World News
3-week wait to leave hospital after surgery a waste of resources, says Winnipeg senior
When Keri Connell found out she needed hip replacement surgery, she expected the three-month wait to get into Winnipeg’s Grace Hospital for the procedure — but she never imagined there would also be a wait to get out. Keri Connell, 71, spent the last three weeks at Grace Hospital because she was told there was a wait-list…
When Keri Connell found out she needed hip replacement surgery, she expected the three-month wait to get into Winnipeg's Grace Hospital for the procedure — but she never imagined there would also be a wait to get out.
When Keri Connell found out she needed hip replacement surgery, she expected the three-month wait to get into Winnipeg's Grace Hospital for the procedure — but she never imagined there would also be a wait to get out.
“You expect to go in and have surgery, and you expect to go home in a timely fashion,” said Connell.
The 71-year-old says she spent nearly three weeks in a hospital bed unnecessarily because of a waiting list for a program that would allow her to get follow-up treatments in her home.
“The impression I got is they just don't have enough nurses,” said Connell, who was finally released from hospital on Thursday.
Connell had successful hip replacement surgery on Sept. 29, but she was still in pain after she went home. She later found out she had an infection and needed a follow-up emergency surgery on Oct. 22.
After nearly a week in hospital, Connell said she was told she was well enough to go home, but would need two intravenous antibiotic treatments a day for the next several weeks. Each treatment takes about 90 minutes and is delivered through a catheter inserted in her left arm.
Connell says her doctor told her she was a candidate for an in-home IV program, and she would be put on a wait-list.
“At that point, they couldn't give me a timeframe. They just said nobody knew how long it would take,” she said.
If she insisted on going home, she was told she would need to make her way to Misericordia Health Centre's community IV program twice a day, which would be difficult given her mobility is very limited after the surgery.
“I can't bend, I can't twist, I can't go from side to side, I can't cross my legs — it's just a nightmare trying to move around,” said Connell.
Connell was told a service could help get her there but it would cost $40 a day for the transportation, which she could not afford for the several weeks she would need the treatments.
The options presented to her — all “much easier said than done,” she said — left her feeling she had no choice but to stay in the hospital, despite not really needing to be there for anything except the IV treatments.
“It's mentally unbelievable,” she said.
“I can't even begin to tell you what it's like having to be cooped up in a hospital. “
The Winnipeg Regional Health Authority says there may at times be a waiting list for at-home IV services, with the average wait being from seven to 14 days.The wait for in-clinic services is around three or four days.
Wait times depend on a number of factors, a spokesperson for the WRHA said, “including the demand/capacity of the service at the time, the patient's particular health condition, mobility and ability to perform self-care, and whether the treatment can be provided in clinic or at home.”
The spokesperson also said some patients can learn how to provide the treatments on their own, but that option is not always practical for certain patients.
Depending on a patient's condition and care needs, the spokesperson said there are instances when patients may have to stay in hospital while they wait for in-home services.
“We make every attempt to minimize both the number of these occurrences and their duration.”
‘I'm taking up a hospital bed'
Connell says her extended stay in hospital wasn't just a nuisance, but a waste of hospital resources.
“The issue here is also that I'm taking up a hospital bed,” she said — which she says would be costly, factoring in the doctors, nurses, health care aides and food, among other factors involved in her care.
“I thought that if I was taking up a bed … somebody else would have been turned away.”
The WRHA could not comment on the costs associated with keeping a patient in hospital versus the in-home treatment.
Connell said the ordeal put a strain on her mental health at a time when her body was trying to heal.
“Mentally, it isn't good, because I feel that I could have been a lot better off had I been home,” she said.
After Connell contacted the CBC about her situation and a request for information was placed with the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority about the wait-list, Connell was told she was being discharged and that nurses are now set to come to her home.
“I truly believe, in my heart of hearts, had I not made it known to them I was going to talk to the media, I don't believe I would be going home today,” Connell said over the phone Thursday, as she packed her bags to leave.
The WRHA said it could not discuss the timing of Connell's discharge.
“We are pleased that the situation in question has now been resolved, but beyond that we are not in a position to publicly discuss the specifics of any individual patient's circumstances, nor to publicly discuss details about decisions related to the services they receive,” the spokesperson said.
Connell worries others in her situation may not be able to advocate for themselves.
“I'm very happy to be going home, because that's all I really wanted,” said Connell.
“But I also feel bad for other people who may be in my situation, sitting in a hospital room feeling the same way I was feeling, and they just don't believe they have a voice.”
Subscribe to Centenunlimited news
We hate SPAM and promise to keep your email address safe
