Letter To The Editor: Yale New Haven Hospital Patient Care Questioned

The following letter to the editor is opinion commentary submitted by a Patch reader:

Years ago, I showed up to Yale New Haven Hospital's ER (on York St) with clear signs of heart failure. The APRN who saw me, despite my symptoms, assumed it wasn't heart failure and didn't test for it. As a result, it delayed my heart condition from being discovered, yet I was admitted for observation. A few days later, once it was discovered that I had heart failure, one of the doctors told me that "a mistake has been made" and that my condition was overlooked. The doctor (who informed me of the mistake) said that if the person who saw me in the ER ordered the proper diagnostic tests for someone with the symptoms I had, my heart condition would have been discovered and treated immediately, rather than a few days later.

I gave my medical records to a lawyer, and he had other doctors review them. They confirmed that the APRN messed up. So, I reported it to Yale's Patient Relations, since they are the ones who deal with complaints/issues. They mailed me an apology that really wasn't, considering it was written in a way that refused to acknowledge any fault on Yale's end. Their "apology" was more like "sorry that you feel that way/sorry that you're dissatisfied," rather than apologizing for any medical errors made. It was disingenuous.

I requested that the APRN who made the medical error speak with me to explain himself, regarding why he didn't think to check for heart failure when I had clear symptoms, but this was met with resistance. As a result, I asked Patient Relations to put me on the phone with the APRN's boss to discuss the matter. Patient Relations did manage to set up a phone call with the APRN's boss, but unfortunately, the APRN's boss was incredibly rude and unprofessional. When I told the APRN's boss that what happened was unacceptable, between the medical error made by one of her employees and how it was handled, she told me that she's "not interested." Throughout the conversation, she interrupted me, repeating that she's not interested. The conversation ended with her speaking over me, saying, "I'm putting you back on the phone with Patient Relations," and she handed them the phone before I could even finish what I was saying. When Patient Relations then spoke with me, I was appalled to hear the APRN's boss (in the background) telling them to hang up.

I'm sure a lot of Yale's medical staff members are competent, even though one of their APRNs messed up. But regarding the APRN's boss who gave me an attitude, she should look at herself in a mirror. If it were one of her family members who was in my situation, I doubt she would have treated them that unethically. YNHH advertises itself as a hospital that provides "the greatest of care," but this was terrible patient care. I suggest that Yale retrain their employees (including their high-ranking staff members, such as the boss of the APRNs) to treat patients the way that they would want to be treated. That doesn't just mean using past mistakes (such as the medical error that one of their APRNs made on me) for teaching purposes. It also entails emphasizing the need for staff members to put themselves in the patient's shoes.

— Connor Etter
Hamden, Connecticut