Attending on home call is occasionally inebriated

[tsip]

I apologize in advance for the repetetive language. I am trying to keep things as anonymous as possible by avoiding pronouns.

My spouse is a nephrology fellow, at a program where both the attendings and fellows take call from home, and if someone needs to come into the hospital, it will be the fellow. If there really is a need, then the attending will come in as well.

Recently, spouse was on call and had to consult a particular attending over the phone. The attending sounded drunk. Slurring words slightly, asking for some info to be repeated multiple times. Overall, my spouse felt that it was not a big deal, patient care was not compromised. When talking to another fellow, we found out that this is not the first such incident. Has happened at least twice before.

The attending is a great teacher and educator (especially compared to the faculty where my spouse did residency), no issues as far as I know.

I am a little concerned and feel that my spouse should speak to the fellowship director or some other faculty member to make sure things don't snowball. I know it's "home call" and that there is a fellow working under the attending. But, this still feels like it's kind of dangerous and could at some point lead to a bad outcome.

Is there any course of action that might be recommended? Any that should be avoided?

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[Crayola227]

why are you guys certain he wasn't asleep and has been woken?

or that he was in the middle of something else?

why assume it's alcohol?

 

[Rendar5]

why are you guys certain he wasn't asleep and has been woken?

or that he was in the middle of something else?

why assume it's alcohol?

One of the internal medicine attending‘s that I admit to sounds like that all the time when I wake him up at home from the ED for holding orders. It’s because he has a CPAP device and is a really sound sleeper and has trouble waking up. Slurs and repeats questions and is half asleep.

 

[deleted480308]

I wouldn’t report slurred speech over the phone as alcohol/substance related.....

 

[HomeSkool]

"He slurs his words and needs to hear stuff twice" describes me when woken from a deep sleep, too, and I've never had a drop of alcohol or an illicit substance in my life. You should be extremely wary of making such an accusation with no proof of wrongdoing. You could besmirch the reputation of a good attending or inadvertently put your spouse in the line of fire.

 

[tsip]

why are you guys certain he wasn't asleep and has been woken?

or that he was in the middle of something else?

why assume it's alcohol?

All the incidents occurred in the early evening. Before 9pm. I am just going off of what the conversation between my spouse and the other fellow was. They were both pretty certain they were speaking to someone who was drunk. I don't know if there was more to it than the slurred speech and slowness.

However, these replies make it clear that there absolutely could be other explanations, and we might be jumping to conclusions.

 

[deleted480308]

All the incidents occurred in the early evening. Before 9pm. I am just going off of what the conversation between my spouse and the other fellow was. They were both pretty certain they were speaking to someone who was drunk. I don't know if there was more to it than the slurred speech and slowness.

However, these replies make it clear that there absolutely could be other explanations, and we might be jumping to conclusions.

I would also caution that your wife is taking a risk by even saying the words “so and so was drunk when I called them” in conversation, even conversations believed to be private

The wrong person overhears or decides the conversation is no longer confidential and she is in for a world of hurt

 

[Perrotfish]

All the incidents occurred in the early evening. Before 9pm. I am just going off of what the conversation between my spouse and the other fellow was. They were both pretty certain they were speaking to someone who was drunk. I don't know if there was more to it than the slurred speech and slowness.

However, these replies make it clear that there absolutely could be other explanations, and we might be jumping to conclusions.

I'm asleep at 20:00 on a lot of nights. I like to start my day at 4:00. Some people are like that.

Not saying this attending couldn't also be drunk, just giving a perspective.

 

[WingedOx]

I just took a weekend of home call and I needed to ask the intern to repeat stuff a lot because he could never figure out what information was important to tell me and what wasn't with the cases he was calling me about. It was partly me trying to keep up with a mess of a presentation, and partly me being absolutely sure what he was telling me was correct.

 

[Rendar5]

If he comes in to the hospital and is slurring words and has EtOH on his breath then please report the guy to the director. If it’s just over the phone too many possibilities

 

[hamstergang]

I know it's "home call" and that there is a fellow working under the attending. But, this still feels like it's kind of dangerous and could at some point lead to a bad outcome.

I agree that IF he's actually drunk, then it doesn't matter that it's home call or that he's a good educator otherwise -- being drunk is beyond unacceptable here. But, as others have pointed out, we don't know if he actually was drunk.

