In the article, Finding Time For Compassion In A Busy Emergency Department written by Angela Blood, she shares a firsthand experience of her stay at an emergency department. The premise of the article is Angela receiving a false positive pregnancy test result that was made in error, and how the emergency department staff lacked compassion for the mistake. Angela has an autoimmune disease that sends her to the emergency department frequently outside of her usual primary care doctor visits (Blood, 2020, p. 1263). Her “frequent flyer” status in the emergency department means she has been there a lot and knows how the process works from checking in, all the way to discharge. Once Angela was put into a hallway stretcher with little to no privacy, she was given the news she was pregnant. Angela went through a multitude of emotions when hearing this because she wasn’t sexually active, and the complications tied to pregnancy with her autoimmune disease. Imaging and a second urine test confirmed that Angela was not pregnant (Blood, 2020, p. 1264). Angela was traumatized from the lack of empathy shown from the providers and imaging technicians, but her discharge nurse showed empathy by saying sorry and listening to her. After being discharged, Angela followed up with the patient relations department, and even there, she described that she did not receive any empathy from her last visit (Blood, 2020, p. 1265).
When you read the article you can see why Angela was so upset with her experience. She felt as if she wasn’t being heard when the positive test result came back, and the staff showed no compassion for her emotions. On the other hand, I felt Angela at first didn’t show compassion for the staff working during a global pandemic. In a perfect world, the emergency department is used strictly for life saving interventions. Angela was initially placed in the hallway due to the bed shortage throughout the emergency department. Due to her history, it warranted her a bed, but they had to wait for the space to become available. While waiting, for her bed placement, she received her false positive pregnancy test and started making harsh, abrasive comments towards staff taking care of her (Blood, 2020, p.1263). I think Angela realized from the passive aggressive comments the staff was making, that she came off a little harsh. After hearing these comments, she showed empathy by voicing her concerns with the doctors. Angela is the bigger person here taking the high road while the staff lacked empathy for someone who is constantly at the hospital. All she wants is to be heard and cared for. Yes, the positive test sent her in a downward spiral of emotions but those could have been negated. The provider and patient relationship is a funny one. In the patient’s world, they are the only thing that matters and all of their needs have to be heard and met. In the provider world, they are taking care of twenty plus patients at a time and they all need a plan of care while prioritizing the sickest patients first. At the surface, a false positive pregnancy test is not a big deal in the providers eyes, but that doesn’t make it right. Medical errors happen, but it is not okay for a doctor to be passive aggressive to a patient. The emergency department providers didn’t know what emotions that positive test would bring out in Angela, but the providers do have control over their emotions. Showing empathy is as easy as listening to a patient and letting them know that you are here to help, not a comment like “I hear you think we made a mistake (Blood, 2020, p. 1264).” The patient and provider relationship is important for both parties, and needs to be respected on both sides.
Blood, A. (2020). Finding time for compassion in a busy emergency department. Narrative Matters. DOI: 10.1377/HLTHAFF.2019.01315
https://www.healthaffairs.org/doi/epdf/10.1377/hlthaff.2019.01315