I had my first complaint this week. Or at least I think it was for me. And I don't think it was deserved.
I saw a patient the other day, something like a 29 year old female complaining of chest discomfort, squeezing in character associated with shortness of breath. I saw her a bit later in the afternoon and came into the OPD with an ECG in hand.
Nada, sinus rhythm, non specific ST and T wave changes (for lay speak, perfectly ok).
During the interview, I found out she has had this complaint fairly recently, she recently took the bar and was awaiting the results, and the night prior, she got into an argument with his brother.
No history of heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, and the like.
I pretty much came up with an anxiety reaction or a hyperventilation syndrome.
Sure, sure, it still could have been something more severe like a heart attack and the like but practicing here in the Philippines have forced doctors to sharpen their clinical skills and all the years of internships (though not much yet) told me that this was nothing like that. I could never, in my right mind, order for stress testing, angiograms or even cardiac enzymes for a clinical setting like that.
So I proceeded into what was like a 15-minute discussion of her symptoms, explained that her ECG was ok, and advised her to come back should she have any further problems.
I asked her if she had any questions, and she told me she was fine.
The next morning, while at the ER, the nurse received a call from the insurance coordinator relaying a complaint that someone consulting for chest pain the day before was not properly diagnosed.
I was pretty certain it was her.
Everybody can't be pleased. Would she have rather welcomed the news that she had coronary blockage rather than an acute stress reaction? And after spending the time I did to explain to her and her boyfriend, the nature of her reaction, I get that?
But I'll take that, 1 undeserved complaint in 4 months from a well-attended patient, that's a pretty good rate, I'd say.
Or maybe some people just have a funny way of saying thanks.
2 comments:
for what it's worth, you are the last person i would think nga dili tarongon ug asikaso ang patient...so boo to her.
it's really weird about patients. there are some that have viral illnesses but they would feel better if you give them ANY medication -- which would, at best, reduce a 7-day illness into a 6-day illness -- than if you just tell them it's self-limiting
there are patients with whom you spend a whole lot of time discussing sleep hygiene and in the end they still just want to be given sleeping pills.
at least it never gets boring :-)
Haha, thank you Mama Gaya, but you're biased.
But it's always nice to know that you're seen as such, even with the bias. Hahaha.
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