Multiple Choices:
I received a phone call at 8pm in the evening. There was a frantic mother at the end of the line...her voice was trembling with apprehension. Her 2 year old baby stepped on a thumbtack.I should:
a. Warn her in a serious and morbid tone, that her pretty baby will die of tetanus unless,she takes her child immediately to the emergency room, so that her child can be admitted to the hospital and given antibiotics and tetanus shots.
b. Hilariously, comment while LMAO,"thumbtack only?!! LOL...my kids have had more serious wounds than that, nothing happened"...and hang up immediately.
c. Smile, confirm her child's history of vaccination, instruct them to clean the wound with soap and water, then send them to the emergency room just for tetanus shots.
Yes, without a doubt, i do letter C.
A calm relaxed mother came to the clinic. She was cuddling her 6 months old infant. But before she even sat down. I noticed her baby was drowsy, had cold sweats and bluish lips. I did a quick examination. The baby had severe bronchopneumonia. I explained to her that her baby needs hospital confinement or else the risk of dying from this disease is great. She refuses hospital admission. I should:
a. Make her stand up, take the chair she sat on, and hit her head with all my might, so i can knock some sense into her.
b. Swear violently, inform her that her f***ing child will die soon if not treated.Also inform her that she can go to hell and do whatever she pleases.
c. Look relieved, give the prescription she's asking for, then collect my professional fee.(Anyway, if the infant dies, she's of legal age and was properly informed.)
d. Give the initial treatment, convince them of admission (if they can't afford private care, send them to a public medical center where they can be dealt with properly.) Follow them up.
I would like to do first sentence of letter B then letter D...but then again, if i did that, they would not be convinced of my treatment plan at all(whether private or public)...then her baby would surely die.
Doctors with patients is good. Doctors with a lot of patience is better.
I always wondered why patients are called patients when they are so impatient. Doctors should be called patient.