VISITING THE SICK IN HOSPITAL-GOOD OR BAD?

It is natural that all of us want to be healthy all the time and get very perturbed when we are sick. However, some people react so badly during phases of illnesses that they lose their self confidence and get into a depression. This makes their recovery not only difficult, but the doctors also find it difficult to make them comply with the medical instructions. The patient may not take the medication regularly, may not follow the dietary advice and not cooperate fully with supportive therapy such as exercises (physiotherapy). It is during these periods that the words of encouragement and supportive actions that the friends and relatives provide help the sick person to face the illness with courage.
There is enough scientific evidence to show that facing the illness with confidence helps the recovery process significantly. The sick person is made to feel that there are many around him wishing for his recovery. He looks forward to living with these people in a normal fashion, as he did before the onset of the illness. Thus, the custom of visiting the sick which has been practiced all over the world by people of various cultures, ethnic and religious backgrounds has a sound and logical basis. Why then doctors and hospital administrators restrict friends and relatives from visiting the patients in the hospitals? Is it necessary or justified? Or is it a show of authority or bureaucratic behavior on the part of the authorities?
Medical knowledge and experience have shown that while visiting the sick in hospital has some benefits, such visits if done without any restrictions produce a lot of harmful effects affect the patients as well as the visitors and these issues are explained in some detail below.

Adverse effects on the patients:

While most patients would find some solace in seeing the relatives and friends, some patients become very emotional and even begin to cry or weep on seeing close relatives and friends. This may adversely affect the health of critically ill patients being treated in the intensive care units, those with heart disease and those with problems in maintaining normal blood pressure.
Patients with reduction in body immunity such as those are treated with anticancer drugs and those with certain blood diseases are highly prone (susceptible) to infection with micro-organisms such as bacteria and viruses. The visitors who come to see the sick may themselves be ill as a result of infection with these micro-organisms; the visitors may carry these organisms in their skin or throat without themselves having any symptoms. In both situations, the visitors may easily spread these bacteria and viruses to the patients who have decreased immunity or ability to protect themselves from these infections. So, in addition to suffering from their primary disease, the patients get affected by these additional infections which would seriously affect their recovery. The visitors though may come to see the patient with good intentions have unintentionally done them more harm than good.

Adverse effects on the visitors:

On the other side, the visitors themselves may acquire the infections that are prevalent in the hospital. Such prevalence is more common in certain wards such as those treating infectious diseases like measles, mumps, tuberculosis, gastroenteritis etc. Children and elderly visitors are particularly susceptible to acquire such infections because of their reduced immunity. That is why hospitals generally discourage visitors bringing their children to hospitals to see the sick patients. Among the children, neonates (babies less than one month old) and infants(less than one year of age) are particularly vulnerable. Of the elderly, those above the age of 65 years, those suffering from diseases such as diabetes, kidney diseases, malnourished persons and those on drugs such as steroids have less immunity against getting infections.

How can relatives and friends help in the recovery of the patients?:

Express your support and provide any possible assistance to the family members. This may be in the form of looking after their children for few days or assisting in the transport of close family members of the patient. Patients will come to know of these gestures when they are in a fit position to comprehend. This will relieve a lot of their anxiety and help in their recovery. This is more important than visiting just to fulfill an obligation or social routine.
Send a ‘get-well’ card. It need not be expensive but the sincere words of good wishes written in the card are more important. Most people become more philosophical and religious when they are unwell and do appreciate such gestures. If you do visit the hospital, stick to visiting hours. Avoid taking children and elderly, unless absolutely essential.
Do not make it a point to visit the person frequently unless your presence is absolutely required for the recovery of the patient. Of course, you can get information on the progress of the patient by either calling the relative and if the patient has adequately recovered by calling him directly also. The advances in communication technology and the availability of the hand phones have made such contacts easy and practical. You can politely explain to the patient and relatives, the good intentions in not paying frequent visits. Once this culture is developed and the awareness of the society on these issues is increased, infrequent visits to the hospital will not be taken as discourteous act.
Avoid visiting the hospital if you have symptoms of an infection or have recently come in contact with a person having infection at home or in the office.
Follow the instructions given by the doctors while in the ward on a visit. If you happen to handle or touch the patient wash your hands before and after this. Hand-washing is insisted when touching neonates, patients who are treated in intensive care units and with depressed immunity. The visitors may be expected to wear the gowns provided as well as wear a face mask when getting near such patients. Such instructions should be meticulously followed even if you are not watched by anyone.
In conclusion, caring for friends and relatives who are ill is the obligation of any civilized society. Visiting them in hospital is an acceptable gesture to show that you care for them. But it should be done not as a social ritual but with enough understanding of the principles and the pros and cons in doing it.

