Since it's my birthday today (January 23rd), I'm going to suggest a story:
In this modern era, in the dawn of MUHC, can we further improve upon the concept of a hospital??
I was in the ER of Jewish General the other day.
As **friendly** as the staff were, I couldn't help but notice how utterly depressing that place is. I couldn't imagine relishing working there. My mother was in the ER last week when she suffered a fracture from a fall from ice skating.
Hospitals by and large aren't exactly happy places, but this ER of the handful I've seen in my life had to the most visually uninviting of the lot. I think if I had to spend serious time there, I'd lose what's left of my mind.
Narrow corridors lined with gurneys (some taken, others empty); a basement-like atmosphere lacking windows; rows of sick elderly people seperated only by curtains. Limited natural light, overcrowding, weird layout, just eww.
I've seen my share of ERs. My father has been in and out of the hospital for various ailments over the past ten years (ie. a back operation, physical therapy, prostate cancer). I'd go to visit him. I was there when they transfered him from one hospital to another.
To OpenFile, for you to investigate:
-Can you give us a sense of what a typical ER day is like for doctors in Montreal?
-How do the staff cope in such depressing facilities?
-Which hospitals would they rate as the best in Montreal?
-How could we make the environment more pleasant to patients and staff alike?
-What perks will MUHC have to make the overall experience more pleasant?
-Finally, what can we do to prevent the abuse of ERs from those with mild ailments?
This story might have to be broken down in several parts to cover it all.
