I was all set to agree with the hospital folks who took umbrage at the
Catalog statement--until I read Cindy's post quoting the statement exactly.

Well, folks, having worked in hospitals and having had a private practice,
too, I have to say that her statement is far more accurate than not!  Even
in hospitals where there are GOOD, EXPERIENCED, UP-TO-DATE CERTIFIED LCs,
that statement "do not assume..." is still true.

In fact, the "do not assume" portion of the statement applies to virtually
any floor in any institution.  My mother, for example, is terribly allergic
to morphines.  This is written in EVERY one of her charts--and she has been
the hospital numerous times (is going in again early in the year, sigh).
EACH of her doctors knows this and has had a discussion with my mother
about it.  YET, the last time she was in the hospital (same place as
previous visits), when she was coming out of surgery while in recovery,
SOMEONE gave her a shot of a morphine and sent her into a TERRIBLE
reaction!  (She was not conscious enough to realize what was happening to
her until she woke up, was having a terrible histamine reaction and the
other things that happen to her....

To not assume measn that a mother is more likely to assume some
responsibility for her care by (at the very least) asking questions!  I
consider that a baseline IMPERATIVE whenever one deals with a large
organization, be it a hospital, a school, the DMV, or whatever!

Off my soapbox  (need oxygen, quickly!)

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"We are all faced with a series of great opportunities brilliantly
disguised as impossible situations."
Kathleen G. Auerbach,PhD, IBCLC (Ferndale, WA USA) [log in to unmask]
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