Hospital los Angeles
06/25/09 10:39 AM Filed in: Mexico
From time to time, Felipe writes in one or another of his blogs about the quality of health care in Mexico. I’ll gladly add my voice to his. (If you’re not one of Felipe’s readers, you should be.)
Today I’m writing from Laura’s room in Hospital los Angeles in Querétaro. She’s here for a surgical procedure that will require her to spend the night. I’m here as support staff and worrier-in-chief. I’m writing this post while she’s in the operating room as an alternative to fretting about how she’s doing.
This place is unlike hospitals in the USA. First of all, it’s almost luxuriously overstaffed. Today, two nurses attended Laura while installing an IV line. (Is install the right word?) One performed the procedure while the other distracted her with small talk. When nurse #1 had difficulty with Laura’s tiny veins, she called in a third nurse (apparently the resident expert in such matters) to complete the task.
Hospital staffers are not overworked. They have ample time to give personalized attention with warmth and empathy. Six years ago, I spent a week in Hospital los Angeles recovering from a heart attack. Nurses made frequent and unhurried visits to see how I was doing. A hospital stay in Mexico can almost be pleasant.
A nutritionist visited three times a day to see what I wanted to eat. No resuscitated frozen turkey and jello for me: I asked for and got a grilled torta de pechuga de pollo with frijoles and a big side of jalapeños. Mexican nutritionists know that capsaicin is good for the heart.
Every day, two giggling nurses aides gave me a bath in my bed. They rolled up towels and placed them around me to form a dam, and then poured buckets of soapy warm water over me: something I’d like to try at home.
Laura’s room is set up for family. Besides a standard-issue hospital bed, adjustable tray, call buttons, TV remotes, water bottles and such, her double-sized room contains a convertible sofa, an end table, a side chair and a recliner chair. Hospitals know about treating the entire family unit, not just the patient. Laura has facilities for two people to spend the night with her, and the hospital will make provision for even more if desired.
She was wheeled down to surgery shortly after she arrived. No interminable waits for a gurney to become available. No constant security checks to see if all her ID numbers matched: the people here knew who she was. No phone calls to an HMO administrator to see if her procedure was pre-approved.
After she left, I thought I’d refuel while I had the chance. I went to the cafeteria for breakfast: cooked-to-order huevos Mexicanos, frijoles, warm tortillas, a big fresh-squeezed orange juice and a pot of coffee. They don’t serve pre-packaged food at Hospital los Angeles.
Doctors are sensitive to the worry and stress suffered by loved ones. One of Laura’s doctors called me repeatedly to update me on her progress—reassurances I badly needed.
At this moment, she has emerged from the off-limits-to-me operating room. She’s sleeping peacefully, and I’m on duty.
A final note: At Hospital los Angeles, open wifi hot spots are available in all patient rooms and public areas. That is why you are able to receive this post in real time. Free broadband—the acme of enlightened hospital management. Take note, St. Lukes in Houston.
Today I’m writing from Laura’s room in Hospital los Angeles in Querétaro. She’s here for a surgical procedure that will require her to spend the night. I’m here as support staff and worrier-in-chief. I’m writing this post while she’s in the operating room as an alternative to fretting about how she’s doing.
This place is unlike hospitals in the USA. First of all, it’s almost luxuriously overstaffed. Today, two nurses attended Laura while installing an IV line. (Is install the right word?) One performed the procedure while the other distracted her with small talk. When nurse #1 had difficulty with Laura’s tiny veins, she called in a third nurse (apparently the resident expert in such matters) to complete the task.
Hospital staffers are not overworked. They have ample time to give personalized attention with warmth and empathy. Six years ago, I spent a week in Hospital los Angeles recovering from a heart attack. Nurses made frequent and unhurried visits to see how I was doing. A hospital stay in Mexico can almost be pleasant.
A nutritionist visited three times a day to see what I wanted to eat. No resuscitated frozen turkey and jello for me: I asked for and got a grilled torta de pechuga de pollo with frijoles and a big side of jalapeños. Mexican nutritionists know that capsaicin is good for the heart.
Every day, two giggling nurses aides gave me a bath in my bed. They rolled up towels and placed them around me to form a dam, and then poured buckets of soapy warm water over me: something I’d like to try at home.
Laura’s room is set up for family. Besides a standard-issue hospital bed, adjustable tray, call buttons, TV remotes, water bottles and such, her double-sized room contains a convertible sofa, an end table, a side chair and a recliner chair. Hospitals know about treating the entire family unit, not just the patient. Laura has facilities for two people to spend the night with her, and the hospital will make provision for even more if desired.
She was wheeled down to surgery shortly after she arrived. No interminable waits for a gurney to become available. No constant security checks to see if all her ID numbers matched: the people here knew who she was. No phone calls to an HMO administrator to see if her procedure was pre-approved.
After she left, I thought I’d refuel while I had the chance. I went to the cafeteria for breakfast: cooked-to-order huevos Mexicanos, frijoles, warm tortillas, a big fresh-squeezed orange juice and a pot of coffee. They don’t serve pre-packaged food at Hospital los Angeles.
Doctors are sensitive to the worry and stress suffered by loved ones. One of Laura’s doctors called me repeatedly to update me on her progress—reassurances I badly needed.
At this moment, she has emerged from the off-limits-to-me operating room. She’s sleeping peacefully, and I’m on duty.
A final note: At Hospital los Angeles, open wifi hot spots are available in all patient rooms and public areas. That is why you are able to receive this post in real time. Free broadband—the acme of enlightened hospital management. Take note, St. Lukes in Houston.
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