Tag Archives: medical system failure

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Passe

Today’s Ragtag Daily Prompt is anachronism. I guess that would be Helen Burling Ottaway’s watercolors, since an AI can do them, and my work as a physician. The American Academy of Family Practice (AAFP) wrote: “So, the AAFP looked into an AI assistant for clinical review that can “pull the data together in a problem-oriented manner and give you a snapshot of exactly what’s going on with your patient without having to search and click and find things.”

Um. Ok, I am thinking of a patient who was about to be transferred from our small hospital to a bigger one. His notes came across my desk. I called the hospitalist. No less then four physicians during the hospitalization, starting with the emergency room physician, had written that his abdomen was “flat, soft, non-tender, no masses”. What this told me was that 1. Not one of them had done an exam. 2. Not one of them had read my notes nor the surgeon’s notes. 3. The bigger hospital was going to laugh themselves silly if they did an exam. Why? He had an 8 by 8 inch enormous umbilical hernia present for 20+ years, which had not gotten fixed yet because of other medical issues.

Great. So let’s make it worse by having an AI pick out what is important from the patient record and have it make up exams, which people are too lazy to do. Physicians are too lazy to do. People, you had better read every single note your doctor or nurse practitioner or physician’s assistant writes, because you want to go on record in writing when they get it wrong. It is an absolute horror show. Read your notes, because your doctor is most likely not reading the notes from the specialists. I find it amazing, horrifying and sloppy.

I learned to paint watercolors from my mother. I am not primarily an artist, but I learned all sorts of techniques from her. We do not learn from plugging an idea into a computer. We learn from doing. And yes, it is work to learn techniques, but it is worth it!

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Integrated behavioral health

The buzzwords now in Family Medicine. Integrated behavioral health in primary care. I am finding it a bit annoying.

Integrated does not mean race in this context. It just means the clinic should have a behavioral health person.

I suppose that is a good idea maybe, or might seem like one. But what do they think I have been doing for thirty years? Ignoring behavioral health?

Really, primary care is half or more behavioral health, if a primary care doctor gives people time and pays attention. People have an average of 8 colds a year. Why do they come in for cold number 4 if it is no worse than all the others? Because the cold in not really why they are coming in. The cold is the excuse. Notice that the person is there, that they are not that sick, that they do not care that you are not going to prescribe antibiotics.

I have my hand reaching for the door when an older patient says, “May I ask you something?” She came in for something that she didn’t seem to care about, so I am not surprised. I turn back. “Yes.”

“I have friends, in another state. They had a baby. The baby is very disabled.”

I sit down. This is more than 15 years ago, so I do not remember what the baby had. Hydrocephalus. Cerebral palsy. Something that requires multiple doctors and physical therapy and the parents are grieving.

“What bothers me most is that they have to struggle so much for services. There is very little support and very little money set aside. One of the parents has quit their job. It is a full time job taking care of this child and they are frightened about the future. Is this really what it’s like?”

And that is the real reason for the visit. “Yes,” I say. “It can be very difficult to access services, you have to track down the best people in your area, some physicians won’t pay much attention and others are wonderful. And the same with physical therapists and everyone else. Tell them to find some of the other parents of these children. Get them to recommend people. And the parents have to be sure to take care of themselves and each other.”

She frowns. “It’s a nightmare. Their life completely changed from what they thought. First baby. And it is overwhelming.”

“I am sorry. You are welcome to come back and ask me questions or just talk.”

“Thank you. I might.”

“Do you need a counselor?”

“No, I’m fine. I am just worried about them and feel helpless.”

“It sounds like staying in touch is the best thing you can do.”

“Ok.”

The true reason for the visit is often something entirely different from what the schedule says. Sometimes people are there without even knowing why they came in. “Can I ask a question?” That is key. Saying to see people for one thing is criminal and terrible medicine and makes behavioral health worse. There is so much we can do in primary care just by listening for these questions and making time for them.

I have nothing against adding a behavioral health person to the clinic. They talked about “embedding” a behavioral health person in each group of soldiers back in 2010, when I worked at Madigan Army Hospital for three months. I always pictured digging a hole in my clinic floor, capturing a counselor, and then cementing them in the hole. I would have to feed them, though. I always thought that was sort of a barrier. One more mouth to feed. I found it more useful to contact counselors, ask what they wanted to work with, learn who knew addiction medicine, learn who was good with children or families or trauma. And ask patients to tell me who they liked and why. I integrated behavioral health in my community, not just in my clinic, because there is no one counselor who is right for everyone.

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On covid-19

I am going to post a series of short essays I wrote on another site at the end of 2020. Because we have to work together and these are relevant. I will post one every day or two.

From Tuesday November 24, 2020:

I have just had a call asking for a Covid-19 test.

Not for symptoms.

Nope. Traveled from Washington to California with a buddy and “My sister thinks I should be tested.”

Me: “Oh, does your sister want you tested before you come to Thanksgiving?”

Patient: “Uh, I think so.”

Me: “First of all, the priority is for people who have symptoms or have been exposed. Secondly I am not ordering a test for someone who has no symptoms, chose to travel and then thinks it’s ok to go to a Thanksgiving dinner in another household if they get a negative. It’s not ok. You can test negative one day and be shedding virus the next. The quarantine after exposure is 14 days. The medical advice from the CDC, from the surgeon general and from me is STAY HOME.”

Others are asking for antibody tests. We don’t know if the antibodies mean you aren’t infectious. We don’t know how long they last. Typically with other covid viruses they don’t last long. In contrast, chicken pox virus gives lifelong immunity. We don’t know if a person can get Covid-19 again, though there have already been some cases. No, I won’t do an antibody test because the person “Just wants to know.”

STAY HOME STAY HOME STAY HOME.

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survived

Pneumonia is weird. I look good after I manage to not die from it. I start going outside a little more and I run in to people. “You look good,” they say.

“I nearly died of pneumonia.” I say.

“….but you LOOK good,” they say, looking confused.

It was weirdest in 2012 and 2014 when I had strep A and sepsis symptoms and couldn’t get any doctor in town to believe me. The out of town Pulmonolgist and Psychiatrist did. The ENT didn’t really care. The Neurologist said that it was not myasthenia gravis or one of those weird muscle diseases. How do you KNOW, I asked. “Your lungs are getting better and they wouldn’t be if it was one of those.” “Oh. So this is just really bad strep A in my muscles.” “Yes.” “And I will get better?” “I think so, eventually.” “But we don’t know and don’t know when.” “Correct.” How non-reassuring. The Infectious Disease doctor said we don’t know how to treat you but you can TRY taking one 250mg penicillin tablet daily. Didn’t work. I got nauseated pretty soon. In contrast to when I have pneumonia and can take 500mg four times a day. It’s ridiculous. The asthma/allergy testing was all negative and after the 2014 round my lungs healed.

I hope they do this time too.

I wonder if people will have the same, “Hey, you look really good,” as much with me being oxygen. Except I have the mask over the oxygen tubing (talk about tangled!!) so they can’t see my face anyhow.

“Hey, how are you?” someone says.

I hold up the oxygen tubing.

“OH.” they say.

“Okay,” I say.

Okay.