 

[captaincrunch]

I don't know that these concerns should just be written off. Impaired physicians are more common than you think, and when cases come to light there is often a long history of other people minimizing or hiding the problem. If two different fellows suspect their attending is drunk, they are probably right. We've all called each other when were tired/groggy, and this seems different.

Is there enough for them to report this? Perhaps not. It would certainly create a s***-storm to do it, so I don't think they necessarily should with the evidence provided, but I kinda doubt this is because he uses a CPAP or just caught a flight from out of town.

A lot of good doctors can become impaired (especially if you believe in the disease-model of addiction), so the fact that he's a good attending and educator isn't really persuasive one way or the other. From a legal point-of-view, being impaired while on call is potentially very serious and the consequences would depend on the state, but could easily include mandatory rehab, license suspension, a practice monitor, etc.

The actual risk to patients depends on the field, so a dermatologist being drug on call isn't as dangerous as a transplant surgeon. Nephrology would probably fall in the middle.

 

[smq123]

I don't know that these concerns should just be written off. Impaired physicians are more common than you think, and when cases come to light there is often a long history of other people minimizing or hiding the problem. If two different fellows suspect their attending is drunk, they are probably right. We've all called each other when were tired/groggy, and this seems different.

Is there enough for them to report this? Perhaps not. It would certainly create a s***-storm to do it, so I don't think they necessarily should with the evidence provided, but I kinda doubt this is because he uses a CPAP or just caught a flight from out of town.

A lot of good doctors can become impaired (especially if you believe in the disease-model of addiction), so the fact that he's a good attending and educator isn't really persuasive one way or the other. From a legal point-of-view, being impaired while on call is potentially very serious and the consequences would depend on the state, but could easily include mandatory rehab, license suspension, a practice monitor, etc.

The actual risk to patients depends on the field, so a dermatologist being drug on call isn't as dangerous as a transplant surgeon. Nephrology would probably fall in the middle.

I agree that these concerns shouldn't be written off, but they certainly shouldn't be acted on either. While the attending is apparently slurring his/her words and asking for information multiple times, presumably the advice that he/she gave the fellow was reasonable and made sense. If he/she had suggested something ludicrous, that might be more proof that this particular attending is impaired. I agree with everyone else - it's just not enough evidence to make any accusations at this point.

[I have also been sound asleep at 9PM, as has my physician husband. It's not THAT unusual. At least, I prefer to think that it isn't.]

 

[smq123]

One of the internal medicine attending‘s that I admit to sounds like that all the time when I wake him up at home from the ED for holding orders. It’s because he has a CPAP device and is a really sound sleeper and has trouble waking up. Slurs and repeats questions and is half asleep.

When I was an intern, one of my co-residents called me at 11PM because my OB continuity patient had just showed up to L&D, in active labor. She was calling to let me know that I should get my butt in to the hospital.

I was clearly sound asleep (and NOT inebriated) because my answer was, "smq? I don't know anybody named smq. You must have the wrong number." <click>

It took me about 3 seconds to slowly wake up to the realization that *I* am smq....

 

[ThoracicGuy]

When I was an intern, one of my co-residents called me at 11PM because my OB continuity patient had just showed up to L&D, in active labor. She was calling to let me know that I should get my butt in to the hospital.

I was clearly sound asleep (and NOT inebriated) because my answer was, "smq? I don't know anybody named smq. You must have the wrong number." <click>

It took me about 3 seconds to slowly wake up to the realization that *I* am smq....

Did you get your butt in to the hospital?

 

[smq123]

Did you get your butt in to the hospital?

She called back five seconds later, clearly concerned that I couldn’t recognize my own name. Yes, got there in plenty of time.

 

[FutureInternist]

I once answered my cell while on call and asleep with “Dairy Queen, can I take your order”...
Ahh to be in undergrad again

 

[Crayola227]

I'm not a morning person, so I regularly was slurring my words during AM signout - no one thought I was drinking since I frequently would abstain even during resident get togethers, I just didn't have that reputation. Plus with my relative lack of hygeine as an intern you definitely would have smelled it. It was clear there were days I rolled out of bed for work.
(it helped that everyone was like, "Wow, Crayola, we've never seen anyone this awake at the end of a shift of night float!" So my night owl ways were known)

sometimes I slur my words when my mouth is too damn dry or I have to talk too much

I can think of about 5 different ways that I might sound slurred over the phone to other docs

Maybe the dude needs a mobile phone? Crappy reception at his place? Maybe he takes an Rx med that doesn't impair his ability to practice, but leaves his mouth dry and him slurry? It's a thing, really, people. There's a number of antiepileptics that do this. Nicotine gum has a similar effect. For all you know he's got a mouthful of that. Maybe it's late enough he has his retainers in? Plenty of people that had braces as a kid continue to use them all through adulthood. Some invisalign you only have to wear at night, I think. Maybe he has some teeth whitening trays?

