Pray You Don"t Need Medical Attention On Crown Princess!!!

[oraf7]

Just off the August 1st Crown Princess and we had a wonderful time and I will follow up with a full review of the positives and few negatives.

 

THE MEDICAL STAFF ON THIS SHIP STINKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We were leaving the horizen buffet on the Lido deck (15 ) and we were a party of 12 on the last day of cruise August 10th. The elevators were jammed so we heaed down the stairs. My 69 yr old Father fell down the stairs and hitting his head directly to the floor and started to bleed quite heavily as he is on cuomodin which is a blood thinner. As some family ran to attend him I immediatly started screaming for help and went to the phone and dialed the emergency number and explained that my Dad took a Bad fall and that he was seriously hurt.

IT TOOK THEM 1/2 HOUR TO GET A NURSE UP FROM DECK 4 TO 15!!!

I couldn't believe nobody ran up those stairs for that long.

Please somebody if you were on this cruise help me locate a young male Doctor from California and a women nurse and another female Doctor who ran to the rescue......THANK YOU FROM THE BOTTEM OF OUR HEARTS as you helped save my Dad. This Doctor or Angel came to my bleeding father and jumped right in applying pressure and ice where needed and directed everyone as to what to do. My father is hurt in several places and I thought he was going to die right in front of his grandchildren and neices and nephews.

When the nurse finally casually showed up at her leisure she actually asked my Dad to roll the next flight of stairs so that that can use a wheelchair to take him from Deck 14 to the Medical Center. They had no stretcher of wheelchair to accomodate him. Now mind you he couldn't move either shoulder and was bleeding from 4 different wounds and had neck pain. No neck brace etc. Are you ready for this at everyones horror they made him on his rear end go down the stairs because they couldn't lift him. Are you telling me that they couldnt get a stretcher from FDNY as we were in Brooklyn docked and everyone was disembarking. DISGRACE! The Doctor now shows up and was as cold as ice to all of us not taking into account anyones concerns. These complete strangers as far as I am concerned saved my Dad's life and watched all this in horror. Once we were down on Deck 4 it gets worse the staff 2 redheads were the most arrogant individuals I have ever came across in the medical field. The Medical Center was dead and all they could think about was getting my Dad off this ship and the Credit Card to bill this big mess to.

I have a lot of experience in the Medical field with a chronically ill child who also came down with the anticipated Cellulits infection while on board the night we were in Puerto Rico and let me tell you coming from Boston's excellent Medical community all I will say is CROWN PRINCESS HAD A WONDERFUL TIME UNTIL WE HAD AN EMERGENCY SITUATION AND YOUR MEDICAL TEAM/STAFF IS A DISGRACE! The nurse Julia was the only one who I felt had a wee bit of compassion but took 30 minutes to respond so no excuse for me.

To make matters worse Princess Medical Coordinator asked me to fax a letter of condition months ago for my daughter and they confirmed received and the staff on board had no record of her pre-exsisiting condition.

WHAT A DISASTER YOU PEOPLE REALLY ARE!

*Please if you are the Doctors or nurses that helped us please reply as I want to personally Thank you.

 

Future Cruisers on this Ship pray you never have a Heart Attack or anything life threatening is all I can say because this staff was very incompetent and you better pray Angels (fellow passengers) come to your rescue.

Well I am just to worked up right at the moment but I will right a full review on the lovely experience prior to this incident.

 

Cheryl

[leavitt1]

I'm so sorry you had to experience that. How is your dad doing?

 

Michelle

[oraf7]

He is in extreme pain and swollen in several areas. What concerned me is that he has a Heart Condition and I thought to myself if his neck wasn't broke or he didn't bleed to death then possible heart attack. Nothing worse than seeing your Dad or loved one take such a terrible fall and lying there helplessly. Thanks for caring to ask.

 

Again if anyone knows of a Doctor from CA on the August 1st cruise please reply.

[JeepChick]

I am so sorry your vacation ended that way. I pray your dad heals quickly.

 

there is no excuse for the behavior of that crew. Please take a moment to write a letter to Princess and tell them what happened.

