I am a patient advocate and have been asked to raise this issue by the patient.
The patient is an elderly lady, who around two years ago called an ambulance due to feeling extremely unwell. She was taken to Fiona Stanley Hospital in WA when she learnt that she was experiencing a heart attack. She recalls asking staff that she be allowed to die and instructed no medical invention be undertaken to save her life.The patient says she was devastated to discover later that she had a pacemaker fitted and that the hospital had obtained consent for this from her brother with whom she had barely spoken in recent years.The patient says that in the two days that followed, she was kept in a very small bed in a thoroughfare, with people constantly walking past. She recalls that she could barely move as the bed was too small for her. Also, she says that no one spoke to her and she felt completely ignored.The patient says that she alerted someone that she intended to go home and made her way to the exit of the hospital. She says no one aided her to the exit and she had to organise transport herself at the front desk.She then recalls that she had to mount herself into a vehicle that was very high and upon arriving home had to slide out herself which she found very difficult.The patient says that since having the pacemaker, her life has been awful and she wishes she had been left for nature to take its course in the hope that she would have passed away. She describes that she is unable to mobilise herself properly and is too frail to have any quality of life.She is adamant that she will not seek out medical help herself due to the trauma of this experience however, should she present again to hospital, she wishes to be made comfortable and does not want any intervention to save her life.She wants a guarantee that the hospital will follow her wishes in the future.She believes that the hospital failed to take her wishes on board and she is now left to lead what she describes as an unbearable existence.
"Patient's wishes were not adhered to"
About: Fiona Stanley Hospital / Emergency Department Fiona Stanley Hospital Emergency Department Murdoch 6150
Posted by ella1712 (as ),
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