BREAKING: “WE DON’T SHARE THAT INFORMATION” - ICU Doctors refuse to share sedation and medication information with the family of ‘Covid’ patient

BREAKING: “WE DON’T SHARE THAT INFORMATION” - ICU Doctors refuse to share sedation and medication information with the family of ‘Covid’ patient.Show more

Doctors in the Intensive Care Unit at University Hospital Limerick have refused to share a patient’s treatment information with her family. The family is concerned about the secrecy surrounding their loved one’s care.

The young woman was moved to Limerick after the family raised multiple concerns about her treatment in the Intensive Care Unit at Mayo University Hospital (MUH).

The patient was initially admitted to MUH in Castlebar with minor breathing difficulties related to a non-serious asthma condition that she had.

She had been conversing with her family and asking questions of hospital staff only hours before she was moved suddenly to ICU. Within hours she was placed on a COVID ventilator.

The family had urged the Doctor to consult them prior to any decision to put the patient on a ventilator however they were not consulted.

A family member discovered – after questioning a nurse – that the patient had been put on a ventilator the night before.

Just days later - after sustained questioning from the family - the Castlebar hospital made a sudden decision to remove the patient (who was on a ventilator) from ICU at Mayo University Hospital to Limerick Hospital. A row of Gardaí stood with security guards to prevent the family from seeing their loved one as she was removed in an ambulance.

On a phone call with Dr Kevin McSweeney in Limerick ICU, Dr McSweeney told the family: “we are giving her stuff to, I suppose, help with the anxiety.” When questioned on what this ‘stuff’ was, McSweeney said “I’m really not supposed to go into specifics about that. It’s not really relevant to her care.”

When the family attempted again to get more information on the medication their loved one was receiving, McSweeney said “She’s on a lot of medication. I’m not going through the list. We don’t share that information.”

Dr. Aiden O’Brien is the treating consultant for the young woman at University Hospital Limerick. The treating consultant is responsible for the clinical decisions made by doctors under his direction.

Despite repeated attempts by the family to have a meeting with those responsible for their loved one’s care, Dr O’Brien has not made any contact with the family in the 10 days that their loved one has been in ICU.

This family’s experience is not an isolated incident. For the past 18 months, families have been banned from visiting, denied essential information, and left with more questions than answers - while their loved ones have died alone in Covid Wards and nursing homes right across this country.

(from https://m.facebook.com/watch/?v=380088903612995&_rdr)