Sometimes death is not an option

At 69, Bob appeared to be a broken man. He left the hospital the day before and returned to the emergency department (ED) because he wasn’t “acting right.” Bob became upset when a second injection to his abdomen burned, and family members were angry that the discharge instructions did not explain this. After four years of receiving treatment for metastatic colon cancer, Bob had reached the breaking point of persecution, but did his vigilant family understand he was dying? After the physician assistant’s evaluation, I stepped into the room to make my own assessment. Family members appeared to be watchdogs — four on one side of the gurney, five on the other. As they rose to attention, I could feel the angst of having entered unfriendly territory. Most of Bob’s tests in the ED proved inconclusive, but the fact remained that Bob was dying. What were his wishes? Did he want to be in the hospital or at home? Was Bob receiving any palliative care services? 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 Hospital-Based Medicine Palliative Care Source Type: blogs