as somebody who works in the medical industry (on the supply side) I have the opportunity to visit hospitals and doctors on a regular basis. Here are a few key facts:
- Around here hospitals need an occupancy rate of 90% to make a profit - For each station there is a chief doctor, 2 or 3 senior doctors, regular doctors, a head nurse and the nursing staff - Each station is big enough that a patient sees the doctor who treats him 2 or 3 times a day, the doctor makes note of the progress (or the general condition) and adjusts the therapy plan when necessary (this was pre-pandemic)
Now in year 2 of the pandemic the situation of general hospitals is dire. The system as a whole works now on triage in some cases because quite frequently the most engaged people have left their job due to vaccine mandates and other sorts of administrative measures.
Last week I visited a General Hospital, specifically a Covid Station. I installed some appliances and I was assisted by the lab technician. Before the pandemic a doctor would visit and look at the new gadgets. I noticed that the station as a whole felt strange. The technician told me that the whole hospital is now on emergency mode. They can't fill up the required medical positions anymore. A senior doctor now has to supervise 2 stations (before 2 senior doctors oversaw one station). These working conditions put a strain on the staff and the doctors who have remained are on the brink of burning out. Needless to say that the patients get a sub-optimal treatment due to the shortage of qualified staff.
This is in contrast to specialized hospitals where there is no such shortage (yet) and the conditions are more or less the same as pre covid. I suspect the situation is the same all over the Western World which is not talked about in the media.
The situation is pretty bad and I got the impression to better get not sick.
Best wishes for all readers, commenters. Keep up the excellent work.
State of Hospitals
as somebody who works in the medical industry (on the supply side) I have the opportunity to visit hospitals and doctors on a regular basis. Here are a few key facts:
- Around here hospitals need an occupancy rate of 90% to make a profit
- For each station there is a chief doctor, 2 or 3 senior doctors, regular doctors, a head nurse and the nursing staff
- Each station is big enough that a patient sees the doctor who treats him 2 or 3 times a day, the doctor makes note of the progress (or the general condition) and adjusts the therapy plan when necessary (this was pre-pandemic)
Now in year 2 of the pandemic the situation of general hospitals is dire. The system as a whole works now on triage in some cases because quite frequently the most engaged people have left their job due to vaccine mandates and other sorts of administrative measures.
Last week I visited a General Hospital, specifically a Covid Station. I installed some appliances and I was assisted by the lab technician. Before the pandemic a doctor would visit and look at the new gadgets. I noticed that the station as a whole felt strange. The technician told me that the whole hospital is now on emergency mode. They can't fill up the required medical positions anymore.
A senior doctor now has to supervise 2 stations (before 2 senior doctors oversaw one station). These working conditions put a strain on the staff and the doctors who have remained are on the brink of burning out. Needless to say that the patients get a sub-optimal treatment due to the shortage of qualified staff.
This is in contrast to specialized hospitals where there is no such shortage (yet) and the conditions are more or less the same as pre covid. I suspect the situation is the same all over the Western World which is not talked about in the media.
The situation is pretty bad and I got the impression to better get not sick.
Best wishes for all readers, commenters. Keep up the excellent work.