backup, no witness, no support…
Most likely, patients who really are the problem are at greater risk than the patients who are the real victims…
Gus wrote:
They do it carefully, they listen to both sides…they investigate the situation beforehand.
As a patient, its more dangerous on your own…no backup, no witness, no support…
Most likely, patients who really are the problem are at greater risk than the patients who are the real victims…
With dialysisethics they are not local and can not make a presence from afar. There is nothing to prevent unit from dumping or harassing patients. I specifically know of a case where DE called in the state and then the patients were harassed.
Patients who wish to file a grievance for unit violations are at just as much risk as a patient who is acting out. Think of it, if patients report the unit for being dirty, staff not washing their hands, RNs not wearing gloves when giving IV meds, meds prepared in undesignated areas etc etc…these are serious charges that can shut a unit down and violating units don’t want their illegal acts revealed. Any patient who reports them is a big threat to them. So, they will try to turn things around and falsely label such patients as non-compliant.
The best advocacy strategy I’ve seen so far is the group in OHIO who got a petition going and held a rally where patients, family members and a local minister gave speeches. But imagine this–why should patients who need dialysis to live even have to be put in the position to police the units?! It is a travesty!!