I was just reading in the news about the Florida woman, Barbara Dawson, who was taking from the hospital by law enforcement after being told there was nothing wrong with her and was discharged against her will. Apparently she said she wouldn't leave the hospital, she believed she was still ill. The police officer handcuffed her and took her from the hospital into the parking lot where she collapsed. She said "I can't breathe" and asked that they "please don't let me die". She lay there for 18 minutes during which the hospital staff person and police officer told her there is nothing wrong with her. Then something changed, they realized there was something wrong and Ms. Dawson was quickly readmitted. She died 90 minutes later from a pulmonary embolism. It's so sad. My heart goes out to her family.
As a health care worker you may see people many different kinds of patients, some who are difficult, who you may suspect of certain behaviors, who you think may be a hypochondriac, who may have a different culture, who may be a drug addict, who may be poor, or who may be uneducated, or who just can't communicate their symptoms well. But here is the deal, you don't get to judge. We are human beings who have come to you for help. Even though it may be hard for you, you don't get to judge, you don't get to apply your personal biases, or philosophies, or religions, or prejudices. You don't get to judge.
Those of us on the receiving end of healthcare, we don't always have the words to describe what our bodies are doing, we only know that something is not right and most of the time we are scared. We have not studied medicine, we are not good at diagnosing ourselves. That's why we come to you and ask you to take care of us. To care for us.
Barbara Dawson was not taken care of, she was judged.
