An open letter to all hospitals

Dear hospitals,

Recently I have seen appalling behaviour from both doctors and nurses towards each other, and so I thought I would pen this letter to all those who work in the hospital setting.

It is all about team work!

No one person and no one profession is better than the other in the hospital setting. Every single person and every single profession brings something unique and extremely important in making the hospital work smoothly and making those patients feel better. Because isn't that what it's all about?

Ego's do not fit inside a building whose main goal is to provide the best quality care to patients who come through it. Putting others down is not going to achieve anything except in house fighting while you have someone's life in your hands. Constantly undermining others causes the patient to not have confidence in anybody in their health care team.

And I'm not just talking about doctors here. I have seen my fair share of nurses who have let their ego's get in the way which led to patient care bearing the brunt of it. I have also seen pharmacists, physiotherapists, and cleaners grumble and moan about doctors, nurses, pharmacists, physiotherapists and other cleaners. Yes, complaining and whingeing is a fact of life, but please please PLEASE do not let it get in the way of patient care!

I remember looking after a lovely patient who passed away, and in their note to the hospital, they didn't leave anybody out. Sure, everybody thanks the doctors and the nurses, but this was the only patient that I have seen that thanked the pharmacists, the physiotherapists, the social workers, and even the cleaners. This patient was only 16 years old, and completely wise beyond her years!

Without the cleaners, who would keep the hospital clean? Without the porters and orderlies, who would transport our patients? Without social workers, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, speech pathologists, and dieticians, who would be able to give our patients the specific care they need to get home safely? Without pharmacists, who would dispense our medications and ensure that all prescriptions are correct? Without doctors, who would make the hard decisions for the best patient care? And of course, without nurses, who would look after our patients 24/7?

You see, everybody makes an important contribution to the hospital and no one person is better than the other. Even parents and family members who come in are a valuable member of the team because who would know the patient better than their families?

So please, if you work in a hospital setting, please respect your fellow workers, no matter who they are. I feel that the orderlies and cleaners get missed so much, even though they are an integral part of the team. So the next time an orderly transports your patient, or runs across the hospital to get you that medication for your patient, or a cleaner has just emptied the trash or cleaned a room, please say thank you. It takes two seconds to say with a smile, but hopefully it will mean so much to that person.

I guess, all I wanted to say to all those people who work in the hospital, pull your heads out of your own asses and have this realisation: You are NOT the most important person in that hospital. You are only a part of a very important team.

Thank you,
Bellawen