Tempe St. Lukes Hospital

No one likes being in a hospital. Unfortunately, I'm in one till I get rid of a bad infection. Here I sit in Tempe St. Luke's Hospital. As a writer and trained evaluator it was obvious to evaluate the hospital.

General - This is a relatively small hospital (86 beds) which has been modernizing over a period of time. Years ago I made the comment that I would not take my dog there to get his fleas removed, but I digress. This, fortunately is not that hospital anymore, and is now a really good, small hospital.

Emergency Room - This is where a lot of patients (myself included) enter the hospital. With much larger hospitals in the area why go here? Being a smaller hospital it has a much shorter waiting time than the big hospitals. Example - the last time I took a friend to Banner Desert the wait time in the
ER was over 6 hours. My wait time in the ER here was just under 1 hour. Score one for the small guy!

Emergency Room Personnel - All were pleasant to deal with, professional but with good senses of humor. Better yet, they actually listen to the patient and don't just do their own thing . Score two for the small guy!

At this time of year (Late November) the snow birds are arriving and all the hospitals have bed shortages, with this hospital being no different. At first, discussion was to transfer me to Phoenix St. Luke's, but I wouldn't send a flea there, and I refused. After a number of hours they were able to find a bed for me to my great relief. If nothing else, this hospital tries its best to be very accommodating.

Food Service - Good food keeps both the patients and the staff happy. Food service actually listens to its patrons and tries its best to produce tasty and eye appealing food.

Breakfast - Fortunately, the doctor ordered a regular breakfast for me, which included a hash, egg and cheese omelet, milk, coffee, and my favorite grapefruit sections. The omelet was done perfectly, which was a surprise as it was unexpected. It could have done with a bit of salsa, which I found out later I could have asked for. The hash was like nothing I have ever eaten before, a mixture of quinoa, sweet potato and some other substance that I did not even try to identify. Before you get the wrong idea, I love quinoa, with some sauteed onions and a few mushrooms it's wonderful. Someone in the kitchen tried to be creative with a new mixture and definitely failed. Best place for this item was the disposal. Perhaps one of the better items was the coffee. Not bitter, but smooth and delicious. Coffee helps keep the staff running and I'm glad they use the same formula for the patients. While my tray came with full sugar and lots of carbs, being a compliant diabetic I watch what I eat and carry my own Splenda as a sweetener, so I had no blood sugar spike from this breakfast.

Lunch was an excellent homemade tomato soup, tuna salad on a whole grain bread, cucumber salad with yogurt and sesame seed dressing (not enough yogurt), canned mandarin oranges and diet sprite. As a surprise, the person picking up my tray brought an Otis Spunkmeyer Oatmeal cookie as a snack. It may sound corny, but it's the little things that make life pleasant. When my meal was brought into my room I was informed by a melodious voice that my "sumptuous repast was ready to be eaten". Who can resist something like that? You want to eat even if you have no appetite. As a small kitchen that does not do a lot of it's own cooking, most of what comes out of it is quite good. Perhaps one of the nicest things about it is the person who delivered my meal. Pleasant with a nice smile and always a wonderful greeting to warm up the appetite. This is no 5 star restaurant, but I've eaten in many a restaurant that doesn't greet me anywhere as nicely. One more for the small guy.

Addendum - A big kudo for the food service department. After meeting with the local food nutritionist of the hospital, several beautiful changes appeared on my food tray in the morning. The addition of salsa to my omelet was outstanding. Not only did it add a lot of flavor to my eggs, but it has no salt and is safe even for those on a salt free cardiac diet. So in one simple stroke, flavor was improved and health values were maintained and even raised a small amount. While fresh fruit can't always be a menu item either due to costs or due to availability, the fresh fruit on my tray was a delightful addition. It was perfectly ripe, and for a diabetic a smart addition due to the lower glycemic index.

New suggestions based on my tray this morning were, Milk - I was given a container of skim milk. While this may follow current trends in diet, with many patients, it not only represents a repugnant flavor and texture, but is not what is found in the typical home based on govt. surveys. A switch to 2% milk will accomplish most of the goals of nutrition without the lack of flavor and texture accompanying fat free milk. For diabetics, full fat milk is an even better option, as the small amount of fat in the milk helps keep the blood sugar of the patient lower to prevent spiking.
Juice - Many doctors and nutritionists are moving away from items such as full sugar juices towards lighter fare so as to reduce the amount of sugar in the diet. As an example, almost all markets now carry juices which have only 50% of the sugar found in regular juice. Current trends among many doctors is to recommend and even campaign for lower sugar in the diet. As health care professionals isn't there a responsibility to reduce sugar where and when possible to help lower the population of potential and real diabetics. With all the actual and potential damage that diabetes does to the body, ranging from amputations to blindness, health care needs to take a front seat in helping reduce this. This change if implemented could be printed on a small piece of paper included with the meal informing the patient that because the hospital cares about its patients health and the rising epidemic of diabetes,  it is implementing a lower sugar diet. I believe this would be a first for any hospital in the area and would set a wonderful trend for other hospitals to emulate.  In addition, it's always nice to be a leader instead of a follower.

Housekeeping - My first big disappointment. My bathroom had no towels in it, nor was I given an admission kit or even a toothbrush and toothpaste. I had to ask my nurse for towels, etc. which is not, as far as I am aware, part of her job. The floor of my bathroom was dirty and didn't get mopped until the next day. Score one ding for the small guy.

