Cross-coverage has made me aware of the art in medicine

Perhaps one of the hardest things about medicine is cross-coverage, that is, to be the covering doctor for your partners, whether for the occasional night, weekend, or longer. It’s not something done only in oncology. All specialties in medicine have this system, which allows us to have lives outside of our hospitals and clinics. What’s hard about it, for me, is not the hours covered, but assuming care for patients I do not know. In such circumstances, I rely on my partner’s sign-out, their documentation covering the last outpatient visits, or when necessary, their guidance provided on a phone call. Cross-coverage has made me aware of the art in medicine, and in oncology. Nowhere is this art more significant than when it comes to patients living with advanced cancer. Years ago I was on call over a long weekend — in addition to covering calls, I also rounded on our very busy inpatient service. One such patient still stays with me. She was in her fifties, and she had metastatic lung cancer — it had spread to her bones, liver, and her brain. She had been on chemotherapy as an outpatient and had been admitted a couple of days prior to manage treatment-related toxicities. I remember walking into her room. She struggled to turn her head, but she smiled as I came in. I remember asking how she was. “Fine,” she said. “I just need to get stronger so I can go back on treatment.” I looked at her — she was cachectic except for her protuberant abdomen. Her l...
Source: Kevin, M.D. - Medical Weblog - Category: General Medicine Authors: Tags: Physician Oncology/Hematology Source Type: blogs