Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS) treatment in 4 Neurosurgery clinics in France

I live in the USA and was in Paris for vacation. I developed tachycardia on the flight to Paris, which was completely new for me. It lasted over 3 hours and the flight attendants summoned a medical doctor who told me to be checked in Paris. Necker urgent care was the closest facility to where we were staying. Upon walking into their urgent care area, I felt I was walking into a hospital from the 1940's. It was hot, dark and filthy. It looked like the old asbestos tile floors had not been swept or scrubbed in months (yes, I am assuming they were abestos tiles based on my experience with a similar floor in my home). The windows were filthy as well. Paint on the wood trim around the windows was chipping off. Just beyond the waiting area stood an old fashioned hospital screen on wheels. I had not seen one of those since the 1960's. After waiting for an hour, I lost confidence in what I would encounter with medical care and left. I hope this was a really bad example of a medical facility in Paris. I was told later I should have gone to the "American hospital" which no one had told me about beforehand. My taste of "free medical care" in France was not a good one. I hope my impression of their healthcare system was incorrect for the rest of the country. I do want to point out that I was able to enjoy my time in Paris and loved so many things about it. I am grateful for that experience. I am back home now and receiving good care for the condition I developed enroute to France.

I brought my daughter to this hospital early Sunday morning after she received food poisoning from a five star hotel. The staff was awful. They hire people who can barely speak French. Only the MDs were pros. After waiting for almost three hours I finally stopped a male MD and asked if he could see my daughter. Otherwise we would leave. He did and she was discharged shortly thereafter.

Worst hospital experience ever. Really increased the risk of delivering our son, unnecessarily. For weeks mid wives kept threatening there is a risk and we have to induce labor while all the data show that the infant and the mother are healthy. My wife was constantly stressed. When we ask what risk is there, mid wife just says “death of a baby”. Who uses this word in a hospital when there is no real risk? When my wife did start having a contraction, we went to the emergency service. They made us wait for 7 hours stating they are short staffed. There were actually quite a few staffs but they were checking their phones or chatting. We were disheartened but no one showed an interest, no one came and ask if we were doing ok. I repeat, it was an “emergency service”. After the seventh hour I asked when can we be taken care of. They said “we can’t, not enough bed, not enough staffs today. We will have to put you in another hospital”. Well what were they going to do if I hadn’t asked? Left us there unattended for another seven hours? They slowly started looking for other hospitals. Many were also full but finally there was a nice one available just outside Paris. Necker people said “ambulance will be here in 30 minutes”. Of course it took 90 minutes until we finally got to leave this horrible stupid hospital. Thanks to the nice second hospital, the baby was born in 12 hours after we had moved there, safe and sound. Maybe we just had a sequence of bad staffs at Necker. But for the entire time we commuted there and visited at the day of delivery, unfortunately we hardly met anyone there that cares or even shows a remote interest in patients. .

Care provided in a very professional and caring manner by the outpatient colonoscopy team. I felt an atmosphere that was both comforting for the patient that I am and relaxed among the caregivers. In a word: thank you.

Outpatient control examination with general anesthesia. The nurses and caregivers are top notch, very friendly and attentive. On the other hand, an anesthetist (apparently an intern) first pricked me twice on the top of my right hand, leaving the needles which a nurse then came to remove, before pricking my left hand to finally manage to the vein. Not good at all, we can say, and particularly painful. After the procedure, both my hands remained blue, swollen and very painful for at least 4 days. This is scandalous, especially if we consider the significant excess fees charged by La Protestante on anesthesia. Anesthesia alone costs more than €125, of which around €50 is reimbursed by the SS and €35 ​​by my mutual insurance.

I had to be hospitalized as an outpatient then in surgery in less than a week and both stays went very well. In the outpatient setting the nurses were very kind, attentive and funny (which is important in this kind of stressful moment). I was very well taken care of. For my stay on the 5th floor, everything went very well too! Thanks to nurse Catherine who was lovely to me, like a mother, who listened to me, made me laugh and took good care of me. Thanks also to the night caregiver who was very kind. Thanks also to the recovery room teams! And to the teams in the surgical theaters and the endoscopy suite, especially the nurse anesthetist who took care of me Thursday morning for my endoscopy, she really listened and was able to reassure me! I really felt good in the clinic. All the staff are kind and attentive, whether they are the admissions ladies, the stretcher bearers, the nurses, the nursing assistants, the doctors. If I have to have another operation one day, I would go back to the Protestant without hesitation! For once we see staff who are still human and smiling!

