"Colonoscopy experience"

My experience relates to having a Colonoscopy through Queensland Gastroenterology at Greenslopes Hospital.

My Colonoscopy was initially scheduled for mid-morning. A few days before my procedure I received a phone call from Queensland Gastroenterology asking if I minded if they brought the time of my procedure forward to earlier in the morning. I said that that was fine and could they email me with the details as confirmation, especially as the times for the preparation would have altered. I kept checking my emails for the confirmation and since it didn’t materialise I decided to ring Queensland Gastroenterology to follow up. I was informed that the altered times were on the system and that I would just need to adjust the times for the preparation by 3 ½ hrs, which I did.

On arriving at Greenslopes Hospital and entering the Gastroenterology rooms I headed for the reception where there were several people seated but no-one else waiting at the desk to be processed. As I understand is the standard procedure when arriving for an appointment I went to report at the desk to hand in my paperwork. The staff member at the desk could not initially find my name on their list. I told them that I was told to come in to the hospital early. The staff member eventually found my name on the list for the later time. I told them that my time had been change to earlier. I was not re-assured that this would be followed up on and I feel I was just told brusquely to take a seat as there were other people before me to process and that I would be called soon. I did note that a patient that arrived after me that went straight to the reception desk was seen to immediately. My spouse had parked the car in the 15 minute parking zone, assuming that they would be back in plenty of time as they were only waiting with me so that they could take home my wallet after I had paid my hospital fee. I waited patiently whilst many other people were called up until it was past 15 minutes, I was concerned about overstaying the parking limitation, so I went back up to the desk to explain my concern. I believe I was treated as if I was an inconvenience and the staff member did offer to take my payment so that my spouse could leave, but still did not process my paperwork.

I was called up a short time later to be ‘processed’ and was hurried with that process and was soon taken in for my procedure. I understand that patients need to be processed in order and I understand that there are a lot of patients to be processed in a short time but I felt that there could have been more compassion and understanding in the way I was treated, especially by a staff member processing patients about to undergo a medical procedure.

There was then very little time before my surgeon and anesthetist came to see me and I was wheeled in for my procedure. I was well looked after in recovery, except that when the nurse went to remove the apparatus I was attached to, they discovered that my drip had not been hung up and was tangled up down beside the bed, which meant I had not been receiving any fluids whilst in recovery.

Back in the main admissions area I received a tray containing the food that I had requested on admission. I must, at this point, commend the staff that process the patient’s food requests as the food was exceptional. Unfortunately at the time that I was enjoying this food a nurse came to take out the cannula in my arm and placed a small round band aid where the cannula had been, telling me to press on the band aid which I did. I tried at the same time to eat my delicious food and tried to hurry as there had been several attempts by the staff to clear my tray away. A short time afterwards I discovered that the left side of my body and my arm were covered in blood and the wound was bleeding profusely. Both the person next to me who was also a patient and the person opposite me who was sitting with a patient came to my aid, bringing me tissues and serviettes to staunch the flow of blood. It took a while for a nurse to attend to me and when they did I feel the nurse accused me of not applying pressure to the puncture site. The nurse did not assist with any cleaning up but merely applied a new band aid on top of the bloodied area.

My observation here is that all the staff are too rushed to process the number of patients coming through the unit and hence there is no time to provide quality care. I am not sure if this is only a temporary measure but patients coming in for a procedure and patients being seated after their procedure all congregate in the same room. My spouse was contacted to come and collect me immediately after I came off the bed in the recovery room and at no point when my spouse came in to collect me did anyone check that I was OK to go home. Note: This did occur at my previous Colonoscopy procedure two years ago.

I am saddened by the fact that it seems that patient care has become a low priority. I am hoping that the shared admissions area is only a temporary measure as I feel that it is insensitive to have patients tucking into food next to a patient that has had to starve for sometimes up to a day.

One positive that I would like to make here is that I had requested recordings of the readings of my blood pressure before, during and after the procedure to pass on to my doctor. I was provided with an additional report containing these readings.