Words Patients Just Don't Understand

[gutonc]

As a result, if someone says "I don't know," I'll ask "A day, a week, a month, a year, or 10 years ago?" Seems to work, but takes forEVER.

I'm at the point where I basically just combine the question. "How long have you had this chest pain; hours, days, weeks, months or years?"

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[GeneralVeers]

Patients don't understand that "lumbar puncture" is not the same as "paralyzing you for life".

 

[Dr.Evil1]

For once, I have to disagree with docB. In one book, Corey Slovis and Keith Wrenn wrote that "for any problem, there is a doctor for it. Your job is to find that doctor".

Had a patient this morning that fell 2 weeks ago. Seen at 2 other hospitals, but one stinks of "dumping", as she is uninsured. Short story, cauda equina, now in post-op.

Sometimes starting at square one is the way to go.

Sometimes is the correct word. But for the most part patients will get better care if they consistently go to one hospital, stick with one primary care doctor and follow up in the same ED if they bounce back.

I had a patient a day or so ago with pancreatic CA. She told me she just got discharged 10 days ago and her new bout of vomiting and abd pain began 4 days ago. My records showed that she hadn't been in our hospital system for several months. I asked her where she got her care and she proceeded to list 5 area hospitals and gave me the names of 3 different surgeons. She had probably gotten 5x the necessary workup for her condition and had never developed a rapport with any one physician.

Also it frustrates me when a patient has a chronic medical condition and dutifully follows with 1 hospital and doctor but because they took an ambulance that particular hospital doesn't receive ambulances so they come to me. This usually happens at like 515 pm just after medical records is closed for the day.

 

[kate_g]

has anyone ever had a patient who understands the 1-10 pain scale? I haven't.

But to play the patient for a minute, there's also the fact that the hospital doesn't understand the pain scale - or more correctly, the applicability of the pain scale.

I had really profound vestibular symptoms once - vertigo, nystagmus, uncontrollable vomiting. Thankfully somebody drove me to the ED. The triage nurse asked the inevitable pain rating question. Somehow she just couldn't process my answer of "zero" and "I have never felt worse in my entire life" as compatible statements. Like, if I have no pain then I can't possibly be feeling that bad... (At least the fact that I pretty much threw up right on her got me a bed right away - otherwise I think my "zero" pain might have gotten me relegated to the far corner of the waiting room.)