[BruceMuzz]

Well, we have now heard one side of this story. Wonder if we will hear the other sides?

 

Actually you should pray that you NEVER need medical attention on any holiday, anywhere.

[janetz]

Well, we have now heard one side of this story. Wonder if we will hear the other sides?

 

Actually you should pray that you NEVER need medical attention on any holiday, anywhere.

\

 

What other sides? :rolleyes: :rolleyes:

[sailorJo]

Oraf, I was shocked to hear about what happened to your father and the way everything was handled by the medical staff. I hope he is doing better now and that soon you will remember only the good times had on the Crown.

[oraf7]

1st off Thanks Sailor Jo it was a pleasure meeting you and we did have the best vacation. To the poster that said about hearing the other side. WHAT OTHER SIDE to somebody maybe in your family being seriously injured needing prompt attention and no medical staff coming to help your loved one. Just put yourself in that situation and think about the other side. With a ship this size there should be ample medical staff and equipment. Even the staff on that floor watched in horror at how long it took for someone to show up and when one of the officers called down again the women in the center told him to stop yelling as he tried to explain the urgency. Shame on you for thinking there is another side.

[carqueen1]

What a terrible experience. I hope your father is doing better now.

[Hlitner]

This type of medical experience is not limited to the Crown Princess or even the Princess. Last February we were on a 14 day Celebrity Infinity Cruise (South America) when a man (about 70) collapsed after exercising in the excellent exercise room. At the time, there were two gym staff present. They immediately called for medical help and emphasized that it was serious. About 10 minutes later a nurse appeared with minimal equipment (she did not have a defiberlator) by which time the man was in cardiac arrest. Several of us had already asked the gym staff for a defiberlator but were informed that only the medical staff had that type of equipment (I guess cruise ships do not want to invest in auto defib machines). The passenger was dead before they took him from the spa, and I suspect he might have had a chance if they had the appropriate equipment in the gym (auto defiberlator and oxygen and almost a norm in most decent exercise facilities).

[Jacqueline]

It is shocking that they do not have a defibrilator in this deck ! They are intended to be used be any one following the instructions that it "tells" you.

It is unbelievable that the medical crew did not have stabilization tools- collar, backboard, etc. How could they risk paralyzing someone for life ?

This a absolutely appalling. There is no other side to the story as there is a standard medical protocal for this type of injury and it was not adhered to.

AS much as people hate personal injury lawyers, there is nothing like a valid lawsuit, to correct a serious problem. This could be YOUR family member on the next trip and they may not be so lucky..

[sjbdtz]

It is shocking that they do not have a defibrilator in this deck !

 

 

Actually...no it isn't ;) :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes:

[jckvpa0]

I am so sorry to hear about what happened to your family ! Did they eventually get an ambulance for your dad ?

[prarie cruiser]

I am so sorry you had this happen at the end of your cruise. I hope your father is doing better.

 

Your experience is so totally opposite of what happened with my family member on another ship. Our response was very quick, professional, and gracious. I am sorry you did not have an experience similar to mine, if one had to have one at all.

 

Your experience left me thinking about emergency responses on ships. At home, we would not expect a doctor or nurse to respond, but instead have highly trained paramedics and EMTs that would respond, and ultimately assist the injured person to a medical facility. I guess when I think about it, I am suprised the ships do not seem to do the same thing.

 

I am appalled there are not defibrillators available on the sports and pool decks, as well as other places throughout the ship, such as auditorium, horizon court, etc.

 

I think we should start advocating for improved medical emergency responsiveness on the cruise ships. They need to train specific staff to be paramedics (like maybe the security staff), require most staff to be proficient in CPR, and develop a medical emergency response team that has the equipment available to deal with these types of emergencies. In addition, we need to strongly advocate for placement of automatic defibrillators at key places throughout the ship. For those who do not know, automatic defibrillators are very easy to use even if you have never used one before. Just get it, open it up, and follow the directions which are really simple to follow. They save lives.

[S.S.Oceanlover]

\

 

What other sides? :rolleyes: :rolleyes:

 

I guess someone is expecting the ships doctors or nurses to post here to give their side.:rolleyes:

 

Bill

[Muskoka2]

by others......this concerned Celebrity......I am a professional myself and the lack of equipment is unforgiveable.....the lack of compassion and professionalism equally so.

