Regression To The Menial

I was far ahead of my time. The cachectic middle aged man had been admitted to the hospital fifty times in the last calender year. The other residents and I joked that new graduates only truly became interns after they had Leon on their service. He suffered a range of chronic illnesses, mostly respiratory, that were overwhelming to his mentally challenged mind. He often would walk off the floor with discharge instructions only to appear in the emergency room minutes later complaining of shortness of breath. I liked Leon. He was soft and gentle. His lack of mental capabilities only made his kindness more endearing. He was anxious about the outside world and preferred the safety of the hospital confines. And I couldn't blame him, to a homeless man on the St. Louis streets, our institution must have looked quite welcoming. After his third hospitalization in as many days, I decided to take action. I gathered the patient's pulmonologist, primary care doc, and a bevy of clinic nurses together in a room to hash out this difficult case. The pulmonologist retrieved his cat scan, and outlined the nodules and signs of emphysema. The primary care physician reviewed his compliance record. The clinic social worker and nurses attested to his housing issues. We worked together as a team. The group consensus was that his lungs were benign, and the best plan of care relied heavily on social intervention. I left the room feeling like, for once, Leon had a concrete plan of action. I disc...
Source: In My Humble Opinion - Category: Family Physicians Authors: Source Type: blogs