Above: The Cath Lab has a wonderful Digital LED clock emitting the tone, "Pressure.""IT WAS
SNOWING..."
... was what the patient said to me as I listened to him/her give their story about their current issue in the hospital today. The patient was on the elderly side, but I found it amusing. I played along with it to see where the patient was going with it. However, just to make sure I didn't mislead anyone, I told that patient that it was 70 degrees outside and warmer. Patient's response: "I hope it stays this way."
----
After three weeks of Cardiology (and 847 miles into my second cross-country trip), I'll admit that the group I am working with has me truly enlightened on a huge concept in medicine. It's more than diagnosis and treatment... it's also risk management. Measure the costs and benefits of each treatment and see how that works well for the patient. Mnemonics like CHADS and TIMI sound pretty silly when you're not in the medical world, but to us clinicians, they mean the difference between whether or not we're going to thin someone's blood for possible clots or whether or not a person had a heart attack or not.
On another note, going into primary care and providing excellent bedside manner is something that I am looking forward to doing when I become a doctor. And, I'll say that the last place I expected someone to pull up a chair and have a solid conversation with a patient was on a consult service. However, each one of the doctors I've seen, provided there's an open chair or a ledge around, will sit down to have a face-to-face conversation with the patient.
When I was in Decatur, IL, I remember sitting in front of a news article stating the benefits of sitting down. It makes so much sense though, as it makes the visit much more personable for the patient, and instead of seeming like a commander, it makes the doctor seem like more of a role model or counselor. I think that can go yards to helping a patient feel like he/she can participate more in what is going on, and feel more comfortable with all that is going on around them.
And that also goes for the physical exam. I don't know if I have posted it before, but this article from the New York Times, mentions how Stanford plans to revive the Physical Exam. I've mentioned before how numbers and labs are important, but the context to which they are all interpreted are covered in the history and physical. But there's more to it than that... utilizing the stethoscope and interacting with the patient, seem to give the patients a feeling that the doctor is truly participating in their care. As much as numbers are accurate, numbers can only do so much.
So, next time your doctor takes some time to sit down next to you, it's no longer only in times of bad news, it's always for the best.
SNOWING..."
... was what the patient said to me as I listened to him/her give their story about their current issue in the hospital today. The patient was on the elderly side, but I found it amusing. I played along with it to see where the patient was going with it. However, just to make sure I didn't mislead anyone, I told that patient that it was 70 degrees outside and warmer. Patient's response: "I hope it stays this way."
----
After three weeks of Cardiology (and 847 miles into my second cross-country trip), I'll admit that the group I am working with has me truly enlightened on a huge concept in medicine. It's more than diagnosis and treatment... it's also risk management. Measure the costs and benefits of each treatment and see how that works well for the patient. Mnemonics like CHADS and TIMI sound pretty silly when you're not in the medical world, but to us clinicians, they mean the difference between whether or not we're going to thin someone's blood for possible clots or whether or not a person had a heart attack or not.
On another note, going into primary care and providing excellent bedside manner is something that I am looking forward to doing when I become a doctor. And, I'll say that the last place I expected someone to pull up a chair and have a solid conversation with a patient was on a consult service. However, each one of the doctors I've seen, provided there's an open chair or a ledge around, will sit down to have a face-to-face conversation with the patient.
When I was in Decatur, IL, I remember sitting in front of a news article stating the benefits of sitting down. It makes so much sense though, as it makes the visit much more personable for the patient, and instead of seeming like a commander, it makes the doctor seem like more of a role model or counselor. I think that can go yards to helping a patient feel like he/she can participate more in what is going on, and feel more comfortable with all that is going on around them.
And that also goes for the physical exam. I don't know if I have posted it before, but this article from the New York Times, mentions how Stanford plans to revive the Physical Exam. I've mentioned before how numbers and labs are important, but the context to which they are all interpreted are covered in the history and physical. But there's more to it than that... utilizing the stethoscope and interacting with the patient, seem to give the patients a feeling that the doctor is truly participating in their care. As much as numbers are accurate, numbers can only do so much.
So, next time your doctor takes some time to sit down next to you, it's no longer only in times of bad news, it's always for the best.
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