I also marvel at the fact that regular, educated yuppie-looking people will come back the day after being diagnosed with strep throat because they took their antibiotics and they still feel sick. This happens amazingly often.
I guess that these people are so healthy ordinarily that they have never needed antibiotics and have never felt sick for more than an hour or so at a time.
Lucky them!
5 comments:
It's society, GG.
It's our hurry-up-I-want-it-NOW attitude.
Just like the idiot with 2 week history of back pain asking why the doctor is taking so long.
I had a young (20-something) woman call 9-1-1 and ask to be taken to the ER for her "Strep Throat."
How did she know it was strep? Because she'd been in the ER earlier that morning, had a swab done, and was told it was strep... take one of these pills every 8 hours, until gone...
So she took one. 8 hours later, the strep wasn't gone, so she wants a (free) ride from EMS "so the hospital can give [her] a shot or something."
Your tax dollars at work.
That's why I keep a rhinestone kiddy MAGIC WAND in my locker. With a RHINESTONE TIARA. That way if things don't get better for you RIGHT NOW, I can take it out and do my Glinda the Good Witch imitation and make it alllll better.........!
Teaching on d/c:
"We've diagnosed your problem as "X". You need to take these antibiotics until they are completely gone, regardless of how you feel. And the meds take between 24 and 48 hrs to start working, so you WILL FEEL LIKE CRAP FOR AT LEAST THE NEXT TWO DAYS"
It's amazing how using the word "crap" gets their attention.
Thats why they call 911. They think we will get them a bed sooner and they will be an "emergency" by proxy--not because they actually need urgent help.
If you want 1 on 1 staffing The Happy Hospitalist has a recent post that has suggestions--1 of them includes NOT going to a hospital.
You also have to be willing to PAY for 1 on 1.
My pet peave is working on a drama queen patient while a page goes out for something serious--it always happens sooooo close to where we are, yet we are stuck doing crap duty on a patient that needed a taxi to a their PMD, not an ambulance ride to the ED.
Post a Comment