You guessed it, one other healthcare emergency…

This happens at any time when I travel for work, it’s almost all the time a health care emergency. I feel like I’m a magnet for them.

I recently returned from a business trip to China and had the chance to see the Chinese healthcare system up close. One of my colleagues was injured and needed to be taken to hospital. As the “nurse” within the group, I went along with her together with an interpreter. What I saw really opened my eyes to how lucky I’m to have the option to practice within the United States.

When we arrived on the emergency department, there have been no wheelchairs and patients were sitting or lying on the ground within the waiting room. After returning to the treatment area, the patients lay on stretchers, on chairs obviously brought from home, and lined up in rows against the partitions. Doctors, nurses and plenty of patients wore masks, and there have been no boxes of gloves or containers of antibacterial handwash.

After a while, we discovered that in one other a part of the hospital there was a special room for “foreigners”. So we walked down the dimly lit corridors to our special area. Without a translator, we might not have the option to register or consult with nurses and doctors. In this setting, “Pay for Service” takes on an entire latest meaning. Before each test and procedure, the fee needed to be estimated after which paid by bank card before the service was performed. It was the nurses who provided the estimated costs of care. Can you imagine something like this within the USA?

Language was a definite barrier. The nurses spoke almost no English, but I managed to speak with them through an interpreter. Doctors had a rather higher command of English medical terminology, so communication with them was easier. When all else failed, hand gestures worked well.

The care my friend received once we found the proper place was superb. The doctors and nurses seemed very competent and expert of their work, although that they had minimal supplies and staff.

What lessons have I learned?

1. Here within the USA, we take stock, cleanliness, and the flexibility to speak with our patients without any consideration. This isn’t the case in the remaining of the world.

2. If you are going to a foreign country where you do not speak your native language, you higher know where to seek out a translator.

3. Always carry a bank card or local money with you to pay for services.

4. If possible, travel with a nurse or other healthcare skilled, they may save your life.

And finally, on the flight home, you guessed it, one other medical emergency. And yes, I used to be the one healthcare employee on the plane.

Posted by Anne Dabrow Woods, MSN, RN, CRNP, ANP-BC