Support – “I was instructed by the ED as well as a friend who is a doctor (who btw practices peds and has rights at Maimonodies. She said their adult neurology department is known to be terriable. They did the same thing to her when she was in the ER with what turned out to be guillene bare.) I’m not sure why you are defensive about Maimonodies and any negative comments.”
The reason is because it’s not realistic. Don’t resort to because someone told me they have a horrible neuro dept. Stick to first hand stories.
“Health: I gave two examples I didn’t mix both up. They were both horrible experiences.
It makes no difference to me if it was medical student or resident if he didn’t know how to perform a spinal tap he shouldn’t have done it without supervision!”
I wasn’t saying this was a proper thing to be done to you.
I was saying, that this could have happenned anywhere. It’s not per say a flaw in Maimonides. It could and probably does happen in every teaching hospital!
“I would have preferred not going to the ER except that the neurology department closes and five PM daily and is closed on weekends. They connect you to the neurology floor who connects you the ED! I was using the assistant director of the department and that is how the department is run. there is no coverage after hours.”
I already answered this in my previous post: “If the doctors in the ER feel you aren’t having an neurological emergency, they have NO right to call a Neurologist, even just a Resident Neurologist. Not all doctors have answering services for them to deal with their patients 24/7, but I’m sure plenty of Neurologists associated with Maimo do!”
“I needed a neurologist because I had a reaction to a medication given to control my levels of csf. My itnernist was on the phone with me five times after I released and told me to go back the next day (Sunday) and insist on being seen by a neurologist since my condition constitued an emergency and needed the attention of a neurologist asap. He said he knows about the department not being available and them using the ER and then blaming the ER when their patients complain but that I should insist on being seen by a neurologist. The one decent resident we saw apologized numerous times that he couldn’t get in touch with the neurology department and that they don’t answer their pages except for stroke patients. Sorry but that isn’t an average hospital policy.”
The ER doctors said it wasn’t a neuro emergency, so they couldn’t page Neuro. But you wanted them to page them anyway?!!? If anyone is to blame it’s your internist. If he felt you were having a neurological emergency and the ER docs were wrong, he could have came with you to the ER. He could have discussed it with them and if afterwards they were still in disagreement, he (your doc) could have paged Neuro. I’m sure they would have showed up!