Patient criticizes emergency room: Where was the humanity?

Patient criticizes emergency room: Where was the humanity?

In the last few weeks, the allegations against the emergency room at the SRH Clinic in Sigmaringen have become increasingly louder. Monika Birkenmaier, 58 years old from Scheer, reports on the stressful experience she had in the emergency room. She describes how she felt not taken seriously in several situations and criticizes the lack of humanity and care during her treatments. Her visit in April is particularly memorable when she was taken to the hospital because of acute intestinal bleeding and had to wait hours for medical help. Only a blood test was carried out and she was left without painkillers - a condition that she finds intolerable. A subsequent visit for severe headaches and earaches also resulted in disappointment when she was told at check-in that she was out of place in the emergency room. The attending doctor showed little compassion and announced that she was not a case for the emergency room. Birkenmaier plans not to return and calls for more humanity in treatment.

Your complaints are not the only ones. Ralf Volle also criticized the conditions in the emergency room in an open letter. Despite severe symptoms, his 90-year-old father was only treated after six hours, which Volle describes as unacceptable. These incidents come in the context of a worrying development: many online reviews about the emergency room at the SRH Clinic are negative and report a lack of staff and unfriendly treatment.

A lack of staff is exacerbating the situation

Sven Schönfeld, managing director of the SRH Clinic, takes the allegations seriously and emphasizes that every complaint will be investigated. Nevertheless, he rejects the direct accusation of a lack of staff and explains that the situation is still not rosy. He attributes the long waiting times to patients' false expectations and highlights the need for triage in the emergency room. This is where the debate about the working conditions of emergency room staff comes into play. According to a report by DGINA The staff in many German emergency rooms is overworked, which has a negative impact on patient safety. The increase in case numbers during the pandemic has significantly increased the challenges for staff.

A survey by the European Society of Emergency Medicine shows that 62% of emergency room staff surveyed have symptoms of burnout, further underscoring the problem. Martin Pin, President of DGINA, warns of the health risks for staff and the endangerment of patient safety. It is particularly important to note that conditions in emergency departments are complicated by staff shortages, limited resources and overcrowded waiting rooms.

The Munich study on the health impairments of emergency room staff shows that common challenges such as multitasking and time pressure affect the quality of work. Prof. Dr. Christoph Dodt emphasizes the need for sufficient staffing levels and recovery periods in order to do justice to both the nursing staff and the patients.

In summary, the problems in the emergency room at the Sigmaringen SRH Clinic are not isolated, but are part of a larger system that is under considerable pressure. The demand for more humanity, both in the treatment of patients and in the working conditions for staff, remains loud.