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25 November 2009

When Art Imitates Life, Exactly

One of my colleagues posted this on Facebook, and I am sad to say I am sure someone stood outside the Emergency Department room while I interviewed a patient.... seriously....




Today a mother presented with her teenage son and said she wanted him tested for the Swine Flu and a prescription for Tamiflu. When informed that we don't routinely test for the flu and that Tamiflu was only for those at high risk showing symptoms (which her son was not), she told my attending she wanted to speak to his supervisor. When he informed her he was the senior medical staff, she told him that she was in the medical profession (a secretary at a nursing home) and no one was going to fool her like they did everyone else, and that she wanted a second opinion. He told her she could check her son back in and be seen again. But, she had a 50/50 chance of seeing him again.

She then stated she wanted to talk to a supervisor, and she demanded a second opinion. She saw the nursing supervisor who advised her to go to her child's pediatrician which just happened to be at the pediatric clinic across the street. When my attending called over to warn them that she was coming over, he was told that she had already been there and that they had told her the same thing. Last we heard, she was on her way to get a third opinion...

5 comments:

Julie said...

Oh man, we had one of those last night at work. The only thing that works for his severe pain was morphine and at least every 2 hours. Brother. But his entire body was jail tats, how did he stand the pain of that?

betty said...

got to feel for the son; he probably just needed to go home and rest and not be dragged from opinion to opinion

betty

Claudia said...

That was hilarious, when people come in with 100 allergies and 100 medications I know they are a druggie or just plain NUTZ.

Have a Happy Thanksgiving.

ADB said...

Happy Thanksgiving, hopefully without hypochondriacs

Lisa said...

Crazy mother....maybe she could score some Tamiflu on the black market. LOL.