"ED at Esperance Health Campus"

During my glucose test at 26weeks pregnant I started to feel very faint, sweaty and almost passed out on two occasions, even while laying down -  the PathWest staff called the emergency department and my partner came to take me to the hospital. I was given my wristbands, admin checked my address and I was taken into ED. 

Even though pathology had called prior to me coming in (a 2min drive) - I had to tell them why I was there - they were concerned about me & the baby as I was not responding normally to the glucose test. The nurse checked my BP & temperature. My BP was low but nothing out of the ordinary as it had been low and similar throughout the pregnancy.

I was asked by the nurse how many more bloods were needed for the glucose test as I was midway through & how many bloods I needed taken. I responded that I didn’t know how to do the test, that they had already taken two lots of bloods & to check with pathology. I gave them my doctor’s name as I knew he would want to be informed.

Upon trying to draw the final blood sample, the nurse was unable to get me to bleed, it seems she was able to find veins, but no blood was coming out. On the third try she managed to get a little bit. I asked if she needed to get a phlebotomist as I didn’t see why it should take 3 goes to draw blood, to which she assured me she knew what she was doing, I just wasn’t bleeding. I asked why & if it was normal, to which I received a ‘I don’t know why’.

I was kept for 15mins observation and given an apple juice to drink. I still felt weak but not faint & sweaty. My BP & temperature were taken and then I was allowed to leave.

I felt very concerned upon leaving as I had not seen a doctor let alone a midwife while in ED and the baby was not monitored at all. I was clearly pregnant by observation, let alone being there for the glucose test. I was worried once I returned home that maybe I had a strange blood clotting disorder because they couldn’t get blood to come out. As I had been given little reassurance that things were ok.

I went to see my doctor following the experience as I was very displeased in the level of care I recieved as an expectant mother and was still concerned from the lack of explanation to what was happening. His administrative staff told me he would know about it as anyone checked into ED in the state has their information passed onto their doctor. My doctor did not know as upon calling the Hospital for my records, they let him know that they don’t have any. My records are ‘lost’ - no proof of me ever being in ED let alone their observations apart from the PathWest staff member who clearly remembers phoning & ready to call an ambulance while performing the glucose test. There’s my recollection & my partner’s as he was there during the ‘check in’ process.

Tell me, how does the ED lose someone’s records?

Considering it is all computerised now - how come there is no record of me even being at the Hospital that day?

I feel very skeptical about delivering my baby at the Esperance Hospital as this is not good enough. Surely there are protocols to follow when a pregnant woman presents in ED. If not considered worthy of a doctor’s check, surely she should at least be signed off by a midwife before being allowed to leave?

Very concerning.