Grade 10 English (New) Unit 3 Health and Wellness Reading I- A Letter from a Patient

 

Eight dimensions of wellness (initially created by Dr. Swarbrick) This concept refers to a holistic approach to health and well-being that encompasses multiple aspects of an individual's life. In order to achieve overall well-being, individuals need to address each of these dimensions and maintain a balance between them. By doing so, they can lead a fulfilling life and achieve their full potential.

 

1. Physical wellness: This dimension involves maintaining a healthy body through exercise, nutrition, and appropriate healthcare.

2. Social wellness: This dimension involves building positive relationships with others, contributing to the community, and maintaining healthy communication.

3. Occupational wellness: This dimension involves finding satisfaction and fulfillment in one's work or chosen career path.

4. Financial wellness: This dimension involves managing money effectively, having a realistic budget, and planning for the future.

5. Environmental wellness: This dimension involves respecting the environment, creating safe and healthy living spaces, and taking action to protect natural resources.

6. Spiritual wellness: This dimension involves finding meaning and purpose in life, connecting with one's values and beliefs, and seeking inner peace.

7. Intellectual wellness: This dimension involves learning new skills, pursuing interests, and engaging in activities that stimulate the mind.

8. Emotional wellness: This dimension involves managing emotions, being aware of and accepting feelings, and coping effectively with stress.

 

Reading I

Look at the picture and answer these questions.

a. Who do you think the woman is?

She is a nurse.

 

 

b. What is she doing?

The nurse is holding a baby in her arms, which could indicate that she is caring for the infant or assisting with medical procedures.

 

c. Have you ever been to hospital for treatment? How did the

hospital staff treat you?

Yes, I have been to hospital several times. I went to both private and community hospitals but the treatment of the hospital staffs were not same. Some hospital staffs treated me very well, however some behaved rudely.

 

A Letter from a Patient

 

Dear health care worker,

I recently experienced a parent's worst nightmare. One evening my nine-week old baby developed an extremely high fever. We rushed to our local community hospital and were admitted through the emergency department to the pediatric unit. We were discharged three days later. Thanks to the skilled doctors and nurses who cared for our precious little one. While our infant's care and health outcomes were fantastic, our experience was less than satisfactory. During my hospital stay, many staff took the opportunity to bad-mouth their colleagues to me when we were alone. I am not sure if this occurred because I looked rather trust-worthy or they wanted to let me know they were more competent than their colleagues. The emergency nurses complained about the doctors' orders and the delay in response of the pediatric nurses. The pediatric nurses complained about the emergency room nurses' inability to get an intravenous line. The pediatrician complained about orders made by the emergency doctor. Once admitted, our pediatric nurse complained about the pediatricians' approach to the care of my baby. Then the pediatrician complained about the pediatric nurse's lack of ability to obtain a urine sample.

 

At every opportunity the parent in me wanted to scream at the top of my lungs "Can everyone stop complaining about each other and look after my sick baby?" From my vantage point, it seemed that everyone was so focused on their own needs and skills that they appeared completely insensible that there was a sick baby that needed their help. In fact, it was downright disappointing. This did nothing other than state to me that egos were taking priority over my daughter's care. I cannot tell you how many times nurses told me, "I am so busy today." I am not sure if they were telling me to excuse the fact that my daughter's medications were not on time or maybe they were simply looking for support. Every time I heard this statement my head played my own version that sounded more like "your daughter is not a priority." Do not use patients or their families as your personal confidante. I was in that hospital room to care for my infant and see her condition improve, not to hear that staff were not equipped to see this goal through. Patients and their families need to know they are your priority and your job is to care for them in an effort to restore health. Please take time to tell them this, share positive news with them as if you are happy too, because I know you are.

 

Use the chart, read it, write on it and refer to it. After all, this is where everything that happens should be documented. At every interaction with a physician and their students I was asked the same questions "Was she premature?" and "Was your delivery normal?" I answered these questions the same each time, surely someone wrote this down in our chart.

 

The majority of health care workers that approached my daughter referred to her as male. I would politely correct them with her or she. My daughter spent her time in hospital wearing only a diaper. Despite no obvious gender indicator, surely somewhere in my paperwork it indicated that she was female. As sleep deprivation and stress took their toll I wondered what other mistakes may exist on my baby's paperwork. Please be careful of what you say to patients and how you say it. When you are caught on such a slip up, be genuine in your apology and make a sincere effort to refrain from repeating the same mistake next time. Patients and their families need to know that you are listening and that you care about what it is they are saying. The gender error is one that left me with a sense of sloppiness and lack of focus on behalf of all who made this innocent mistake. I am a health care worker just like you. People trust us to take care of their most precious loved ones in their most vulnerable states. This is our job and we do it with pride, but how we treat each other is dreadful. Patients know that healthcare is not a glamorous career choice. They know that most of us do it because we want to help sick people get well. Do your best to confirm this belief when people are in your care. I am not innocent of uttering some of these statements above. However, I can assure you that I will be more conscious of what I say to patients and their families after my daughter's hospital stay. Fellow health care workers, choose to interact with your patients in a way that instills confidence in yourself and your fellow team members. You alone have the power to positively shape the patient's experience.

