Modern Medicine doesn’t value quality of life in America
What the title says.
The amount of patients I see that are continued to be hospitalized when their outcome isn’t necessarily going to improve is a lot on my surgical floor. We are a level 1 trauma with no nearby level 1’s so I get to work with many TBIs, some hospice and a surprising amount of demented patients (high fall population).
I get that there may not be a better place for them to go, but sometimes, many times, it seems like there has to be. And if there isn’t, then we need to be better ourselves at accommodating these complex conditions. I sit often, as I’m still a tech. I get to spend 12 hours locked in rooms with these types of patients often. It hurts my soul watching these people remain bed ridden, possibly restrained, in an unfamiliar place with sparse visitors. To be so alone, confused, and with no light at the end of the tunnel, is incredibly depressing.
That’s not to say I hate my job though, because these issues are the reasons I love it. I get to be the person who is here for those who have no one, and it’s a rewarding feeling. Especially when people often treat those with brain injuries or dementia as if they are not human anymore. I just hate that I can’t truly help these people except for a fleeting moment.
Having some humility goes a long way not only at the bedside, but in life. I wish we lived in a world where these people could receive the care they need, and had love and support around them. I know I get the worst of it because this is the place people go when they don’t have that support, but often times the situations I sit with, I think to myself that I’d rather be dead then spend my last days tied to a bed with unfamiliar people getting fed by a tube.
There’s no fix for this anytime soon I presume, but one day I hope we live in a world that prioritizes comfort, quality of life, and doesn’t just view patients as a profit. It’s not the doctors, nurses, or anyone’s fault who is bedside. The issue lies in the system, and that’s what’s so depressing. We are so normalized to this that it’s not a big deal for most people, even myself. As I type this out I already know I’ve accepted this is the world we live in, but I really wish I could change it.