Thursday, October 04, 2007

Patient Expectations

Patients always arrive with expectations: mostly tacit and nebulous.

 

Sometimes they arrive with chronic problems that their GPs have been unable to diagnose or successfully treat with the expectation that the ED doctor seeing them for the first and only time under significant time pressure in a busy and very noisy environment will be able diagnose and cure the problem.

 

Who said that patients should be reasonable?

 

Sometimes they arrive expecting an x-ray or CT scan convinced that this investigation will somehow, magically, cure the disease or injury. And sometimes it does seem to: those who could not walk are x-rayed and miraculously walk immediately after. Faith does not work as often.

 

Sometimes patients arrive with bags packed with the expectation that they will be admitted because they feel unwell or they fear they may become unwell or they are depressed or the rest of the family is off on holiday or….

 

Who said that patients should be reasonable?

 

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