AN investigation into the confrontation between a hospital patient and a nurse that was captured on video that went viral should go beyond the incident to tackle the bigger issues.
The Cebu Provincial Government and the Philippine Nurses Association have started separate investigations into the incident where a patient angrily confronted a female nurse for reportedly not responding to her problem with her intravenous line.
The incident last November 14 happened at the Balamban Provincial Hospital where the nurse, 25 years old, (name withheld on her request) was on duty. She filed a complaint for slander by deeds with the Balamban Police Station against a public school teacher and her husband who, she said, were the ones who harassed her.
What brought the incident to the public arena was when another nurse who filmed the encounter posted the video on Facebook. The post was viewed thousands of times, shared and commented on by Facebook users. Comments were mostly to express pity for the nurse but there were some who pointed out that what happened was symptomatic of the deeper rot within government hospitals.
The couple did not comment on the complaint but an explanation reportedly made by one who identified herself as their daughter cited the nurse’s refusal to respond to their concerns. The patient’s husband joined the fray by snatching the nurse’s identification card reportedly because the nurse refused to give them her name.
The investigation would focus on the alleged harassment and what triggered it. But the Provincial Health Office and the PNA might as well use this opportunity to review conditions at government health facilities. How many patients does one nurse handle? What procedures are in place to respond to irate patients and family members?
The video posted on Facebook showed there were several onlookers when the patient and her companions confronted the nurse. Not one tried to intervene, save for the security guard whose job it is to restore order and who came in only when the nurse was in tears. Where was the nurse’s supervisor who could have intervened? Why didn’t the others do anything, try to reason out with the patient and seek understanding?
There is the matter of lack of manners or of feeling important or not knowing how to react to an angry patient or handling a difficult patient the wrong way. The incident can be resolved through mediation, compromise and by an apology on either or both sides. But a long-lasting action is needed to have an impact on government hospitals.
This should be an occasion to review hospital protocols, develop procedures on how to deal with angry patients, how to let them know the correct ways to make complaints.
The other lesson here is – Be careful when you complain or rant in public. There might be a mobile phone recording the incident and the video of it could reach thousands of people not directly related to the incident. That’s the power of social media.