 

[Crayola227]

It's not all or nothing, where you do totally nothing or you report this guy.

Honestly, the most appropriate thing to do here, in absence of any reason to really think he's impaired, is to just say, "Wow, having a hard time understanding you. Did I wake you? Is that your reception?"

If it's more than one fellow, I would just tell the other fellow involved to do the same thing.

That's really how we're supposed to address professionalism concerns about each other with each other, unless it would be unsafe or more appropriate to go above someone.

Perhaps he has a totally reasonable explanation. Perhaps he's having a few drinks on home call and needs a wake up call that it's getting notice, and will course correct.

See if his response necessitates further action. At the end of the day, if you have to, you can out and out ask this doc what's up. But that's nuclear option lite given you're in training. Nuclear is going above him.

I was taught in such a case, it would not be appropriate to bring the concern elsewhere until you had addressed the other physician, barring immediate harm or significant concern about the power structure impeding your ability to address this.

 

[NotAProgDirector]

As mentioned in the post above, this is not an all-or-nothing choice. You have a concern that could be something serious, or could be a misunderstanding. The best plan is to report this to someone for further investigation. Many institutions have an anonymous mechanism for doing so. If not, you could bring this concern to your PD. Doing nothing and assuming someone else will deal with it if it's a real problem is a mistake, because that's likely what everyone else will do. I have seen highly regarded faculty overdose on narcotics in their offices, and afterwards everyone said "I can't believe it could happen to them". It can happen to anyone.

 

[WingedOx]

Honestly, the most appropriate thing to do here, in absence of any reason to really think he's impaired, is to just say, "Wow, having a hard time understanding you. Did I wake you? Is that your reception?"

eh, fair enough.

 

[tsip]

I was taught in such a case, it would not be appropriate to bring the concern elsewhere until you had addressed the other physician, barring immediate harm or significant concern about the power structure impeding your ability to address this.

Yes, that whole post makes a lot of sense and I agree. Thank you. Probably best to just use those lines you suggested if the incident ever repeats itself.

nothing and assuming someone else will deal with it if it's a real problem is a mistake, because that's likely what everyone else will do. I have seen highly regarded faculty overdose on narcotics in their offices, and afterwards everyone said "I can't believe it could happen to them". It can happen to anyone.

Very true, and it's why I was concerned. My sister is a nurse in Maryland and there was a situation a little while ago where a fellow was found overdosed on heroin in a motel room. Luckily he survived, but there were little warning signs here and there that something was going wrong, but overall he was a hard working, competent physician by all accounts.

 

[Bacchus]

All the incidents occurred in the early evening. Before 9pm. I am just going off of what the conversation between my spouse and the other fellow was. They were both pretty certain they were speaking to someone who was drunk. I don't know if there was more to it than the slurred speech and slowness.

However, these replies make it clear that there absolutely could be other explanations, and we might be jumping to conclusions.

On my long days, when I get up between 515 and 530 to go workout and then see patients until 7pm, I get home, shovel something "healthy" in my mouth and fall asleep before 9.

 

[EyeGuy15]

This thread should be closed.

This is a spouse of a physician. This person's opinion is irrelevant and worthless. They clearly do not have a clue the myriad of situations a doctor could "sound drunk", when in actuality it may be due to many things, namely being exhausted. Or how about having a bad day (because every doctor has them) on top of whatever personal issues a person may be going through on that given day, and just being "out of it". Maybe the OP is a physician, but I doubt it. Either way, the OP should learn basic concepts of human behavior. You cant judge any person by what they sound like on the phone, regardless of what time it is. This is even more true for physicians. Medicine is not a 9-5 job. You wake a doctor up from much needed sleep at any time of the day, and that doctor may come off a million different ways.

This is an attending physician who the OP has had minimal to no interaction with, and they are trying to make judgments based off a phone conversation that they were not even a part of. No one on this site should be allowed to even remotely make an accusation against any physician, based off second hand information. The physician is not identifiable with this post, but unless this is curbed asap, someone who is in the same position will make the mistake of posting about a situation and be too specific about who is involved. A doctor having to deal with some random spouse of a resident posting on a busy website is unacceptable.

