A patient accused this doctor of sexual harassment

It was a typical weekend on call. The usual number of surgeries, ER calls and consults. I was called to consult on 47-year-old female who had been admitted with four days of left shoulder pain. She had gone through a cardiac workup and was cleared by her internist. So now, a consult was called to see if there was an orthopedic cause for the patient’s pain — not an uncommon scenario. It was the middle of the day, and the patient was awake as I walked into the hospital room. The other bed was empty, so we were alone in the room. My first mistake. I introduced myself, explained why I was there and that her heart workup was normal. As is my custom I drew the curtain around us and proceeded with the history and physical examination. My second mistake. When examining a patient with shoulder pain I also examine the neck and both shoulders, laying hands on and putting each through a series of maneuvers looking for signs of conditions I expect. The most common diagnosis in this scenario is a simple shoulder bursitis that was the case here. I reassured the patient it was nothing serious and discussed the various treatments including medication, physical therapy, and injections. She asked if she would need surgery, and I said only if all the other treatments failed. She asked when she would be discharged, and I said probably soon because her heart was OK — but that was up to her internist. She agreed to try the PT and to return to my office as an outpatient. I did the note and...
Source: Kevin, M.D. - Medical Weblog - Category: General Medicine Authors: Tags: Physician Hospital-Based Medicine Source Type: blogs