Check It Out: My crash course in patient advocacy

By Joan Janzen

Last week I listened to a doctor’s podcast on the topic of advocating for your loved one when they’re hospitalized and thought it would be a good topic to write about. Two days later I was taking my hubby to emergency in the city for cardiac heart failure and found myself enrolled in a crash course on patient advocacy.

In his podcast, Dr. Suneel Dhand described hospitals as complex systems under enormous strain. “There are many remarkable people in healthcare, and many nurses go above and beyond in ways most people will never see,” he observed.

We had the privilege of meeting many of those remarkable professionals, and I was so happy to finally meet a cardiologist in person that I could have hugged him, but I didn’t. The process to get to that point had begun two months earlier when we had booked an appointment.

After a medical check-up and blood tests, we needed to get an echocardiogram. In order to shorten the waiting period, I found a clinic in Alberta and asked for a referral from the local doctor so it was covered by Sask. Health.

A week later, the results were sent to our local doctor, and we were told a cardiologist would phone us after a week or more to let us know when an appointment could be made. That week seemed to stretch on forever, and it soon became obvious we couldn’t wait any longer, so we headed to emergency in the city.

Because of his condition, my husband began receiving prompt and professional care shortly after we entered the building. The words Dr. Dhand had spoken on his podcast began to play out in real time.

“Hospitals are overcrowded, the pace is relentless,” he said. “Staff are pulled in many directions at once.” He said an engaged family member at the patient’s bedside, or patient advocate, can make all the difference. In this instance, I was the advocate.

To say I was unprepared for this role would be putting it mildly, but thankfully I had a friend who stepped in to be an advocate for the advocate, me. She knew all the right questions to ask while we were in emergency and interpreted much of the language I didn’t understand.

After she left, I sent photos and lists of medications to my sister, who is a nurse and could explain what was happening. It was sort of like “medicine for dummies,” and I was the dummy.

Dr. Dhand had said, “It’s better to be the annoying and questioning loved one than the loved one who watches the hospitalized patient suffer a complication.”

A doctor stood before my husband, myself, my son and another sister of mine and rapidly explained a procedure that would take place in the next couple of days. After he was done and walked off, we looked at each other in complete confusion. We needed a “medicine for dummies” interpretation.

It was only after getting an explanation from my sister, a nurse, and watching multiple YouTube videos that I knew what he had been trying to tell us. But we should have asked the nurses for an explanation.

“Take notes, write down medications, plans and doctor names,” Dr. Dhand advised. “The best families I have seen during my career are those who are respectful of the people caring for their loved one, but they are also attentive and engaged.”

When the doctor is asking an ailing patient how they are feeling, their response is often limited. They need someone to give the staff more information.

“None of this replaces the work of doctors and nurses, but it strengthens it,” Dr. Dhand explained. “Healthcare works best when patients, families, nurses and physicians are all working together.” Personally, I would add friends to that list, and someone you trust who has a medical background.

And trust me, if you don’t believe in the power of prayer, you will soon change your mind when you’re in a crisis situation. I didn’t need any convincing on that front and have an incredible church family who show up every time there is a need.

Dr. Dhand discovered that advocating for your loved ones was a popular topic. Within a few hours, his podcast generated over a million views. “I could barely believe my eyes,” he said. “I didn’t even think what I said was that revolutionary. It just felt like common sense.”

He received thousands of comments from people all over the world sharing their stories, some grateful, some sad, but all saying the same thing: “I wish someone had told me this earlier.”

We’re not meant to do life alone. Yes, we need professionals, but we also need to be there for each other. We’re also not meant to be completely self-sufficient, and that’s where a loving and personal God makes all the difference, because He can do everything we cannot.

Anyway, after this all plays out, I might become qualified to write a book, “Medicine for Dummies: How to advocate for loved ones.”