I would call for an investigation over this matter. How many more people is this going to happen to? Cruisers come aboard with serious known medical conditions.

It is time for cruisers overall to demand that up-to-date medical equipment is available and the staff is trained and interested in their job rather than just being on board a cruise ship.

Bad experience with food workers recently that did not have a good enough working knowledge of English......the horror to think that could be extented to the medical team as well.

Lack of equipment and the care given must be taken to the "top" as they say. Please complain and help others in the future.

Good thoughts to your Dad and your entire family.

So sorry.

[iancal]

A number of years ago we were unfortunate enough to use the medical facilities on an RCI for our son. The outcome was less that satisfactory. Through subsequent follow up we discovered that RCI, at that time, 'sub-contracted' their medical services, including physician service, to a third party company. This was done for a very specific reason-probably an attempt to reduce or eliminate any liability. Not sure if this is the case on Princess or other Carnival Corporation cruise lines.

[spingal]

I am so sorry this happened to you and I hope your Dad has a speedy recovery.

 

I was on the Crown in November and had an excellent experience with the medical staff. I am hoping your situation was a fluke. It is appalling to hear how they handled your Dad.

[janetz]

I guess someone is expecting the ships doctors or nurses to post here to give their side.:rolleyes:

 

Bill

 

 

No, I was replying to post number 5. :o You must have misunderstood my post.

[jlp20]

Not going to try to defend Princess, but we only have the posting of the OP who must admit was to involved in the event.

 

I don’t think I am wrong in stating that the medical services on a cruise ship are geared for the patient/pax to go to medical. We do not know how long it actually took, but we all know how crowded the public areas are around the disembarkation. Was there another medical event going on somewhere on the ship that took priority, we don’t know

 

The OP has stated that the ship had docked and disembarkation had already started. Did the event happen toward the end when a lot of ship personnel have left the ship?

 

The OP stated that medical staff did respond at some point, but disagrees with what they did. The OP admits they are not trained in the medical field nor are they a first responder. Do you think any trained Princess medical staff would open themselves or the cruise line to civil action by not following set procedures?

 

The original posting was made sometime after the event. I don’t know about others, but I had problems reading the post. Just writing about the event, the poster was having problems being coherent at times. I’m not a psychologist, but played one on TV, but I think the poster was just to emotionally upset to know what actually happened.

[Highland dancer]

I am so sorry to hear about the appalling lack of medical care and attention that your father received from the medical crew.

As a nurse myself it saddens me to hear about the disregard and lack of professionalism that some people have within the profession.

 

These are just a few point that i feel strongly about but i wont go on to much.

With regard to the lack of DeFibs this is not acceptable on any ship these machines save lives and should be avalible in all public areas to be used by crew and passangers. It is the first 5 min that is the most critical.

In order for medical staff to respond to an emergency situation there should be a medical response kit avalible on all decks.

Also the uniform that is worn by nursing staff needs to be looked at. A straight white skirt and court shoes may be okay to run a clinic but it is not suitable to respond to an emergency. Shorts and training shoes should be adopted for around the ship.

[Evelyn143]

A number of years ago we were unfortunate enough to use the medical facilities on an RCI for our son. The outcome was less that satisfactory. Through subsequent follow up we discovered that RCI, at that time, 'sub-contracted' their medical services, including physician service, to a third party company. This was done for a very specific reason-probably an attempt to reduce or eliminate any liability. Not sure if this is the case on Princess or other Carnival Corporation cruise lines.

 

It is not only the cruiselines that sub-contract for medical services. I live in south Florida where it is common practice for the hospital ERs to use sub-contractors.

 

Two years ago I had a serious fall on a HAL ship, 3 days into a 7 day cruise. I got immediate attention for my injuries and they followed up daily with me. I was suprised that we never received a bill for their services. When I got home I sent a letter to HAL praising their staff.

 

oraf7 - sorry to hear about your awful experience.

 

Evelyn

[LonghornKJK]

Here's why I believe there really isn't "another side" to this story.