A large hospital dating from the 70s, partly renovated, with many specialties and relatively correct care but very uncertain depending on the services as in many public assistance hospitals in general... We can therefore go there from heaven to hell, often with adorable and caring teams in intensive care or intensive care units and other totally overwhelmed teams with little regard for their patients because they are understaffed in many others services...

On the 3rd floor Orthopedic department: Caregivers, nurse, friendly staff overall 👍 Arthrodesis + laminectomy operation Dr Solène Prost service teacher Tropiano All the pain went well and was well treated. 5 days hospital Return home for 4 weeks to recover peacefully. Then start of physiotherapy rehabilitation.

I was taken to the Urgences here by ambulance and I have never had such an awful experience. The nurse who was looking after me was completely cold and uncaring despite the fact I has a blocked intestine and was not only I’m agony but kept blacking and vomiting. At one point when he saw me vomiting he said “don’t you think you are exaggerating a bit”! It took 6 hours before I had a scan and in that time I was left alone and given no blanket despite being soaked in sweat from the pain. When I finally went upstairs to the operating theatre, the experience was much better. I know this hospital has some great doctors and the surgeon who operated on me did an amazing job. My criticism is uniquely directed at the a&e “urgences” here which is just not good enough. All the staff were uncaring and cold and I felt scared and abandoned which is not what one should feel in hospital. Sorry, but a little more humanity would mean less stress to patients!

Today we visited the allergy department with our child. I really liked the service. The doctor spoke very nicely with my child. The inspection was good. We did an allergy test. Everything is fine and I'm very happy😊

My husband received wonderful care at A&E and intensive care after experiencing a heart attack on holiday last October 2022. Speedy treatment and attentive nursing while in CHU for two weeks prior to repatriation to the UK. Could not have had better treatment. A huge thank you to the doctors and staff who looked after him. We are very grateful.

My brother Christopher had the most excellent care in accident and emergency for a pulmonary embolism. I know he is very grateful to the drs and nurses that night. They were kind caring and amazingly speedy to diagnose and find a medication. Compared to the normal experience in the U.K. the French system that night was incredible and they also called him back for a check up in a week, again with an amazing dr so sympathetic, that would be two to three months in the U.K. The staff treated him with dignity and compassion. A massive thank you to all there

My doctors were helpful, skilled, professional and provided me a lot of information. After operation services and information is complete with high priority to the after operation services. The urgence for post opération patients was fast and of full service. The nurses when I came before the operation were too busy, they let me in, gave me my wrist tag and gave me 3 medicines but let me waited 2 hours and no one came back to me to update me that the operation will within 2 hours of waiting . I came at 8h50 and the actual operation is at 11h15, in between the waiting hours, no one has came to re assure me and update me of the schedule that made me nervous and worried for 2 hours. All nurses were so busy that morning and talks a lot to each other without double checking or just to give a quick short words to me for 2 hours in the waiting room before the Anesthesist picked me up. Thank you.

I was very well looked after for my first pregnancy. The team was superb, whether it was for the pregnancy follow-up, the day of the birth or the aftermath of the birth. For this alone I say bravo! But above all, I love the student nurses we met, who were full of compassion and kindness, much more than the nurses themselves. I don't give 5 stars because there is still a lot of room for improvement: - at all my pregnancy follow-up appointments, the wait always lasted more than an hour even though we were told to arrive 30 min before the appointment 🙄 - cold administrative reception - a lady at the analysis laboratory shouted at an old man who didn't understand the process (taking a ticket, waiting etc.) when he had just asked nicely what to do - we were scared when our baby was born, that he couldn't latch on, that he was going to starve to death, that we had to go to the osteopath...when a few days later our baby gained weight. We didn't understand the point of scaring us so much when in the end everything was going well.

I am impressed with the level of the hospital, attitude of medical and medical care. Grateful my surgery was handled here with great professionalism. Merci bien!

Good doctor, good behavior. Satisfied patient.

I got to see two fabulous doctors, the first in emerg and the second in cardiology (who confirmed the original diagnosis). Both were extremely caring and knowledgeable. I felt in good hands. Minus a half star for the long wait to see the first doctor (but triage ekg was quick so I guess it wasn’t urgent). Minus another half star for the filthy, seatless public toilet for the waiting room but bonus point for the outstanding quality of the doctors.