Respiratory Therapist - A disappointment to me. My doctor in the hospital put me on oxygen for my comfort and she walked in - said the doctor didn't write it down and promptly threw it in the garbage. I was told later that she should not have done that, and the setup was restored. Had an RN done that I might not have agreed with removing it, but I would at least have respected it and discussed it with her. This was only a therapist and overstepped her level of authority. Score one ding for the small guy.

Addendum - The respiratory therapist that I had a problem with was, as I understand it, spoken with by her supervisor and reminded of her responsibilities. No more need be said about it, however it was nice that the supervisor did come to my room, made sure I had the oxygen set up the way the doctor had it for me, and made sure that I had a therapist that really knew what she was doing and was pleasant. So pleasant in fact that I actually looked forward to her visit every 4 hours.

Nurses - One of the highest points of the hospital. Every single nurse I dealt with, without exception was outstanding in their demeanor, patient interaction, and listening skills. This hospital got the cream of the crop when they hired their nurses. Much better and much more professional than the big hospitals. If there was one reason to use this hospital this is it. I just can't say enough nice things about them. They smile a lot, and that is such a pleasant thing to see. They are professional, but not a bunch of stuck ups. They discuss all medications and what possible effects they may have. Score a whole bunch for the small guy.

Lab - The lab seems to work fairly quickly however, like most hospitals they try to get blood from patients while they are sleeping, hence the term vampires. Their desire to have results for doctors when they arrive for rounds is laudatory, however it is to the detriment of the patients. Waking a sleeping patient for the convenience of the lab is just poor. With modern analysis equipment blood analysis goes so quickly that this should be unnecessary unless it is in response to a true medical emergency. Last night I told the technician to leave my room at 4 a.m. and come back later. She showed up at my request at 11 a.m. and took my blood. So far, my doctor has not shown up.

Addendum - Last night a person who no one is willing to name showed up in my room at three a.m. ostensibly to take my vitals because they need them entered within the hour. Not only did she wake me up, but the patients on either side of me were awakened and were yelling and making all sorts of noise. (both patients do that during the day too, but that is an acceptable part of being in a hospital. However, in waking patients in the middle of the night you have inadvertently placed your health care workers in a dangerous position. In today's "modern world of warfare" there are over 29,000 veterans that have PTSD plus the added load of those diagnosed with it from abuse and family situations. Many with this unfortunate disease have no control over their reactions when suddenly awakened and can and will cause harm to the one awakening them. In real life situations, having been among several with PTSD and having it myself, we found the safest way to wake them was to throw a shoe across the room. Since I'm sure the hospital does not wish to throw shoes at the patients the best course of action is to let them sleep and not try to disturb them if possible. If it is absolutely necessary to wake them, a minimum of 2 people need to be at the ready in case of a reaction. A trained person with PTSD is a very dangerous person because they will grab and use the closest thing handy to use on the person until they understand their surroundings. I have personally watched a person with PTSD pick up a heavy chair and start swinging it at a person waking them up Some of us, myself included will just wake up in a very nasty mood and yell at the person waking us, but then again, I have been through 17 years of therapy to deal with it. Most of your PTSD patients will not have anywhere near that much. This hospital has great staff, and I'm sure they want to keep them all safe. A few small changes can help that happen.

In each patient's room is a white board with a listing for Nurse's name, Doctor, Charge Nurse, and "Other Caregivers" as well as date, etc. This is another area of high points. While there was no entry for doctor on my board, the other areas were filled in including direct phone numbers to each person including the charge nurse (something that is almost like an unlisted number in every other hospital). The charge nurse is the person in charge of the entire floor, a little like the head of the complaint department, and one step below the hospital administrator.

Other Caregivers - some of the unsung hero's of the hospital. They are the ones that change the sheets when a person dirties them for any reason. They will clean up bodily messes with a smile, get items you might need, hold your hand when needed, and just be a general help and friend to all. One of the most pleasant people I have enjoyed meeting. A real asset to the hospital. Score one for the small guy.

You may have noticed that I left out the doctors. This is a very hard area to evaluate, as each persons interaction with them is different, and with varied personalities and ego's there are bound to be clashes and or interactions both pleasant and unpleasant. I was fortunate in that the doctor in the ER was pleasant and very comforting. The doctor who saw me upstairs had a totally different personality and bed manner, but was still quite nice.

General staff - I include in this area people who are maintenance, IT personnel, and the person who guards  the door at the entrance and exit of the hospital. They all smile at you and greet you warmly and offer to assist in any way necessary.

This hospital runs rings around the big hospitals of the valley. I know because I have been a patient at various times in most of them. The staff, for some unknown reason does not have what I call the "God syndrome". That holier than thou attitude that every patient hates. The staff works as a well oiled team, helping each other to service the patients in the nicest and most efficient manner. At no time did I ever hear any employee say to another asking for help, that they were too busy and to call someone else. At no time did I ever hear anyone say "that's not my job". Apparently the staff has decided that every job is everyone's job. What a novel idea!

All in all, for things that aren't major life threatening like brain surgery,  I'll choose this hospital every time. All hospitals have their share of problems and things that the public don't like, but this one has far fewer than usual and the nicest staff I have ever encountered.