澳洲急诊室半日游｜70多岁老人发烧、尿路感染和肺部感染就医经历
急诊室里，人生百态。
一位妈妈陪着因心理问题服药过量的孩子；
老奶奶陪老伴来看耳朵；
年轻夫妇带着生病的小男孩；
青少年儿子陪着咳嗽不止的老爸；
有人疑似骨折，有人疑似血栓；
有人手臂骨折，缠着绷带；
还有一位老爷爷临走前被医生反复叮嘱：“一定要小心，千万别摔跤。”
急诊室里还有华语护士、印度裔医生，以及一位被生病的小朋友称为“神奇约翰”的年轻医生……
我爹这次去澳洲公立医院急诊，是因为他已经70多岁，尿痛、咳嗽了将近一周，当天下午又突然发烧。
我跟老公感慨，还是他爹比较靠谱。公公听说自己不适合喝咖啡，就把喜欢的咖啡戒了。
再看看我亲爹——居然在急诊室外面来回徘徊，准备抽烟，甚至还想捡烟头……
幸好被我及时拦下了。
拍胸片的大叔问我爹懂不懂粤语。
我说：“我懂一些。”
作为一名NAATI普通话口译员，我平时对自己的语言沟通能力还是挺有信心的。
然而事实证明：普通话是普通话，广东话是广东话。
这次，我明显高估了自己的广东话水平。
不知道是他的发音问题，还是我的听力问题，反正一句也没听明白。
还不如一开始就直接说不懂，等他跟我讲英语……哈哈。
今晚在澳洲急诊室的就医流程大概是：
先叫你进去询问症状，做鼻拭子，检测流感、新冠等呼吸道病毒，然后出去继续等。
之后再叫进去抽血、做心电图。血液培养用的那几根大粗管子，看着实在有点吓人，我都不敢仔细看。
然后，再出去等。
接着去拍胸片、留尿样。
继续等。
之后又做了膀胱扫描，检查排尿后膀胱内是否还有尿液潴留。
后来，护士给他静脉注射抗生素。他推着点滴架出来，在外面坐着等了大约20分钟，直到药物输完。
最后，医生再次把我们叫进去，解释检查结果和后续安排。
目前医生认为，基本可以确定是尿路感染，同时可能还有肺部感染。
三天后，需要由家庭医生（GP）继续跟进血液培养、尿液培养、胸片报告等检查结果。
急诊医生还建议家庭医生帮助我爹安排戒烟咨询。暂时不知道具体是心理辅导，还是转介到澳洲戒烟热线Quitline。
好在这次情况不算严重，没有生命危险，也不需要住院。
澳洲公立医院一般确实“不留客”——能够安全回家观察的，通常不会安排住院；但如果医生认为病人存在危险，也不会轻易让人离开。
最终，我们成功在半夜12点前出院回家。
感觉还是比较幸运：
病情不算严重，
不需要住院，
也及时接受了抗生素治疗。
有时去治愈，常常去帮助，总是去安慰。
防病胜于治病。
希望人间少一些病痛。
平时多注意身体，好好照顾自己，也希望大家都能少进医院。
#澳洲急诊 #澳洲公立医院 #澳洲医疗 #澳洲看病 #悉尼生活 #老年人健康 #尿路感染 #肺部感染 #NAATI口译员 #海外生活
Half a Day in an Australian Emergency Department | An Elderly Patient with Fever, a UTI and a Chest Infection
An emergency department offers a small window into every walk of life.
A mother was accompanying her child, who had taken too much medication while struggling with mental health issues.
An elderly woman had brought her husband in because of an ear problem.
A young couple was there with their little boy.
A teenage son was accompanying his father, who could not stop coughing.
Some patients had suspected fractures; others were being checked for possible blood clots.
One person had a broken arm wrapped in a bandage.
Before an elderly man left, the doctor repeatedly reminded him, “Please be very careful. Don’t have a fall.”
There was also a Mandarin-speaking nurse, an Indian doctor, and a young doctor whom a sick little patient called “Magic John”…
My father ended up in the emergency department of an Australian public hospital because he is in his seventies, had experienced painful urination and a cough for nearly a week, and then suddenly developed a fever that afternoon.
I told my husband that his dad was much more sensible. When my father-in-law was advised that coffee was not good for him, he simply gave up the coffee he loved.
Then there was my own father—pacing outside the emergency department, preparing to smoke and even considering picking up a cigarette butt…
Luckily, I stopped him in time.
The radiographer who took his chest X-ray asked whether my father understood Cantonese.
“I understand a little,” I replied.
As a NAATI-certified Mandarin interpreter, I am usually fairly confident in my language and communication skills.
However, Mandarin is Mandarin, and Cantonese is Cantonese.
It turned out that I had greatly overestimated my Cantonese.
I am not sure whether it was his pronunciation or my listening skills, but I could not understand him at all.
I should probably have admitted that straight away and waited for him to speak English instead… haha.
Our Australian emergency department experience went roughly like this:
First, a staff member called us in to ask about his symptoms. They performed a nasal swab to test for respiratory viruses such as influenza and COVID-19. We were then sent back outside to wait.
Later, he was called in again for blood tests and an ECG. The large blood culture bottles and tubes looked rather intimidating—I could barely bring myself to look at them.
Then we went back outside to wait again.
Next came a chest X-ray and a urine sample.
More waiting.
After that, he had a bladder scan to check whether any urine remained in his bladder after urination.
Later, a nurse administered intravenous antibiotics. My father came back out, pushing the IV pole, and waited in the seating area for around 20 minutes until the infusion was finished.
Finally, the doctor called us in again to explain the findings and the follow-up plan.
At this stage, the doctors believe he has a urinary tract infection, together with a possible chest infection.
In three days, his general practitioner (GP) will need to follow up on the blood culture, urine culture, chest X-ray report and other test results.
The emergency doctor also asked his GP to arrange smoking cessation support. We are not yet sure whether this will involve counselling or a referral to Australia’s Quitline service.
Fortunately, his condition was not considered serious or life-threatening, and he did not need to be admitted to hospital.
Australian public hospitals generally do not keep patients in hospital unnecessarily. If someone can be safely monitored and treated at home, they will usually be discharged. However, if the doctors believe a patient is at risk, they will not simply send them away.
In the end, we managed to leave the hospital and return home before midnight.
We felt fortunate:
His condition was not too serious.
He did not need to stay in hospital.
Most importantly, he received antibiotics and medical care in time.
To cure sometimes, to relieve often, to comfort always.
Prevention is better than cure.
May there be less illness and suffering in the world.
Take care of your health, look after yourself, and hopefully we can all make fewer visits to hospital.
#AustralianHealthcare #EmergencyDepartment #PublicHospitalAustralia #SydneyLife #ElderlyHealth #UrinaryTractInfection #ChestInfection #NAATIInterpreter #LivingInAustralia
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