'Routine' tasks of nurses can save lives

I am a registered nurse with 23 years of staff nursing experience, so I speak with the heart and soul of someone who is right at the bedside of patients.

Nurses wear many hats. We comfort, inspect, teach, analyze data and coordinate. Many of these things are done during the course of completing some of the "tasks" that management feels can be delegated to non-nurses.

When I give open-heart surgery patients a shower, I begin by showing them how to care for their incisions. I discuss their medicines and what they all do. I tell diabetic patients why they need to inspect their feet when they injure themselves, because of infection. The examples go on.

No, it doesn't take an RN to get a patient ready to go for a scan or heart catheterization. But when I go in with that stretcher to send the patient for the procedure, it is my opportunity to quiz the patient to see if he understands.

Since hospitals are practically doing drive-through surgery, we have less time to prepare patients to take care of themselves after discharge.

Leslie Garamella, R.N.
Via the Internet

RNs are fighting for patient safety

Why am I, a seasoned registered nurse, so upset? Years ago I took an oath to protect my patients, to keep their privacy, and to never do anything to harm them. I meant it then and now.

Yet the numbers of RNs at hospitals have decreased, supplies are harder to find, patients are more seriously ill and their hospital stays have shortened. Each of these things makes our job harder.

Why is there such pressure to take the expert, experienced RN away from the bedside? Again, government restrictions have put tremendous pressure on hospital administrators. But it is questionable for management to cut costs by training new workers to do many of the tasks RNs consider essential to patient safety.

What can hospital patients do? Ask who is at your bedside -- an RN or a non-RN. Be sure a friend or family member stays with you in the hospital. Don't be content with hotel service; demand experience and expert care.

Tell hospital management that you want only the best at your bedside. You deserve it!

Pat McLachlan, RN

Hit-and-run drivers may not always be cited

Did you know that running into a pedestrian with your car will not get you a traffic citation?

On Nov. 9, while walking in my neighborhood, I was hit after stepping off a curb to cross the street. After the driver cut the corner too close and hit me, I was on his hood. I pushed off his windshield to save myself. He looked straight at me and kept on going.

Luckily, I got his license number. A neighbor called 911. Police and an ambulance arrived.

Before I was taken to the hospital, I described the car, license number and driver. Police located the vehicle and driver, and I positively identified both. But the police officer told me that the driver wouldn't be given a citation. "Hitting a pedestrian is not a crime," said the officer. "It's like a fender bender and we don't always give citations. Insurance handles it."

I was shocked. The officer did say that the driver could be cited for leaving the scene of an accident and for not rendering aid.

Two weeks later, I obtained the police report. No citation had been issued because the driver denied being there. The case was stamped "closed" by the traffic department. I was outraged.

After numerous calls to police Internal Affairs, investigators found probable cause to pursue this case. A citation was finally issued on Dec. 12 to the driver for leaving the scene of an accident and causing bodily injury.

I have not fully recovered from being hit by that car. I don't know what our justice system will do, but I'll be in court to find out. Pedestrians are not safe while our system protects cars and drivers.

Harold T. Irving Jr.

Quotables "A woman was expected to work hard. I worked until I was 82." Sada Yamamoto 106-YEAR-OLD RETIRED HOUSEKEEPER Who came to Hawaii as a picture bride when she was 19 years old "Bottom line, the Legislature and governor must sink their teeth into real, substantive issues and keep government out of water glasses." Whitney Anderson REPUBLICAN STATE SENATOR FROM KAILUA Critical of Gov. Ben Cayetano's proposal to put fluoride in Hawaii's drinking water

'Football school' has high academic criteria

As a senior at St. Louis School, our winning the state football tournament has made me reflect on the roles of sports and education on my campus.

Many newspaper articles and letters to the editor depict our school as having low academic standards, especially for athletes. Our success in football has led people to believe that we cannot perform well in academics.

This is not true. Most of our athletes succeed in college and go on to lead very successful careers.

There is nothing wrong with being known as a "football school," and I will not deny that we can always improve. But we have high standards for academics.

Akio Matsui

Hanauma project is long overdue

I favor the city's proposal to redevelop Hanauma Bay. Over the years, Oahu residents exchanged the slow but sure demise of the nature preserve for income generated by tourist dollars. We are finally realizing that preserving the park's beauty and uniqueness is key to the future of tourism.

Educating the public about the coral reef's delicate ecosystem and limiting the number of park visitors should have been implemented long ago. The proposal is a welcome attempt in striking a balance between preserving Oahu's natural beauty and improving the visitor's experience of Hawaii.

Rene H. Yamaguchi
Via the Internet

Marathon celebrants make too much noise

It is time to stop the early-morning idiocy surrounding the Honolulu Marathon. The 5 a.m. fireworks display, while dazzling, should cease unless the volume of the cannon can be turned down.

These explosions were loud -- much louder than anything ever heard during New Year's Eve.

Do people realize the effect this has on animals? My cat woke up with a shock and was "scared litterless" until the fireworks ended.

Since marathoners are apparently too full of themselves to care about terrorizing our animal friends, try this one: How about the elderly, people with heart conditions or those with high blood pressure?

Is it worth someone having a heart attack or a stroke just so narcissists can watch fireworks before showing how cool they are by running a marathon?

Roy Frank Westlake

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