If you're not the doctor who handled the call and especially if you're not in medicine, know your roll and don't post this nonsense. Your spouse didnt' feel like this was an issue, so you need to focus on whatever it is your career is (assuming you have one), and stay out of the complex world of being a physician. Lay people speaking on how a doctor should act at any given moment is a joke. Spouse's (especially those who aren't in medicine) constantly post on this site acting like they have a clue about the world of medicine, and it should not be accepted. The poster should be banned. Plain and simple.

"Stay in your lane"

 

[smq123]

This thread should be closed.

This is a spouse of a physician. This person's opinion is irrelevant and worthless. They clearly do not have a clue the myriad of situations a doctor could "sound drunk", when in actuality it may be due to many things, namely being exhausted. Or how about having a bad day (because every doctor has them) on top of whatever personal issues a person may be going through on that given day, and just being "out of it". Maybe the OP is a physician, but I doubt it. Either way, the OP should learn basic concepts of human behavior. You cant judge any person by what they sound like on the phone, regardless of what time it is. This is even more true for physicians. Medicine is not a 9-5 job. You wake a doctor up from much needed sleep at any time of the day, and that doctor may come off a million different ways.

This is an attending physician who the OP has had minimal to no interaction with, and they are trying to make judgments based off a phone conversation that they were not even a part of. No one on this site should be allowed to even remotely make an accusation against any physician, based off second hand information. The physician is not identifiable with this post, but unless this is curbed asap, someone who is in the same position will make the mistake of posting about a situation and be too specific about who is involved. A doctor having to deal with some random spouse of a resident posting on a busy website is unacceptable.

If you're not the doctor who handled the call and especially if you're not in medicine, know your roll and don't post this nonsense. Your spouse didnt' feel like this was an issue, so you need to focus on whatever it is your career is (assuming you have one), and stay out of the complex world of being a physician. Lay people speaking on how a doctor should act at any given moment is a joke. Spouse's (especially those who aren't in medicine) constantly post on this site acting like they have a clue about the world of medicine, and it should not be accepted. The poster should be banned. Plain and simple.

"Stay in your lane"

Whoa. That’s unnecessarily harsh.

The OP may or may not be a physician, but I don’t think it matters. He/she brought up a valid concern and asked for discussion. I don’t know where you’re getting the impression that the OP is going to run and report the attending either.

 

[ThoracicGuy]

This thread should be closed.

This is a spouse of a physician. This person's opinion is irrelevant and worthless. They clearly do not have a clue the myriad of situations a doctor could "sound drunk", when in actuality it may be due to many things, namely being exhausted. Or how about having a bad day (because every doctor has them) on top of whatever personal issues a person may be going through on that given day, and just being "out of it". Maybe the OP is a physician, but I doubt it. Either way, the OP should learn basic concepts of human behavior. You cant judge any person by what they sound like on the phone, regardless of what time it is. This is even more true for physicians. Medicine is not a 9-5 job. You wake a doctor up from much needed sleep at any time of the day, and that doctor may come off a million different ways.

This is an attending physician who the OP has had minimal to no interaction with, and they are trying to make judgments based off a phone conversation that they were not even a part of. No one on this site should be allowed to even remotely make an accusation against any physician, based off second hand information. The physician is not identifiable with this post, but unless this is curbed asap, someone who is in the same position will make the mistake of posting about a situation and be too specific about who is involved. A doctor having to deal with some random spouse of a resident posting on a busy website is unacceptable.

If you're not the doctor who handled the call and especially if you're not in medicine, know your roll and don't post this nonsense. Your spouse didnt' feel like this was an issue, so you need to focus on whatever it is your career is (assuming you have one), and stay out of the complex world of being a physician. Lay people speaking on how a doctor should act at any given moment is a joke. Spouse's (especially those who aren't in medicine) constantly post on this site acting like they have a clue about the world of medicine, and it should not be accepted. The poster should be banned. Plain and simple.

"Stay in your lane"

 

[DrfluffyMD]

Whoa. That’s unnecessarily harsh.

The OP may or may not be a physician, but I don’t think it matters. He/she brought up a valid concern and asked for discussion. I don’t know where you’re getting the impression that the OP is going to run and report the attending either.

I agree with the poster. The witchhunt here is inappriopriate and a physician’s (persumably) nonmedical spouse does not necessarily know enough detail about the service to judge this properly.

