Sparks Medical Center Hospital

the staff on 4W were totally awesome

I was very happy with my stay, everyone was super nice

I have not yet had wls, but from January 2004-August 2004, I was an inpatient there 4 times. 3 of those was on the surgical ward, for surgery and aftercare of non-wls related surgeries. The woman in a room next to me had wls the same day I had surgery to remove a fibroma from my foot, in the same surgical suite. We both ended up with staphylococcus epidermis and dipthroid infections in our surgical sites. The nurses were slow to respond to needs...pain meds, bed pans, nutritional needs....everything. I rang the call button for an hour straight the first night; a nurse had come in and put me on a bed pan, then left. She had inapproriately positioned the darn thing and when my stream started, i soaked myself, my linens and everything I was in contact with. I sat that way for an hour before a nurse responded to the call button....and then she reproofed me for being 'difficult'. The woman who stayed in the room next to mine, I could hear crying many times. She would call for help and get no response. Her husband finally started staying with her at night, to make sure she got the help she needed. I heard them on numerous occasions, telling the nurses how incompetent they were. That woman was still there when i was discharged 2 weeks later.
My second hospital stay for the foot, a nurse came in close to shift change, removed the many layers of bandages from my foot, exposing an open and weeping (infected) foot to the elements. I had to tell her very forcefully to wear gloves or get out. She chose to leave me there....where I stayed for 8 hours before another nurse from the other shift, noticed there was a patient in the room, came to see me, and offered to dress my foot (w/o benefit of irrigating it, as was mandatory), and asked if I wanted something to drink/eat (mind you, I had been there for a bit over 8 hours....no food, no water, nothing).
My third stay for surgery, I was left with an oxygen mask on my face in surgery, as I vomitted the water nurses gave me the night before....knowing i had surgery and was not to have anything by mouth after 10 p.m. I became ill while still in the hospital, but was waved off, when I complained to my surgeon. My primary physician was never notified, and didn't know I was hospitalized til 2 days after my release, when I called to make an appt. to see him in his office. I had pnuemonia....I developed it as a result of the anesthesiologist leaving that oxygen mask on me, and aspirated the vomit back into my lungs. I was put on oral meds, but ended up back in the hospital the 4th time, when I was rushed by lifeflight, in respiratory distress. For 5 days, i was on high levels of oxygen, prednisone, antibiotics, and breathing treatments. Of course, after the first 24 hours, when I pulled thru and was aware of what was going on, I realized I wasn't getting my meds like I was supposed to, and had to call the nurses station every few hours to pester, aka 'remind' them.
Sparks used to be a good hospital, but due to shortages in the nursing industry in our area, good doctors leaving for better opportunities and drastic cuts in care costs, as well as gross mismanagement, it is by far the worst hospital I have ever had the displeasure of being a patient in.
I told my husband that if I am bleeding to death, do not take me there. I'd be ignored or worst. I don't know where they are finding the healthcare professionals they have now, but they are either poorly trained, or some of the least compassionate individuals who have ever received a degree in their field.
If you want more info, please contact me. Please, do not go there. I don't have it in for them....by the grace of God, maybe they will one day get their act together, but til that day happens, I am going to remain a very vocal, staunch critic of anything and everything "Sparks".

After filling out my questionare and sending it in the DNS called me and made lots of excusses for her staff. My father complained to the Charge Nurses and nothing was done.He stayed with me and helped me. I seen my doctor more then I did nurses.Housekeeping didn't do a very good job. Beacuse I live so faraway my family had to pay for their hospitality room. Not very accomidating.I suggest using the other hospital in town if you can talk Dr. into it. But you wont. Sparks carries the stapling gun he likes to use.

Don't go there unless you have to.

Helping me in and out of bed was horrible because the staff was not there to do it. If I had not had my husband there, I don't know what I would have done. He did everything if regards to care. The only thing the staff did was meds and cleaning.

I was very pleased with the care I received from the staff on 4 West. Great job, everyone! Thanks a lot :)

Everyone who worked here was super sweet and went out of their way to make me comfortable and make my stay there as pleasant as possible.

I enjoyed the nurses, and tried hard not to be a good patient. Doing whatever they asked of me, when I could. Sometimes they would let me slide if I wasn't feeling very well. But on the norm, if they said I needed to get up and walk, I would.