We found out yesterday that he has pneumonia. Once I found that out I went and got him from that ER. Today we find out he’s negative for covid. Am I overreacting for wanting to contact administrators for possibly causing harm to my father? He had BACTERIAL pneumonia and they forced 2 masks on him while short of breath. I’m more livid than before knowing he doesn’t have Covid.
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You are not overreacting.
Agreed that she is not. Someone must be gaslighting her. Why would she think she's overreacting? What the ER did is at best, highly unethical. You do not force someone who has trouble breathing to constrict their airways, that is a good way to causer their death which an ER should not do. There are not 2 sides of this. Putting in a complaint to the hospital administration is the least she should do. In fact, I thought this originally and a few other posts around here seem to agree. Consider suing them into the stone ages (that might depend on how they respond to the complaint). Also, if she can get a hold of sympathetic media to push this as a story, she should do that as well.
I asked if I was overreacting because my mother and other family state that it was “protocol” and kept asking me all these devils advocate type questions like but what if he did he could have gave it to someone yadda yadda. Myself and my dad understand what happened was wrong.
As you stated, it seems like your mom and family members don't comprehend the situation.
In fact, if it was the so-called "protocols" that resulted in this, it's even worse than if it was a one off incident. Basically, this ER has a "protocol" in place that is likely to do harm to incoming patients. This actually gives you more of a reason to raise a complaint, because sooner or later, some one may get seriously hurt by these "protocols". Also, when has hiding behind rules/order been a good excuse for doing something really bad. Not saying it's the same thing (but not far off), but "I was just following orders" was not a viable defense at the Nuremburg trials.
A better protocol in this case would be to take in patients with trouble breathing as soon as possible and put them in their own room, where they don't suffocate wearing 2 masks and where they won't be infecting other patients. Even with 2 masks on, if your dad actually had this virus, he'd still be infecting people. No breathable mask is going to filter out this virus with any effectiveness. That's why for virus containment (of this one and any other air-borne virus), the people working in such situations wear full hazmat suits with their own breathers. Not only is this so-called "protocal" harmful to certain patients, it's completely ineffective.
Also, what is wrong with this ER. Patients who have trouble breathing are usually the first to be treated. Just after people who have no pulse. Was it over capacity? Did they think he had the virus and were they scared?
This is exactly my thoughts. My dad is already doing better being home out of that ER. Everything they did and all they sent him home with was just assuming he has covid. MEANWHILE, his referral note from his doctor stated he was short of breath and requested a chest xray to check for pneumonia. I keep thinking what if they kept him in the time they were waiting for the results to come back, he would have been kept in 2 masks while having bacterial pneumonia. I’m convinced if he had to be admitted they would have killed him. I just don’t want this happening to someone else.