Yours truly,

An appreciative mother

 

(Adapted from https://hospitalnews.com/a-letter-from-a-patient/)

 

Glossary:

nightmare - भयानक सपना, a disturbing or frightening dream

pediatric - बाल चिकित्सा, relating to the medical care of children

fantastic - अति रमाइलो, extremely good or impressive

bad-mouth - अपमान गर्नु, to speak negatively or disrespectfully about someone

trust-worthy - विश्वसनीय, deserving or able to be trusted

competent - योग्य, having the necessary ability or skills to do something well

intravenous - नसामा लाग्ने, relating to the administration of medication or fluids directly into a vein

pediatrician - बाल चिकित्सक, a medical doctor who specializes in the care of children

vantage point - दृष्टिकोण, a position or place that provides a good view or understanding of something

insensible - असभ्य, lacking awareness, sensitivity, or understanding

downright - स्पष्ट, completely or absolutely, without any doubt or hesitation

priority - प्राथमिकता, something that is given more importance or attention than other things

medications - औषधि, drugs or other substances used to treat medical conditions

confidante - विश्वासिलो, a person with whom one shares private or confidential information

deprivation - अभाव, the lack or denial of something considered necessary for a person's well-being

refrain - रोक्नु, to avoid doing or saying something

sloppiness - असफलता, ढिलोपन a lack of care or attention to detail, resulting in a messy or unprofessional outcome

vulnerable - संवेदनशील, open to harm, attack, or emotional distress

dreadful - भयानक, causing fear or terror, extremely unpleasant or shocking

glamorous - आकर्षक, attractive or exciting in a way that is associated with wealth, fashion, or celebrity

instills - घुसाउनु, to gradually but firmly establish something in a person's mind or character.

 

 

A. Match the words in column A with their meanings in column B.

Column A                                                column B.

a. nightmare                   iii. treatment using drugs

b. pediatric                  ii. a thing that is regarded as more important than others

c. intravenous             iii. a very unpleasant or frightening experience

d. priority                  iv. relating to the medical care of children

e. medications            v. into or connected to a vein

f. confidante        vi. in need of special care, support, or protection

g. deprivation         vii. very bad or unpleasant

h. vulnerable       viii. the lack of something considered to be a necessity

i. dreadful      ix. a person with whom private matters and problems are discussed

Answer:

a. nightmare             - iii. a very unpleasant or frightening experience

b. pediatric               - iv. relating to the medical care of children

c. intravenous          - v. into or connected to a vein

d. priority                   - ii. a thing that is regarded as more important than others

e. medications         - iii. treatment using drugs

f. confidante        - ix. a person with whom private matters and problems are discussed

g. deprivation           - viii. the lack of something considered to be a necessity

h. vulnerable    - vi. in need of special care, support, or protection

i. dreadful           - vii. very bad or unpleasant

 

B. Write True for true and False for false statements.

a.    The sender of the letter was happy with the service of the health workers. True

b.   The staff of different departments in the hospital had harmonious relationships with each other. False

c.    The hospital staff were concerned with the requirements of the sick child. False

d. The staff of the hospital shared their personal feelings with the writer. True

e.    The chart was unclear about the patient's gender. True

f.     The author took the mistakes of the health workers normally. False

g.    The writer seems to be more sincere in her duty than the hospital staff. True

 

C. Answer the following questions.

a.    What was the nightmare for the author?

The author's nightmare was that her nine-week old baby developed an extremely high fever and needed to be admitted to the hospital.

 

  

b.   What do you think the main purpose of this letter is?

The main purpose of this letter is to express the author's appreciation for the skilled care their baby received, while also highlighting areas where the hospital staff could improve to better prioritize patient care and communication.

c.    According to the author, what was the main weakness of the hospital staff?

According to the author, the main weakness of the hospital staffs was their tendency to complain about each instead of focusing on the care of the patients.

d.   Did the nurses really say "your daughter is not a priority"? Why did the author think so?

It is not clear whether the nurses actually said "your daughter is not a priority." The author inferred this meaning from the nurses' statements of being busy, which made the author feel like their baby was not a priority.

e. What do the patients and their families expect from the health workers?

Patients and their families expect health workers to prioritize their care and effort to restore patients' health first.

f.    List the questions that the author was asked frequently in the hospital.

The questions that the author was asked frequently in the hospital are:

i. Was she premature?

ii. Was you delivery normal?

g.    Why did the health workers make gender error about the author's daughter?

The health workers made a gender error about the author's daughter because they referred to the baby as male despite her being female. They might have been made this mistake due to sloppiness or lack of attention to detail.

 

 

h.   According to the author, how do people perceive the career of health workers.

According to the author, people perceive the career of health workers as not glamorous, but as a profession where workers want to help sick people get well. Patients and their families expect health workers to live up to this ideal and provide compassionate and effective care.

 

D. If you become a health worker in the future, what would be your priority? How would you treat your patients and their families? Discuss with your friends.

If I became a health worker, my priority would be to provide the best possible care to my patients ensuring that they feel respected, listened to, and supported. I would endeavor to establish a positive and empathetic relationship with my patients and their families, as I believe that communication and trust are crucial in the healthcare field. To achieve this, I would always introduce myself to patients and their families and explain my role in their care. I would also listen carefully to their concerns and questions and address them in a compassionate and informative manner. I would keep them informed about their condition and treatment options, and involve them in the decision-making process as much as possible.

I would also make sure to take care of my patients and their families with dignity and respect, and be sensitive to their cultural, religious, and personal beliefs. I would be aware of their privacy and confidentiality and ensure that their medical information is kept secure. Finally, I would work collaboratively with other healthcare professionals, including doctors, nurses, and support staff, to ensure that my patients receive in time and complete care. I would treat my colleagues with respect and professionalism and work together to achieve our shared goal of providing the best possible care to our patients.