Connections 107: Room for Improvement

Last week I shared some feedback from various patients and family members who were very pleased with our care. Those comments represent the majority of the responses we gather in our survey efforts. This week, I would like to share a couple excerpts from family members who noted we have room for improvement.

“Too many appointments with too many different people and agencies were made…”

“…I believe that oftentimes when an elderly patient is admitted some people count them out way too soon….”

At OSF Supportive Care, we welcome feedback from all of our patients, family members, and employees so we can make sure we are providing the best patient care. We’ve already followed up with our Community of Caregivers to determine how to best meet the expectations of our patients in future such situations.

Last Updated: February 9, 2022

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About Author: Robert Sawicki, MD

Doctor Robert Sawicki photoDr. Robert Sawicki is the Vice President of Clinical Services for OSF Home Care and Post-Acute Services. He has led efforts to develop and improve care for patients with chronic illnesses and has a special interest in end-of-life care and hospice.

Dr. Sawicki received his medical degree from Rush University in Chicago, Illinois, and completed his residency in family medicine in Rockford. He practiced family medicine in Bloomington, Illinois, for 20 years before moving into leadership roles with OSF Home Care Services.

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Categories: Palliative Care & Hospice

2 Comments

  • Dr. Sawicki says:

    I received the following via email after this post. I would be interested in others’ reactions to this.

    “As the wife of a patient being treated for cancer a problem we experience is that the physicians don’t talk to each other. Having a PCP, oncologist, and radiologist, we are constantly having meds changed from one visit to the next. Then we see a NP who doesn’t communicate w/ the oncologist whom she works for. She calls the covering oncologist when there is a question, not our oncologist. Then when we see our oncologist a week later and the medication (steroids) are changed again. It is a frustration. There has to be a better way.

    We had a patient’s husband complain about the exact same thing the last time the patient was admitted. Why don’t the physicians communicate?”

  • Danelle Geurts says:

    As a nurse on the med/surg. floor that takes care of many oncology patients and never sees an oncologist I share in this family members frustration. Notes just don’t lay out the whole picture.