November 22nd, 2009 by Happy Hospitalist in Humor, True Stories
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When I initiate final hospital discharge planning, I am making a clinical judgment that the patient is safe to leave the monitored confines of the hospital system. Hospital discharge planning begins on the day of admission.
Good hospitalists are always thinking in their minds how to get the patient safely discharged in the quickest, safest and most efficient way possible.
Sometimes the patient wishes to leave against the medical advice of the physician. Sometimes they refuse to leave at the advice of the physician. And sometimes the physician and patient agree it’s time for the next level of care. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at The Happy Hospitalist*
October 28th, 2009 by DrRob in Better Health Network, Opinion
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They say that breaking up is hard to do
Now I know, I know that it’s true
Don’t say that this is the end
Instead of breaking up I wish that we were making up again
There are times that relationships need to end. Usually something happens to undermine trust; it’s hard to build trust, but it’s very easy to destroy it.
I had a discussion today with the other physicians in my practice as to when patients should be “discharged” from our practice. I have always found it somewhat ironic that we use the term “discharge” when we are basically telling patients we don’t want them to be our patients anymore. Doctors deal with discharges of various sorts – most of which are not pleasant. Here is a dictionary definition of discharge: the emission of pus, mucus, or other liquid from an orifice or from diseased tissue. True, there are other definitions of discharge that don’t cary that connotation (we discharge patients from the hospital), but if I see an appointment on my schedule with the word discharge as part of the reason for visit, I am not excited. I am praying for a no-show. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Musings of a Distractible Mind*
