What patients want isn ’t always what they need

One of the nurses knocked on my door on a quiet Monday morning. “Hey, can you see this patient? I guess it’s not urgent but he’s here now, and I think what the doctor told him just threw him for a loop.” Of course I had time. In my role as clinical nurse specialist in a busy uro-oncology unit, I see men who need help making a treatment decision for management of their prostate cancer. As we walked towards the clinic room where the patient was waiting, the nurse filled me in on what had transpired. The patient, a man in his early 60s, had been diagnosed with high-risk prostate cancer. He had come to see the urologist to talk about next steps. He wanted to have surgery, a radical prostatectomy, and was expecting to sign consent for the surgery and receive pre-operative education from the nurse. She explained the procedure to him and when she asked him about any previous surgeries, he told her that he had a bilateral hernia repair with mesh. She then explained to him that we do not do radical prostatectomies in these instances as the mesh prevents access to the prostate. The patient was disappointed and asked to see the surgeon. Continue reading ... Your patients are rating you online: How to respond. Manage your online reputation: A social media guide. Find out how.
Source: Kevin, M.D. - Medical Weblog - Category: Journals (General) Authors: Tags: Physician Cancer Source Type: blogs