 

[smq123]

I agree with the poster. The witchhunt here is inappriopriate and a physician’s (persumably) nonmedical spouse does not necessarily know enough detail about the service to judge this properly.

That's fine if you feel that way. But calling for the OP to be banned? Really??

 

[VA Hopeful Dr]

That's fine if you feel that way. But calling for the OP to be banned? Really??

Especially since the OP specifically ask for advice about what to do and what not to do.

The general feeling was don't do anything. And it sounds like they're not going to do anything. Mission accomplished.

 

[ThoracicGuy]

I agree with the poster. The witchhunt here is inappriopriate and a physician’s (persumably) nonmedical spouse does not necessarily know enough detail about the service to judge this properly.

The OP's prior post history suggests he/she is in medicine as well.

 

[DrfluffyMD]

That's fine if you feel that way. But calling for the OP to be banned? Really??

This is a career ending accusation that the OP made.

 

[Mad Jack]

This thread should be closed.

This is a spouse of a physician. This person's opinion is irrelevant and worthless. They clearly do not have a clue the myriad of situations a doctor could "sound drunk", when in actuality it may be due to many things, namely being exhausted. Or how about having a bad day (because every doctor has them) on top of whatever personal issues a person may be going through on that given day, and just being "out of it". Maybe the OP is a physician, but I doubt it. Either way, the OP should learn basic concepts of human behavior. You cant judge any person by what they sound like on the phone, regardless of what time it is. This is even more true for physicians. Medicine is not a 9-5 job. You wake a doctor up from much needed sleep at any time of the day, and that doctor may come off a million different ways.

This is an attending physician who the OP has had minimal to no interaction with, and they are trying to make judgments based off a phone conversation that they were not even a part of. No one on this site should be allowed to even remotely make an accusation against any physician, based off second hand information. The physician is not identifiable with this post, but unless this is curbed asap, someone who is in the same position will make the mistake of posting about a situation and be too specific about who is involved. A doctor having to deal with some random spouse of a resident posting on a busy website is unacceptable.

If you're not the doctor who handled the call and especially if you're not in medicine, know your roll and don't post this nonsense. Your spouse didnt' feel like this was an issue, so you need to focus on whatever it is your career is (assuming you have one), and stay out of the complex world of being a physician. Lay people speaking on how a doctor should act at any given moment is a joke. Spouse's (especially those who aren't in medicine) constantly post on this site acting like they have a clue about the world of medicine, and it should not be accepted. The poster should be banned. Plain and simple.

"Stay in your lane"

Things can still be learned from threads like this. The purpose of a thread is not just to address the OP, but to provide information for others on how to handle similar situations should they arise in the future

 

[Mad Jack]

I agree with the poster. The witchhunt here is inappriopriate and a physician’s (persumably) nonmedical spouse does not necessarily know enough detail about the service to judge this properly.

OP is a physician iirc

 

[ThoracicGuy]

This is a career ending accusation that the OP made.

And yet it was brought here for discussion, not called to the department chair. So I'm pretty sure no career ending accusation was formally made.

 

[DocVapor]

Person comes with a legitimate worry about an individual's actions that could lead to significant patient harm and asks for advice, gets good advice to not take any action, and does not appear to take any action. No one harmed. Others likely learned from reading thread and will apply said knowledge if situation arises for them in the future.

Well done, SDN. This is why you're such a valuable site.

Later, individuals ride in on a white horse after thread seems to be over and without apparently reading the thread start making insults, minimizing the OP, and asking for bans and thread closure.

/I guess good things can't last forever.

 

[gutonc]

 

[IM2GI]

Pretty sure you could probably be drunk and still handle nephrology home call.

 

[Crayola227]

Pretty sure you could probably be drunk and still handle nephrology home call.

 

[VanDiemen]

Pretty sure you could probably be drunk and still handle nephrology home call.

I can't even understand renal physiology when I'm sober; after a few drinks I can't imagine working up some weird electrolyte issue.

 

[Raryn]

I can't even understand renal physiology when I'm sober; after a few drinks I can't imagine working up some weird electrolyte issue.

Eh. Order the electrolyte as well as creatinine and osmolality in both serum and urine. Repeat in AM.

 

[SterlingMaloryArcher]

This thread should be closed.

