Michele Owens

Review of JFK Medical Center

My 89-year old Mom has been admitted to JFK twice ...

My 89-year old Mom has been admitted to JFK twice in the past week after going to the ER due to weakness and shortness of breath. Turns out that she has atrial fibrillation. The first visit wasn't too bad; there were some lapses in communication while she was in the ER, but overall, it was OK. She was admitted and moved to a room fairly quickly, and once in the room, the quality of care was adequate. There was an issue when she was discharged and some of her personal belongings were left in the room. I was assured that everything was in the clear plastic bag that they put the patient's personal belongings in, but it wasn't. Fortunately, we realized it before we left the hospital so I was able to go back to the room to retrieve it. Within 24 hours of being released, Mom was experiencing the same symptoms, so we went back to the ER. The experience was completely different the second time. Although the decision to admit her was quickly made, she waited more than 8 hours to be moved to a room. The staff made very little effort to keep us informed as to what was going on. Once in the room, she had the misfortune to be "cared" for by a very rude nurse, completely lacking in empathy. Doctors' orders to provide my Mom with supplemental oxygen and breathing treatments were ignored for hours. When I spoke to the nurse, she was argumentative, dismissive and condescending. I ended up talking to the patient advocate who immediately got things straightened out. One of the other reviewers on this site mentioned that it is a good idea to have someone stay overnight with the patient; a patient shouldn't have to have a "bodyguard" when they're in the hospital..You should be able to trust that the hospital staff are competent, knowledgeable, and will act in a professional manner at all times. You shouldn't have to worry that some harm is going to come to your loved one if you leave them unattended overnight. The one bright spot in this whole experience was the patient advocate who did a fantastic job of resolving our concerns.