Noah’s story in hospital

Noah's Narrative

Noah's narrative is about a small kid who dies as a result of miscommunication and poor decision making by both the mother and the hospital staff. Noah died as a result of a surgery, several miscommunications, and an unexpected early discharge from the hospital. Miscommunication in healthcare claims roughly two thousand lives each year and costs close to two billion dollars (Kern, 2016).

To Advocate for My Son

To advocate for my son, I would have presented all pertinent facts and documentation obtained from the previous Boston specialist. I would have also insisted to the new ear, nose, and throat (ENT) specialists that the previous specialist in Boston had relayed to her that there was no need for another surgery. Moreover, due to the difference in diagnosis of both the ENT specialists, I would have sought consultations from a third specialist in order to get a clear diagnosis of Noah’s medical condition and the need for another surgery. Other than this, I would have first monitored Noah’s snores to determine whether they were as a result of the arising ear infections or whether there was another reason like the various congestions Noah was experiencing.

Question 2

During Tanya’s extra trip to the ENT specialist, it is evidently clear that the ENT specialist did not pay close attention to Tanya’s concerns and new information that she provided regarding her son’s condition. During this visit, Tanya provides new information regarding Noah’s snoring cases and explains to the specialist that the snoring was as a result of congestion and not the ear infections (Ihi.org, 2017). The ENT specialist did not take keen measures to realize that he had bases Noah's need for the surgery on Noah’s new ear infection and the commencement of his snoring cases. Moreover, she provides further information regarding her history of similarity in symptoms of Noah’s condition and instructed the specialist that her condition had been treated through an adenoidectomy. However, the specialist did not regard this new information nor focus on Tanya’s sincere concerns.

Question 3

The simple miscommunication regarding whether Noah was vomiting blood could have been avoided by both Tanya and the resident. First, after being asked whether Noah was vomiting blood, she would have informed the resident that she had noticed some coffee ground-coloring in Noah’s vomit. On the other hand, being familiar with the symptom of vomiting blood, the resident would have taken a look at Noah’s vomit to ensure his vomit did not have any coloring or any small quantity of blood.

Question 4

The staff and the housekeeping missed several opportunities that would have helped Noah. First and foremost, the nurses would have communicated Noah’s condition to other nurses who were familiar enough with Noah’s condition. On the other hand, other than just putting his head into the room and asking Tanya regarding the condition of her son, the attending physician would have entered the room and would have undertaken various tests and checkups to determine Noah’s deteriorating condition (Ihi.org, 2017). The housekeeper would have also conveyed Tanya’s concerns regarding the deteriorating health of her son to a nurse or doctor instead of just assuming Tanya.

Question 5

Noah was discharged without the consent of any physician because the nurses made Tanya sign papers of discharge before the physician had come to check up on Noah (Ihi.org, 2017). This could have been prevented if there were better communication channels between the nurses and the physicians. It could have also been avoided if the nurses had not asked Tanya to sign the discharge form before a physician had checked up on Noah’s condition.

Conclusion

The experience observed in Noah’s story is a clear indication of the need of proper channels of communication in various stages and in healthcare staff. Miscommunication in Noah’s story was the cause of his death and this can be avoided by setting up improved communication channels among various departments and healthcare staff in hospitals.

References

Ihi.org. (2017). Noah’s Story: Are You Listening?. [online] Available at: http://www.ihi.org/education/IHIOpenSchool/resources/Pages/Activities/NoahsStoryAreYouListening.aspx [Accessed 6 Nov. 2017].

Kern, C. (2016). Healthcare miscommunication costs 2000 lives and $1.7 billion. Health IT Outcomes.