doctor disregarding triage decisions - page 2

Department full. 2 new patients arrive with families in tow. #1 SOB with cold symptoms X 1 wk, fed up with being sick. History of Asthma. No Acute Resp. distress. No coughing. Lungs clear... Read More

  1. by Sami*RN
    Jul 17, '02
    originally posted by cen35
    well mass,

    while i am not here to argue with you, because i do agree with you on the doc going out there.......the privacy issue doesn't hold water.

    does being in a hallway on a gurney allow privacy? nope...but it happens everywhere. why? er's in this country have become overinundated with the demand for healthcare. the sick, the lame and the people using it in place of the pmds office.

    as far as the joint commision goes? there is not an er i haven't been in or seen, that does not list all the patients last names, and complaint on a big ole dry erase board. this board is usually visible to every person with eyesight also. i know as a fact that breaches the joint commision's policies, regarding patient confidentiality.
    i'm not being difficult, but this doesn"t happen everywhere. it was completely inappropriate to question a patient in the wr. just because lots of er's do things a certain way, doesn't make it right. the privacy issue would carry weight and does all the time.

    i'm not saying i work in a perfect er, but we don't use dry erase boards, pts. names are not visible to others and we don't question pts. in front of the entire wr. unlike many er's we have rooms with doors, a computer system only accessible with a password, and we don't sit people on guerneys in the hallway. we're not some backwoods er either, we're a level 1 trauma center. luckily, our drs. are educated enough not to break confidentiality by questioning in the wr.

    i don't know this dr. or the situation, so i'm not the judge and jury, but a more appropriate way of handling it would have been for him to take you aside and make his case as to why he felt this patient had an emergent condition that needed immediate attention. sounds like he has some communication issues.
  2. by teeituptom
    Jul 17, '02
    Howdy Yall
    From deep in the heart of Texas

    Always speak softly and carry a 4 iron

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