An apology from a telemedicine physician

In the emergency room, the stress is palpable. The hairs on your neck rise up as you enter the resuscitation bay where the next unconscious patient has just arrived. You can almost feel death as it circulates through the air, like a vulture in the sky. The air tastes sterile, and you hear the crash cart and ultrasound being rolled over to the patient’s bed. The patient was fine 20 minutes ago, a healthy middle-aged woman who collapsed at home while preparing dinner with her husband. He now stands in the corner, face flushed and dampened by tears. You avoid making eye contact with him at first, until that empty feeling in your stomach recedes. Meanwhile, you examine the patient as the trauma team is preparing to intubate. Her eyes are disfigured, locked in opposite-facing directions like a broken doll. When you lift her arms, it feels as if all life were drained from them as they rest limp in your hands. After her neck is twisted backward and a rigid tube forced into her airway, she is shuttled off for a CT scan. But you already know what to expect. It’s a horrible stroke. The situation is devastating. You begin to counsel the husband about what you might see in her brain, and what you can do about it. And that there may be a way to save her. 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: General Medicine Authors: Tags: Physician Emergency Medicine Mobile health Neurology Source Type: blogs