8. Nursing Care

Nursing care is a big part of hospital life. People often feel helpless when faced with rude, incompetent nurses. What can you do if you have the bad luck to encounter a nurse or an aide who is not giving you reasonable care; who is making you wait, for instance, half an hour for a bedpan even though she's not doing anything else? You (or if you are not up to it, your family or friends) should tell the head nurse. In her absence, ask for the nurse in charge. If this does not solve your problems, you can contact the nursing supervisor who is responsible for that unit. If none of these people can resolve your problem, go up the chain of command, which ends with the director of nursing, who is ultimately responsible for all nursing care in that institution.