From the Other Side of the Bed - Emerging Nurse Leader

By Rose O. Sherman, EdD, RN, FAAN

What is hospitalization today like from the patient’ point of view? That is an interesting question which I sought to answer last week from my own experience. On Monday January 12th, I had a Right Total Knee Replacement. I spent four days in one of our best community hospitals. What is unusual about having Total Knee Surgery is that anesthesia is regional so with the exception of a short period of time during the surgery – I was alert, oriented and able to fully absorb what happened during this episode of care. A TKR is not a fun experience – there is pain, stiffness and discomfort. But to be honest with you, I can also say that I was very pleasantly surprised by the quality of care that I received and how the healthcare providers that I encountered really tried to educate me and keep me engaged in my care. They knew I was nurse and there were times when they would ask – do you really want me to go over all of this ? I would always answered yes. After all I told them, I was conducting a field study on what it is like from the other side of the bed. The following are a few observations that I made from my week as an inpatient.

1. Our elderly patients are troopers.

I was about 10 years below the mean age of patients on the orthopedic unit. When I think about the surgery and what was needed in terms of rehab – my admiration grew for older patients who were doing this at a much different point in their lives.

2. Nursing staff today are very busy.

On every shift, I asked about workload. I was particularly interested in the patient throughput that happened on the night tour. It was not unusual to see patients still being admitted from the PACU at 9PM at night. Despite their busyness, I expected the patient whiteboard might not be kept current but I was wrong – never did I need to ask who was caring for me and I always had a direct number to call for each member of the team.

3. Volunteers can make a big difference.

The hospital where I had my surgery had a very robust volunteer program. I was amazed at the level of engagement and helpfulness of these volunteers.

4. Dashboards are not just for nurses.

When I checked in for surgery, my husband was given a secured patient number and told to check the dashboards to track my progress. He absolutely loved this level of control.

5. Patient safety is a huge focus.

From medication bar coding to re-asking my name numerous times – I saw an amazing focus on patient safety and infection control.

6. My surgical team was very caring.

My experiences with orthopedic surgeons as a nurse were very mixed. I often found that while they loved doing surgery – getting them to come back in to check up on their patients was more challenging. My own experience was that my orthopedic surgeon and his PA really felt responsible for their outcomes. They came when they said they would come and kept me informed on my progress.

7. Our younger nurses are superb and some criticisms launched against them are totally unfair.

Most of the nurses who cared for me were far younger than I am. I found them to be very adept with the technology but also very interested in what it is like to be on the other side of the bed. We talked about their careers – some told me quite honestly that they worry about keeping pace as they get older. I also found that they were honest – several told me that I was by far their easiest patient and encouraged me to be sure and call if I needed anything. They seemed very adept at pain management which is now a huge part of patient satisfaction. I did not see anyone texting and they did seem very engaged when they were with me.

It has been an interesting week and in about six weeks – I will do it again with the other knee. While I would not wish this experience on anyone, it has made me more thoughtful and reflective about hospital care today. I found myself sometimes asking – did I do things as well as they have when I was in practice – sometimes the answer was honestly no.