An ambulance attended my home to take me to A and E. The staff were fantastic.
I genuinely had no complaints or issues until I saw the paperwork from that day. The word “demanding/demanded” has been used which I feel is inappropriate. I am sure that the staff's recollection of the events will be the same as mine which is that I was incredibly grateful to them for the attention they gave me and the gas and air which I was able to access to help alleviate the significant pain I was in.
Unfortunately when we arrived at A and E at Wishaw General there was a queue of ambulances. It was very clear to see what politics came into play at this point around whose responsibility I would become. At this stage I explained that I had previously been given Oramorph in the ambulance a few weeks previously and that if I was to be expected to go and sit for another unidentified period of time in A and E rather than in the ambulance, I would like some stronger pain relief as I obviously could not take the gas and air with me. I at no time demanded Oramorph and I believe that using this language is not only inappropriate but also builds up an image of someone demanding/seeking drugs inappropriately. I was in clear pain and distress. The use of language like this needs to be addressed.
I would like the staff who attended to reflect on that evening and consider if this language is appropriate. I would also like them to consider how this then impacted my future treatment - as within my notes from the consultant who saw me after receiving that paperwork - he used EXACTLY the same language which again I have challenged as there was nothing demanding about my presentation. I assume that ambulances have CCTV and you will see that if anything I was overly grateful to the ambulance staff and most certainly not demanding. It is not a word that has ever been used to describe me in terms of my demeanour with any health professional - and I find it more than a co-incidence that it was used twice within 12 hours.
Language matters - it creates a narrative and draws a picture of the person you are dealing with.
"Inappropriate wording of medical notes"
About: Scottish Ambulance Service / Emergency Ambulance Scottish Ambulance Service Emergency Ambulance EH12 9EB University Hospital Wishaw / Emergency Department University Hospital Wishaw Emergency Department ML2 0DP
Posted by Dazzle (as ),
Responses
See more responses from David King
See more responses from Julie Coyle
Update posted by Dazzle (a service user) 13 months ago