This is a spouse of a physician. This person's opinion is irrelevant and worthless. They clearly do not have a clue the myriad of situations a doctor could "sound drunk", when in actuality it may be due to many things, namely being exhausted. Or how about having a bad day (because every doctor has them) on top of whatever personal issues a person may be going through on that given day, and just being "out of it". Maybe the OP is a physician, but I doubt it. Either way, the OP should learn basic concepts of human behavior. You cant judge any person by what they sound like on the phone, regardless of what time it is. This is even more true for physicians. Medicine is not a 9-5 job. You wake a doctor up from much needed sleep at any time of the day, and that doctor may come off a million different ways.

This is an attending physician who the OP has had minimal to no interaction with, and they are trying to make judgments based off a phone conversation that they were not even a part of. No one on this site should be allowed to even remotely make an accusation against any physician, based off second hand information. The physician is not identifiable with this post, but unless this is curbed asap, someone who is in the same position will make the mistake of posting about a situation and be too specific about who is involved. A doctor having to deal with some random spouse of a resident posting on a busy website is unacceptable.

If you're not the doctor who handled the call and especially if you're not in medicine, know your roll and don't post this nonsense. Your spouse didnt' feel like this was an issue, so you need to focus on whatever it is your career is (assuming you have one), and stay out of the complex world of being a physician. Lay people speaking on how a doctor should act at any given moment is a joke. Spouse's (especially those who aren't in medicine) constantly post on this site acting like they have a clue about the world of medicine, and it should not be accepted. The poster should be banned. Plain and simple.

"Stay in your lane"

Couldn't have said it better.

 

[SterlingMaloryArcher]

Eh. Order the electrolyte as well as creatinine and osmolality in both serum and urine. Repeat in AM.

Lol they keep that written on a note-card to look at and cite verbatim if called.

 

[Crayola227]

Lol they keep that written on a note-card to look at and cite verbatim if called.

It's actually the message on the answering machine. You just don't know that you're going straight to voicemail when you hear it. Might explain why the conversation seems so off.

 

[ThoracicGuy]

Couldn't have said it better.

 

[smq123]

Couldn't have said it better.

I sincerely hope that you're being sarcastic.

 

[EyeGuy15]

I sincerely hope that you're being sarcastic.

Why? You don't understand how absurd it is to accuse a physician of being inebriated on the job when the accuser never actually personally interacted with them? If the doctor who actually interacted with the attending posted a genuine concern, that would be one thing. A second-hand account (spouse) of the conversation(s) that have occurred is worthless and irresponsible. People post enough on these forums that even when they try to be anonymous, a little investigative work can figure out who they are (based on previous posts and/or information given in posts). A person posting on this site and potentially ruining a physicians career based off conversations that they were never part of is absurd. There have been plenty of instances on this site where someone attempted to remain anonymous with a situation and a little google searching figured out exactly who they were.

I genuinely question SDN if an administrator struggles to grasp this basic concept. If you are going to level a career (and life) altering accusation on a public forum, it shouldn't be based off second information. Simple concept.

 

[hamstergang]

Why? You don't understand how absurd it is to accuse a physician of being inebriated on the job when the accuser never actually personally interacted with them?

Um, it's not the OP who thought the attending was drunk -- it was 2 of the fellows who actually spoke to him on the phone.

 

[EyeGuy15]

Ummmm. Then maybe the fellows should post if this is really a concern and the poster should NOT BE SOMEONE WHO NEVER ACTUALLY SPOKE WITH THE ATTENDING IN QUESTION?

 

[VA Hopeful Dr]

Ummmm. Then maybe the fellows should post if this is really a concern and the poster should NOT BE SOMEONE WHO NEVER ACTUALLY SPOKE WITH THE ATTENDING IN QUESTION?

The OP was asking for general advice based on what spouse and another fellow thought.

It was not "how do I report this person" or "how do I ruin their career", it was "what should my spouse do in this situation".
The answer they got was essentially "do nothing" which they accepted and that's the end of it.

Not sure why this completely rational and appropriately ending scenario got your panties in such a bunch but this seems like a fine ending with SDN doing it's job just fine.

 

[ThoracicGuy]

The OP was asking for general advice based on what spouse and another fellow thought.

It was not "how do I report this person" or "how do I ruin their career", it was "what should my spouse do in this situation".
The answer they got was essentially "do nothing" which they accepted and that's the end of it.

Not sure why this completely rational and appropriately ending scenario got your panties in such a bunch but this seems like a fine ending with SDN doing it's job just fine.

Maybe this guy has some issues of his own. His responses certainly are over the top.