Part A: Identification of a potential impact of hospitalization.
From case scenario one, the most potential impact of hospitalization is the emotional impact on the patient and her family members. The patient, Wendy, was diagnosed with cancer five years ago, and all the treatments she underwent then seemed not to work. It has made her become forgetful and confused most of the times. It has also made her refuse to take her medication due to her depressive state. Being diagnosed with cancer makes a patient become emotionally disturbed for the rest of their lives. Some are concerned more about their treatments and being optimistic, while others become depressive and are prepared to die. Wendy, being hospitalized brought about emotional impacts to her and to her family, especially her husband, who has been taking care of her all this while. According to Rolland, Wendy’s husband is the true meaning of in taking with someone in sickness and in health, hence, encouraging Wendy to get better even if she does not want to (Rolland, 1994). Such emotional impacts include raised questions like whether she is going to die to stop all the suffering she is going through and putting her family through too. Her family members are also affected emotionally because they have to hide their feelings from her to provide support. It is more difficult for them since it also affects the other aspects of their lives like loss of sleep, stress, among others. Since her admission, there has been no change in her condition since it is getting worse, and it may lead her to forget more than usual.
The nurses in the healthcare facility have been taking good care of her and encouraging her family members by updating them with information about Wendy’s condition. It is shown through the meeting held to discuss the health condition of Wendy and the options they have for her. The family refused the alternative, which was to put Wendy under respite care since their culture did not believe in putting a sick person under respite care. The doctors should respect the decisions made by the family since it would show that they support it because it all about doing what is best for the patient. Hence, they let Wendy spend her remaining time in Brigit’s home, where she would be taken care for better (Lewis, 1990). Another emotional impact of Wendy’s hospitalization came about when she asked about euthanasia being done on her. Euthanasia is when a patient’s life is ended intentionally to relieve them of the suffering through the consent of the family and the patient. Wendy asked this to the doctors, obviously because she wanted to relive herself and her family from the emotional suffering she has on them. Unless the family and the patient agrees to go through with the process, nothing can be done.
Part B: Identification and discussion of one interprofessional team/member to support the identified impact of hospitalization.
The suitable interprofessional member to support the emotional impact of hospitalization on the patient and her family is a medical social worker. For medical social workers, they should have emotional intelligence, whereby they should consist of strong relation to their feelings, and to the feeling of others. Sometimes when the patients and family members want to about procedures or the policies in a hospital, the social workers come in and explain to them (Hospital Social Workers, 2019). Also, social workers may serve as a source of information concerning illnesses or injuries, which affects most patients. It is because some social workers specialize in working with specific individuals such as cancer patients. Apart from being a source of information to patients and their families, medical social workers also give emotional support during hard times. For instance, families meet with medical social workers after they learn that their loved one has been diagnosed with a critical condition. It helps the patients to get through the situation and the emotions that they feel, via the treatments which the social workers provide for them like therapy.
Medical social workers offer counseling and therapeutic services, which assists in reducing emotional roller-coaster that patients and their families go through during hospitalization. That is, they help in minimizing emotional impacts on patients and their families and encourage good patient outcomes. In my opinion, in the case of Wendy, a social worker should be introduced to her family members and her also, to help them deal with their emotions considering Wendy’s condition and to know the way forward which can help in taking good care of Wendy and themselves too.
Question 2.
Identification of one impact of hospitalization upon discharge and provision of recommendations to address this impact.
During the discharging of a patient, in this case, Wendy, the financial impact of hospitalization is considered. It includes making sure that Wendy’s hospital bills have been paid to enable her to be discharged. If they are not, then Wendy cannot be able to go home, until the hospital bills are paid. It may be because of financial instability since Wendy’s treatment is expensive. Hence, it takes a lot of money for her to be given her treatments and medicines (Osse et al., 2006). Financial impacts during the time of discharge can also cause stress and depression if the family members cannot raise the amount of money needed. Hence making them less motivated or give up in looking for funds.
However, some recommendations could help patients and their families when they are financially stuck. That is, not being able to pay the hospital bills. Medical social workers can assist in securing the patient with a medical waiver whereby the ministry of health pays some of the bills. Medical social workers have the information on how to apply for the government’s support in this sector. It could help the family members to raise the remaining funds then pay the bills. They can raise the remaining money by asking for loans from their workplace or their closest friends and through conducting fundraising. The waver given to the patients from the ministry of health usually helps many people who are not able to pay hefty hospital bills. It supports patients by enabling them to be discharged safely since it completes a significant percent of the bills required to be paid. Although not all patients who apply for waivers are given.
References
Lewis FM (1990). Cancer and the Family: Strengthening family supports.
Osse BH, Vernooij-Dassen MJ, Schade E, Grol RP (2006) . Problems experienced by the informal caregivers of cancer patients and their needs for support.
Hospital Social Worker: Duties, Education, Skills & Salary. (2019). Retrieved 15 August 2019, from https://www.psychologyschoolguide.net/social-work-careers/hospital-social-work-careers.
Rolland JS (1994). In sickness and in health: the impact of illness on couples’ relationships.