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PRIVACY POLICY | ABOUT
US | CONTACT
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WHYTHE
KAISERPAPERS
| MCRC
|
Why the
thistle is used as a logo on these web pages. |
This web Page is provided for your viewing
due to
the graciousness of the California
Nurses Association
Registered Nurses want you to know...
Kaiser Permanente is making drastic changes that threaten to reduce
your
timely access to patient services and the quality of care you and your
family receive.
While claiming to provide better care, Kaiser has
cut 1,300
Registered
Nurse positions in Northern California in the past four
years.
Kaiser is operating many hospitals with inadequate
nurse staffing and
steadily removing RNs from clinics and telephone advice calls. Home
health
visits are also being cut.
At the same time, Kaiser has made more than $2.2
billion in profit while
restricting tests, treatments, hospital stays, referrals to specialists
and reducing prevention programs and planning to close neighborhood
hospitals.
Please read this Guide carefully so that
you can be fully informed
about Your care at Kaiser.
A Guide To Your Rights
Because Kaiser Registered Nurses care about you! We are your advocates
for safe, therapeutic, effective and compassionate care. We are
professionals
accountable to the public we serve.
Registered Nurses are Patient Advocates
California law mandates RNs to represent and protect patients from
unsafe
or poor care in hospitals, clinics and your home.
Only RNs are legally authorized and qualified to
evaluate your
total
response to treatment, carry out your physician’s orders,
monitor you for
complications and teach you about your care.
Many of these treatments are sophisticated and
complex, requiring formally
educated RNs with scientific knowledge and technical skills who can
exercise
independent professional judgment on your behalf.
Nursing is not just a task. It is a
highly-skilled process that includes:
Knowing
the care
needed for a wide range of
physical conditions, diagnoses
and procedures.
Knowing how to recognize when a change in
your condition
occurs.
Initiating a plan to make sure your health
and recovery
is protected.
Evaluating
the effectiveness of the care you
receive.
Nursing
Care is Endangered at Kaiser
Kaiser has replaced RNs and other licensed employees with lesser
qualified
or unlicensed staff who do not have the specialized training, education
and experience necessary to assure safe and appropriate care.
RNs Make a Difference
Studies show that where there are sufficient numbers of RNs providing
direct
care, patients have a better chance for safe care, faster recovery,
fewer
complications and lower readmission rates.
Only RNs are legally qualified to evaluate
your total response
to treatment,
carry out your physician’s orders, monitor you for
complications and teach
you about your care.
Nurse Practitioners Make A Difference
Nurse Practitioners offer expertise in a variety of health care
services
with an emphasis on health promotion and disease prevention including:
general health, assessments, physical exams, counseling, education,
maternal/child
health, care of acute and chronic illness and diseases.
When do I need a Registered Nurse?
When you call for medical advice, you
should have immediate
contact with
a Registered Nurse or a physician.
When you are receiving your care in a
clinic, especially when
you are undergoing
procedures which require sedation.
When you are in the Emergency Room, only a
physician or an RN
can legally
and safely decide how severe your condition is and how soon you must be
treated.
When you have surgery, your surgeon should
be assisted by
other physicians
and/or RNs with surgical training.
When you are a new mother, you should
receive complete
instructions in
baby and self care from an RN before you leave the hospital.
Kaiser Member Survival Guide
Patient Survival Tips
1. Kaiser is
in business to make profits. Their incentive
is to avoid referrals. Your primary care physician may not be the
specialist
you need. Insist on a referral if you believe you may need
one.
2. Be knowledgeable
about your condition. Get the facts
on how to obtain the best possible care. Ask your primary care
physician
or RN what is the standard treatment for your condition. Insist on a
second
opinion if you believe you may need one.
3. Children need the
expertise of a primary care pediatrician
or a referral to other pediatric specialists, particularly when surgery
and/or anesthesia are involved. Ask your child's doctor whether he or
she
has the expertise to diagnose and/or treat your child's
ailment.
4. Your primary care
physician may recommend that a major
surgery such as a mastectomy be done on an outpatient basis. Insist on
being admitted to the hospital, with sufficient recovery time before
being
discharged.
5. Do not assume that
your loved one is safe after surgery.
Remain a while in the room and watch him or her breathe. Ask the
surgeon
about the procedure, the findings, the outcome and what to expect. Keep
a treatment diary.
6. If you enter an
emergency room more than once in the
same week for the same ailment you may need to be admitted. Ask for a
second
opinion. Demand an explanation if you are not admitted.
7. Know the
qualifications of your care givers. Contrary
to state regulations, some name badges may not identify the vocational
classification of the person caring for you. Ask the facility
administrator
for an explanation if you are unable to identify the qualifications of
your care givers.
When do I need a
Registered Nurse?
If You Are An
Outpatient, Insist
that an RN . . .
take
your initial medical history.
listen to your
medical
concerns.
be with you
during your
examination or procedure and when
you receive medications that make you drowsy or slow your
breathing.
be available
to review your
medications or after-treatment
plan prescribed by your physician.
be available
to speak to you if
you have a question about
instructions, medications or follow-up appointments once you get
home.
be available
to speak to you if
you do not feel well after
a procedure or need advice.
If You Are
Hospitalized, Insist
that an RN . . .
be able to
safely provide your
care without being responsible
for too many other patients.
evaluate your
condition during
each shift.
be assigned to
you while
you’re in the hospital.
explain your
medications, how
they interact and if they have
side effects.
regularly
review your plan of
care with you and your family.
assist you
when you feel
you’re not ready to go home.
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