To the Editor:
As I read letters to the editor from concerned patients and family members of late, I feel compelled to chime in with a recent story and serious concern.
This incident took place at Leesburg Regional Medical Center. I believe LRMC and The Villages Regional Hospital are both part of the Central Florida Health System.
Here are the indicators that the CEO said showed “good” data:
Hospital acquired injury/infection. Does following “cookbook” standing surgical orders which resulted in my 91 year old sister receiving two doses of Toradol qualify as an injury? My sister had chronic kidney disease Stage 3 and Toradol is highly contraindicated in anyone over 65 with kidney impairment. This put my sister in congestive heart failure on post-op Day 2 and landed her on PCU, when my sister had not complained of pain that Tylenol would have sufficed.
There’s lots more to report, but words are limited for this publication. I could tell two other big incidents that occurred during that admission. This mentioned incident I did bring to a nursing supervisor and asked to be contacted by the risk and quality director. No one followed through with me and never got a call or a visit from anyone in Quality/Risk and I would be there at my sister’s side from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. every day.
All of my experiences with the care can be summed up with these words.
1. Incompetence of medical and nursing staff
2. Nurses level of education
3. Fragmented and poor communication between hospitalists, nurses, shifts
4. Many interdepartmental systems issues
5. Non caring attitude from management
Dolores Vieira
Village of Pennecamp