the ust hospital has two divisions. the charity hospital and the private (pay high!) hospital. services and facilities in charity hospital are way more cheaper than in the other cause in there, patients are bed spacers, unlike in the latter, they're more of room renters.
charity literally means benevolent giving, or altruism. it means helping or doing good to others without reward. but it doesn't necessarily mean that patients don't have bills to pay. patients in the charity still do pay bills. labs, bed rent... etc... they are provided with pretty much good services for cheaper prices. well, at least, cheaper compared to those in the private hospital.
usth is a learning hospital. the medical personnel or health care providers here are students... the to-be-nurses, -med techs, -doctors... the ust hospital is just one among many learning hospitals (seattle grace for instance.. hehe) and probably there are standards to allow this. and maybe... i assume that ethical issues were discussed when they allowed this setting.
i'm pointing out ethics. yeah. is it ethical that we see patients because we want to learn; we see them, visit them, we talk with them for medical purposes? i've been assigned to patients who are really not accommodating. they get angry. they won't cooperate. it's hard to deal with them but i don't blame them. some of them feel that they're merely subjects. for learning purposes.
just starting the interview, i get this unwelcomed feeling. they'd say, "mag-iinterview nanaman?" or "uulitin nanaman?" or "kagagaling lang ng maraming studyante kanina, di pa nakakatulog ang pasyente".... would you blame them for not accommodating you? i or the other students might not have forgotten to explain why we're doing interviews and physical exams, some patients would understand. but of course they get tired too. all the sophomores and the juniors, usually in groups, attacking the patient with questions... argh... when you're in their shoes you've probably react the same way...
some facilitators would ask the patient to let the students see parts of their bodies with spider angiomatas... visible vessels, etc... eager students may even palpate whatever there... the patients don't seem to have a choice...
as mentioned, the price is cheaper in the charity divisions. but still, many of the patients couldn't afford procedures. it's saddening. they sometimes would volunteer for research or studies being conducted just for the sake of having some free services.... subjecting themselves for experiments. yeah, i know... the studies are approved by the medical ethical boards; they may have discussed justice, benefits....but it's just unavoidable that the tendency is greater in the lower socio-economic class patients to be included in such. oh well, we say it's for the greater good anyway... so... we just let go...
haay, anyway... i just wish they have a better system. that they'd be the ones to assign students to patients, have a maximum of two groups to interview and do exams on one patient. haay... just imagine if the physical exam requires a direct rectal exam, e wala na.. wawa na patient...
ayun.
