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"My spouse's sore hip"

About: Bunbury Hospital / Emergency Department

(as a carer),

My spouse, who has severe Rheumatoid arthritis (RA), was making the bed when their hip locked on them, making it impossible to move or walk but able to support themselves onto the bed. I received the phone call as I was out shopping and rushed home, to find my spouse 10/10 in pain trying to walk to the kitchen. I got a walker from the shed and that allowed me to get them to the couch. Walking any further was not an option so I rang an ambulance which arrived in a timely manner. They wanted to administer some pain relief into the vein but with RA, I believe my spouse's veins are shot so after an hour, fentanyl was administered via the nostril twice and then onto the stretcher and of to ED.

After a very long wait of two hours I believe, a doctor finally spoke with my spouse. I was not present at the time and received a phone call asking for their meds chart which I had made a special point of giving to the ambo.

So when I arrived at ED with the med chart, a change of pajamas and two pairs of pullup pants, I was told my spouse could go home. They had insisted that this was best. but I was not happy. I asked to speak to the doctor who said they could not keep my spouse there against their wishes. This I respect, but they offered my spouse an endone and said see your doctor the next day.

We could only do a phone consult with the doctor as my spouse cannot walk as I believe the pain in their hip is still 10/10. I asked for a scan or X-ray but was told a strong dose of steroids will do the trick.

I felt there was no luck there.

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Responses

Response from Adam Coulson, Director of Emergency Medicine, Bunbury Hospital, WACHS South West 3 years ago
Adam Coulson
Director of Emergency Medicine, Bunbury Hospital,
WACHS South West
Submitted on 19/06/2020 at 11:55 AM
Published on Care Opinion at 11:58 AM


Dear felt comfortable

Thank you for taking the time to feedback on the quality of care you received in the Bunbury Emergency Department and I am very sorry to hear the amount of pain that your spouse was recently in as a result of their rheumatoid arthritis. Our team is committed to providing quality care to those who attend our Emergency Department and as such, I value your feedback.

It is important that our patients are empowered to make informed decisions about their care, including in relation to their treatment and discharge. However, it sounds as though you may be a carer for your spouse, in which case you should have been included around discussions relating to their discharge. This is so important to make sure that you have the support that you require to be able to care for your spouse and for yourself. I’m very sorry that in this case, you weren’t involved in these discussions. Your concerns will be fully investigated by the Emergency Department and I will make sure that the importance of including carers in discharge planning is reiterated to all ED staff at our upcoming development day

I hope that your spouse is now comfortable and that you have a plan in place for ongoing management of their rheumatoid arthritis. I would like to offer the support of our Primary Health team to you going forward. For example, we have a strong team of Occupational Therapists who may be able to assist in making daily tasks easier and reducing pain.

I am very keen to speak directly with you about your concerns and to hear from you what further assistance you might need from us. I would be very grateful if you would like to make contact with our customer liaison officer on 9722 1521.

Thank you again for reaching out, and I hope to hear from you soon.

Dr. Adam Coulson

Director of Emergency Medicine

Emergency Department, Bunbury Hospital

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