How Is the Person I Love?

by Elisa Mann

A family member is in the hospital, and it is a time of grave concern. Her life is not in danger, but her quality of life is.

Her quality of life has been difficult for many years now, even decades. Yet like the proverbial – pick your favorite proverb that is positive – she has continued to work and live as if every day matters. Of course, every day does. Yet the multiple conditions that she has had to deal with, each often making the others worse, have mitigated against a lot of important experiences. She lives alone now, although with pets, and while she has a supportive family and friend and colleague network, her social world is smaller than it used to be. She is not old. She has many years before a normal retirement.

What does this have to do with public relations? In a hospital setting, everything. Every single person who enters the emergency room doors is a light on to the reputation of the hospital. Are the staff competent? Courteous? Able to help? Are they so tired that they make mistakes? Act grumpy towards the patients? Cause delays, or react badly to them?

Behind every response to “public relations” is the public, and that is nothing more than the aggregate of people whom other people care about, just like my family member. Each response comes from the sum total of memories of going to the beach, playing video games, sharing food together, and learning about diagnoses. Being told to clean one’s room. Being given gifts at the holiday season, and sharing philosophical discussions (gossiping).

My concern is almost totally for the wellbeing of my family member. I want her to emerge the best she can, to be reunited with her pets, to go back to work, to take care of herself. Yet there is a part of me that is on alert for how the hospital is treating her, how they are extending care and how good their systems and processes are.

Hospital public relations is complex, and extends beyond even the treatment of patients. Yet that is the core duty. How well does the hospital measure up? Don’t give me complicated mathematical structures; the metric is, “How is the person I love? Did you do your best, and was your best exceptionally good?”
Of course, every system has its moments of weakness, and to err is human. We’ve all come to expect miracles from our hospitals and healthcare providers. Expectations should not be unrealistic.

Great PR is when the expectations are realistic, and the reality is strong. I hope my family member gets better and will credit the hospital -- with due regard for her care -- to everyone I know, whatever the outcome may be.