I recently spent a Sunday afternoon in the emergency room at a local hospital, while a friend received treatment for a serious but treatable ailment. Here are a few thoughts and observations from my several hours in the ER:
* Gone, thanks to Covid-19 and technology, are all the magazines and newspapers that once populated hospital waiting rooms. No more Time, Golf Digest, or Sports Illustrated. I noted their absence, but did not miss them, particularly Time. In fact, given how many hands the magazines passed through each day, it's really rather surprising they had a presence in the ER for as long as they did. The particular ER I was in had two large-screen TVs, and nearly everyone waiting there had their heads down, staring at individual smart-phone screens.
* The TVs in the ER were on and featured the NFL game between the LA Chargers and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. I don't have strong feelings one way or another for either team and haven't followed professional football for at least six years. I'm a fan of college football. Sunday's game was the first I've watched during the 2020 season, and I was reminded why I walked away from the game years ago. The game's flow is endlessly interrupted by commercials, official reviews, and just about anything else you can name, or so it seems. And it seemed not long ago that most games might run about two and half hours, from beginning to end. It's easily a three-hour time commitment (often longer) these days. And most of the commercial spots are repetitive and mind-numbing. Others in the ER looked as though they were enjoying the game, but I was something hostage to it. I can't see myself watching another NFL game soon.
* My dad spent a lot of time in hospitals during the last years of his life, and I became familiar with the facilities at two suburban hospitals. Everything changes with time, including hospital accommodations. I think one of the best changes in recent years is the decision that dropped shared rooms for patients and adopted a one-patient-per room policy. Patient privacy is important and the seclusion is appreciated.
* There are few places better than a hospital to see how advances in technology impact modern life for the better. Here's one example: My friend who was receiving care needed an X-ray. Just a few years ago that would have involved a hospital worker wheeling the patient and the bed they were in down to a room, usually in the basement, where a tech or two would spend a few minutes obtaining the ordered images. All necessary, but rarely pleasant for the patient. But on this visit, one tech rolled a x-ray unit into the ER examination room, collected the needed images and rolled back out in less than five minutes. And the machine itself was smaller than most office chairs. Amazing.
- Thanks for reading. Feel free to leave a comment or question.
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