Taken from MEP magazine, volume #03, page 36 & 37, on Visiting the Sick-Good or Bad

Hai my lovely friends..after read about our discussion,i really think that aishasan topic is the best topic that we can discuss about.It is because there are so many thing we can discuss about such as definition of healthy lifestyle,how to maintaining healthy lifestyle,factors affecting health,effects of a healthy lifestyle and so on.So, i really agree with aisha san.

HEALTHY LIFESTYLE TOPIC

Dear my fantastic friends, thanks for your opinion regarding to my chosen topic..I know that some of you will argue on that but then i have my own reason to pick that topic. Like I said before, healthy lifestyle covers such an enormous scope of our own daily routine and perhaps we can divide the subtopic easier..that's what I am thinking of. i want to tell all of you that it is not because of being biased to my chosen topic, but i feel it is good enough to be discussed, moreover the H1N1 virus gets rampant today and hopefully we can create awareness among people out there to take a good care of themselves, as well as to ourselves..Gracias..

Hi girls, after hear all of your suggestions, I think Aishah's suggestion would be the best topic to discuss about. Healthy lifestyle is something familiar with our daily life, thus we have more ideas and exposure to this particular topic. I hope you all agree with this topic and hope to hear from you all soon..bye, girls.tc

hai!!!i think now i am agree with aishasan's topic because that topic have a lots of thing to discuss about.We can discuss about benefit,how to maintain a healthy lifestyle,and so on.What do you think Aishasan?What should we discuss about this topic?

Hai everyone.I'm Diona.I also agree with Aisha San but in stead of that,i have my own suggestion and i think i want to stick with my opinion.

Hai Aisha San..Well you have a brilliant idea when you suggest the topic.That is a good topic because it has something to do with ourself.Actually i love the topic that you want to discuss about but i think i still stick with my opinion about ppsmi.It is important too because we need a good education to get a good job.

Article of maintaining a healthy lifestyle

Maintaining a healthy lifestyle is a lot easier than you may think, when in reality all it takes is a few changes to your daily routine and dietary habits and you will see a dramatic increase in your overall well-being.

Excessive alcohol consumption can have a huge negative effect n a person’s health, not just physically, but socially and mentally as well. Many people associate drinking alcohol with having a good time, when in reality it is often the actual socialising which is the providing the enjoyment. Alcohol loosens a person’s inhibitions, and can make a person feel more relaxed and at ease in situations they are uncomfortable with. Unfortunately, this can lead to an over-reliance on drinking, and this is where alcoholism mainly stems from.

Whilst drinking can provide many hours of fun and enjoyment when socialising for a lot of people, the after effects are not so enjoyable. How many people actually enjoy a hangover? Or wake up in the morning after a night of drinking and are proud of the way they behaved? Alcohol can cause you to act in ways you wouldn’t dream of doing in a sober state, and in this way it can be dangerous. Some people’s behavioural changes when intoxicated are adverse, and they become aggressive, violent, and generally unpleasant to be around.

Alcohol can be just as addictive as smoking - and in some ways worse. Being dependant on alcohol not only affects the way you are towards other people, it can effect the way you feel about yourself, and long term alcohol abuse can lead to serious bouts of depression and mental instability. It is equally as damaging to the body as smoking, affecting the liver drastically through prolonged periods of abuse. Binge drinking is the same, and if you do drink it is important to ensure you do not exceed the recommended daily allowance.

Alcohol is easier to give up than you may think, and the incentives are clear. Not only will your overall health improve and make you feel better about yourself physically and mentally, you will soon learnt hat you do not have to be drunk to enjoy yourself. Stopping drinking when you are out will save you a lot of money - alcoholic beverages can be priced at around £3.50 and upwards for a single pint of beer - and again this will have a positive effect on your life as a whole. Alcohol, unlike the common misconception, is a cause of stress, rather than a relief from it. Stopping drinking will induce a positive up turn in your state of mental happiness, and this can improve not only yourself but your relationships with those around you.

Being alcohol free enables you to look after other areas of your life which either need attention or you would like to concentrate on, such as getting fit. Not only is alcohol damaging to your internal organs but it is not good for your overall fitness, physique, and skin condition, among others. There is a feel good factor experienced by non-drinkers that many alcohol consumers will not be able to relate to.

Article Alley is one of the UK's top article sites, best for Health and Fitness Articles. Please feel free to republish this article provided a working hyperlink remains to our site

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Carolyn_Clayton