 

I don’t think I am wrong in stating that the medical services on a cruise ship are geared for the patient/pax to go to medical. We do not know how long it actually took, but we all know how crowded the public areas are around the disembarkation. Was there another medical event going on somewhere on the ship that took priority, we don’t know.

 

First, with a ship of 3000 or more passengers and crew, it is not unreasonable to expect a need for first aid outside of the medical deck. People are swimming, going up and down stairs, working out, stepping on wet bathroom floors, etc. Second, if there was crowding or another medical event going on that delayed the medical staff, wouldn't the doctor or nurse at least acknowledge the reason for the delay? And frankly, I think that would be poor ship design if the crew can't get around on non-public stairs and halls. How would they respond to a fire? Third, while a traumatic event can seem longer than it really is, we do know that a second call had to be made by an officer who also seemed upset at the delay.

 

The OP has stated that the ship had docked and disembarkation had already started. Did the event happen toward the end when a lot of ship personnel have left the ship?

 

This does not sound like a very wise policy, if that's the case, to allow personnel to leave the ship at one of the most hectic times of the cruise. The medical personnel should probably even be double-staffed at this time, with one crew preparing to leave and the other crew coming on.

 

The OP stated that medical staff did respond at some point, but disagrees with what they did. The OP admits they are not trained in the medical field nor are they a first responder. Do you think any trained Princess medical staff would open themselves or the cruise line to civil action by not following set procedures?

 

People who are in the medical field have already stated on this thread that certain equipment and supplies should be available on every deck. This kind of equipment is available at every concert and sporting event where a crowd of this size gathers. I really wonder if this staff is trained in emergency medicine and is accustomed to handing out medicine for seasickness and controlling an outbreak of norovirus.

 

The original posting was made sometime after the event. I don’t know about others, but I had problems reading the post. Just writing about the event, the poster was having problems being coherent at times. I’m not a psychologist, but played one on TV, but I think the poster was just to emotionally upset to know what actually happened.

 

This happened day before yesterday. The OP had witnesses to this event and has had plenty of time to check the details with others who may not have been as emotionally invested. The OP certainly knows if the medical staff showed compassion and concern, because she noted those who did and those who didn't. Of course some of her impressions are subjective but there is nothing subjective about forcing an injured man to crawl down the stairs because they had no other way of moving him. What if he had been unconscious?

 

I realize that you are not defending Princess and, in that same light, I am not attacking you for proffering some possible reasons for the actions of this crew. But the delay, the coldness, the method for moving her father -- that's a little too much for me.

[GBeret]

I am so sorry you had this happen at the end of your cruise. I hope your father is doing better.

 

Your experience is so totally opposite of what happened with my family member on another ship. Our response was very quick, professional, and gracious. I am sorry you did not have an experience similar to mine, if one had to have one at all.

 

Your experience left me thinking about emergency responses on ships. At home, we would not expect a doctor or nurse to respond, but instead have highly trained paramedics and EMTs that would respond, and ultimately assist the injured person to a medical facility. I guess when I think about it, I am suprised the ships do not seem to do the same thing.

 

I am appalled there are not defibrillators available on the sports and pool decks, as well as other places throughout the ship, such as auditorium, horizon court, etc.

 

I think we should start advocating for improved medical emergency responsiveness on the cruise ships. They need to train specific staff to be paramedics (like maybe the security staff), require most staff to be proficient in CPR, and develop a medical emergency response team that has the equipment available to deal with these types of emergencies. In addition, we need to strongly advocate for placement of automatic defibrillators at key places throughout the ship. For those who do not know, automatic defibrillators are very easy to use even if you have never used one before. Just get it, open it up, and follow the directions which are really simple to follow. They save lives.

 

I agree with your post 100%

[willysgrandma]

What a horrifying experience.

 

What I would urge you to do is write a ltter to Princess, then contact your Travel Agent and forward it to them. Your TA should take the issue up directly with their Princess Rep. and escalate the issue.

 

Princess needs to know the staff that was involved in this fiasco. Let your TA handle it - they have more contacts and pull with the cruise line than you would by yourself.