It is a hospital not a hotel

I was reading an article today and it stated this in it, "The entire health field is changing drastically and in a terrible way. Hospitals are being rated with surveys like that of hotels. They are reimbursed on patient satisfaction."  

This is something that I am constantly reminded of on a daily basis at work, and I often wonder why.  Why is the government giving into people instead of holding people accountable for choosing to receive help that they cannot provide for themselves?  

As nurses we bust our butts for 12 hours.  We sometimes go without even a sip of water, but if we do not get a glass of water to our patient within seconds they are giving us a bad satisfaction score.  But did they think about the fact that I have 5 other patients and didn't get to hydrate myself for 12 hours?  Probably not. 

We are scrutinized for having a long wait time.   But did the patient that has a cough think about the trauma that came in after them that passed away after all measures were exhausted?  No.  They only thought about themselves because they walked in the doors first, not the grieving mother and father who just lost their only child.  Decreased satisfaction scores.  

The mother of a patient is mad at the one nurse who was having a bad day that just found out her husband lost her job.  So she gives a bad satisfaction score even though she commented on the great service from many other nurses. 

The hospital is a business but should not be treated like a hotel.   In a hotel everything is the same, people come to relax and having a relaxing time.  In a hospital, it is going to be high stress all around.   Parents and family members are stressed because they cannot stand to see their loved one not feeling good or even dying.  Medical professionals are stressed because of the high demands put on them in busy seasons.  Support staff are stressed because the hospital is being turned around constantly and they have to keep up with the housekeeping and supplies at a fast rate.   

We often do not stop and think about the reason why.  We want to think about ourselves and the satisfaction we are getting even though we do not think about behind the scenes.  Next time you want to scrutinize someone in a hospital, stop and think, are they doing as much as they can for me at this given time.