You doctors who work in the Pitie Salpetriere hospital, bow your heads to the ground and beyond, for all those children's souls, whom you do not stop from their straight and fast path to earth. May all the joys with which you spoil yourselves, turn you into ashes, and let your empty souls shatter like the lives of the innocent, whom you leave daily prey to their suffering, evil and disease, without trying to save them, although their last hope it was with you. And we are not talking about terminal cases, but about people who can be saved easily, if you ONLY tried! World top 10 hospital: an advertisement for nothing!!! You shouldn't even be in the top 3 of a pitiful city, forgotten by the world! Great doctors who don't even see the patient, just sign to be discharged, and hide behind the reception, because you are busy. With what? Did you destroy the next man's life? How many people do you dust a day? Do you have a commission from cemeteries? Change all the staff! You made terrible recruiting mistakes! Give them difficult cases, without them knowing that they are being tested, and see what "doctors" you have! The rest, take their diplomas and useless documents and start sweeping the street, don't let them have the power to turn good people into dust!

Excellent quality services and precision !

My first experience of having an angiogram- the staff were very kind and helpful and always with a smile. It makes the situation easier to handle ! Thank you to Doctor Rosencher and his wonderful team !

Disorganized and borderline incompetent: i was sent back and forth between the 2 locations and found in both places incompetent personnel. They are unable to keep to the scheduled appointment and on too of all, no doctor is available to issue the report of the examination. Just plain incompetence, avoid this place.

Operated in this clinic at the beginning of October, I learned that their administrative services are overwhelmed and that I have to wait on average 1.5 months to obtain the care billing slips to be reimbursed by the CPAM and the mutual insurance company. On the other hand, the clinic has no difficulty in requesting immediate payment of fees upon your admission. Good to know!

I have been trying to obtain an invoice since June, several calls telling me that I will receive the document by email, still nothing. Today I call and talk with someone who says she is checking my email address, but communication is cut off. I call back, and I've been waiting for an hour to get someone! It's scandalous ! Either we need to recruit people or stop coffee breaks!

The nursing staff at this clinic are not trained in the rules of respecting patient privacy. The nurses don't know how to place IVs, I found myself with veins explored. In short, no one from no one. Go elsewhere if you can.

Well visited a doctor for the first time was good different and got all my answers...

I have a RDV for the 9th of june at your clinque with the anesthesiste at 4:45 with Dr LECLERC please confirm

I have been tryi by to call the clinic for the whole week.I have a problem with my registration and I wanted to clear that up. After one week somebody answered… my french is not perfect and the staff on the phone couldn’t wait until I noted the correct phone number. They just hanged up and I still don’t have a number. It would have been hilarious if it wasn’t like a serious medical place.

Extremely disrespectful nurse, talking loud where I am able to hear what she is saying, and I can hear the patient or family member telling her to calm down. Instead she was more concerned about being right as opposed to provide empathy, care and concentrating on the wellbeing of the patient. What I witnessed in the lobby on Sunday November 26th, made me embarrassed and uncomfortable and hope that my family is not seen by this nurse. She is a bully and knows she can get away with it. Slamming the door on a patient’s family, makes me sick to my stomach. Not listening to a patient in distress, is lacking skills as a nurse. I will report this with the department of health in France.

We had a really positive experience with this hospital. As Australians visiting who don’t speak French, I needed a bit of a guarantee to find a hospital where they could speak English. We’d been to another hospital and unfortunately the treatment didn’t help my husbands condition. He was seen quite promptly by a Dr and then a Specialist at the American Hospital and was provided with medication which thankfully started assisting. I think we were in and out within a couple of hours and the cost was surprisingly low that there’s not really any need to claim it back on insurance. I’m glad we found this hospital as we may have needed to cut our holiday short and fly home. Big thank you to all the staff there.

Thanks to the American hospital we obtained a speedy appointment for my mother. Top geriatric specialist, friendly staff. Some reviewers should go to some - not all - public hospitals .Lovely service, charming receptionists. Our specialist was flexible with appointment time despite us being delayed by transport. It is a bit costly but doctors do take time. Some very specific scans were covered by the French Social Security scheme though. I don’t know all departments but twice we had premium service and care. And finally, my mother was diagnosed accurately and treatment was put in place. With very elderly and incapacitated patients free wheelchairs are available. Porters and valet service staff are helpful. This makes a huge difference on arrival by medical taxi. No hospital is perfect and one is bound to encounter below par staff. And yes, France has a general shortage of medical staff, private or public… Eric Levéel