Before I got the whole walking thing down to an art form, I was a waiter. Growing up and into disability, I functioned within the time frame of others; parents and siblings, to accommodate my needs. Waiting! Now, I control the schedule though am fortunate enough to have folks available who will do things that I am no longer able to do for myself or on my own.
But they and I have one thing in common — we’re all subjected to the dreaded ER wait times. No one is immune. Precursors to time spent waiting for surgery is the time spent waiting in an ER to be treated for that condition which led to the need for surgery or for time spent in Outpatients waiting for tests, or time spent waiting in a doctor’s office for a consultation that may not have enough minutes to discuss all we think the doctor ‘must’ know. COVID has altered the landscape of care.
For system efficiency, those who deliver health care services and the recipients of such services must work together, which ultimately translates into money saved for both. These COVID times dictate that we must change the way we view and treat services like those provided in the hospital setting, notably in the ER. Not every ‘complaint’ requires an ER visit. Besides, wait times are horrendous, and if you’re really not ‘that’ unwell, more anxious than anything else, stay home and try to get in touch with your physician through his/her office for a call back.
If quality of care it to improve, there has to be a joint effort between patient and service provider. There will always be those patients who expect miracles, who are far too demanding of ‘the system’, without doing their part. Without ever doing their part.
Several countries, including France, Germany, Australia and the Netherlands provide universal health care but with a twist — they expect patients to contribute to the cost of care. What a concept! Perhaps it’s something for us to seriously consider. When the pocketbook is put on the table, one tends to take stock of what he really can do for himself and for his family with regard to health and wellness. After all one’s health is a significant thread in the fabric of the family.
Surgical wait times compromise health and wellness but there are things that we can do to help ourselves. What I propose doesn’t cost a dime, yet the return on investment may be the difference between staying down and never getting up again or standing up and moving. If we really take a good hard look at ourselves, aside from those conditions or diseases over which we have no control and short- or even long-term medical professional intervention is required, we must admit that we can do something to alter outcomes — become accountable!
Take for example, the person with chronic back pain on a wait list for surgery; he could wait for a year, possibly two. He knows he’s at least 40 pounds overweight already — his doctor has told him that he’s tipping into the ‘at risk’ category for a range of weight-related treatable ‘dis’eases that can be mitigated when he loses weight. Note, I did not say ‘if’. As to back surgery, the doctor, doing his part, will insist on pre-surgery weight loss to improve outcome. The physician has outlined pros and cons and discussed with the patient their own role in outcomes.
My doctor father told me to never let a surgeon talk me into back surgery. It took me years to learn how to walk with a modicum of fluidity and my back is in good shape because I’ve spent decades ensuring that I do ‘the work’ to keep it that way. A recent TIA over which I had no control impacted my walking for a time, with noticeable drag and drop of my left foot. There will be no movie. It’s been done already.
I continue to go along; homemade good eats, weekly dinner and a movie with my friend and being entertained by canines. COVID is out there while I’m relaxin’ in here!
Carla MacInnis Rockwell is a freelance writer and disability rights advocate living outside Fredericton, NB with Miss Lexie, a rambunctious Maltese and Mr. Malcolm, the boisterous Havanese. She can be reached via email at Carla MacInnis Rockwell
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDelete