Los Gatos ER Physician in the News

[CityofAngelsRN]

Anyone have any thoughts on the ER doctor from Los Gatos who has been all over the news today? Apparently a college student came in complaining of an anxiety attack and according to the news, the patient was "taunted." The patient was asking for pain and anxiety meds. I definitely think this is an example of burnout. It seems like the physician didn't think a visit to the ER was warranted and she was upset because she had sicker people to take care of. I'm not condoning how she handled the situation, I just think we really need to address burnout.

EDITED TO ADD VIDEO

[video=youtube_share;aFsADPmU64w]

[LibraSunCNM, BSN, MSN, CNM]

The doctor seemed completely unhinged to me, but that doesn't mean the patient wasn't also being ridiculous. I love that they mention he was "eventually treated for dehydration with IV fluids" as if that vindicated him. Yep, like 99.9% of the rest of the people who walk into the ED.

[Kooky Korky, BSN, RN]

I just watched it. The patient seemed very in control and manipulative. I do wonder, what are the doctors supposed to do in situations like these? Just serve up whatever the patient requests on a silver platter? Aside from grabbing the patient's arm, I don't see that the doctor was anything other than blunt.

She used a forbidden word (it's bleeped out). She mocked him. She told him about her troubles and the troubles of other patients. She heard "narcotics" when the pt did not say that. She ASSumed he wanted narcs and was a druggie.

She could have just done the physical exam, concluded he was not in serious danger, gotten a Psych consult, tried talking to him about his reasons for being in the ER, ordered the fluid - she did apparently think he was in need of it, and ordered some pain med, like OTC stuff. Instead, she was rude.

I think the punishment is somewhat excessive. Maybe a short suspension and counseling would have been enough, not total blacklisting. I also wonder who was taping this. Someone with the patient, I suppose, so no hiding it from the whole world.

I wonder if the pt is OK and what will become of the doc.

[Kooky Korky, BSN, RN]

I watched the video 2x and I have come to the same conclusion: the patient is being ridiculous . For a person who can't inhale, he can certainly talk really well. I know that when I have been to the point where I am unable to breathe easily (I have asthma) I can get maybe 2 words out before I am out of breath. No way was he unable to "inhale" if he can talk that well. The whole thing just has me shaking my head.

The doc maybe should have been a bit less direct but you can see (hear) the frustration she has at that point. Sadly, she'll be the bad guy to a lot of people.

There are, as you know, many lung diseases besides asthma, other reasons for feeling like one can't breathe.

Doc was rude and sarcastic, used a curse word. Someone above stated, correctly, that she lacked courtesy and finesse. She was feeling overwhelmed and overworked and she showed it, sadly. She also might have missed something. Zebras, you know.

[Kooky Korky, BSN, RN]

Zen, it might not be appropriate where you work but it's welcomed at my hospital and I'm thankful it is. Management was being bombarded with nurses coming to them and complaining that nurses, physicians, other staff were behaving inappropriately in numerous different ways. We changed the culture of the hospital by speaking with the coworker first and trying to come up with some kind of educational opportunity that might benefit the unit (or sometimes the entire hospital). We are encouraged to talk to the person first and come up with possible solutions. We would then take those possible solutions to management and often discuss them in UPC meetings. With that being said, if we saw a patient being abused, we would not talk to the nurse first, we would protect the patient by going up the chain of command. I'll watch the video again because perhaps I'm missing something, but her attempting to lift the patient up didn't strike me as assault. Rough? Yes. Assault? No. Again, it's hard to tell in a video so I might be incorrect and apologize if that is the case. If a nurse seems rude or insensitive, I don't think the goal should be to write them up or suspend them but rather to listen, educate, and evaluate. As we all know, not all staff will be open to this and in that case a good old write up will be the way to go. As another poster noted and most of us us know all too well, we get yelled at, cussed at, hit, spit on, etc etc so let's not just throw each other way when we break down. Let's actually help each other to survive this crazy career. Again, not hating, just sharing a possible different way of doing things.

And this was not a nurse. It was a doctor. Just clarifying that. It's nice that coworkers care about each other, but I still think it is ultimately Management's job to deal with staff like this doctor.

[JadedCPN, BSN, RN]

Doc was rude and sarcastic, used a curse word. Someone above stated, correctly, that she lacked courtesy and finesse. She was feeling overwhelmed and overworked and she showed it, sadly. She also might have missed something. Zebras, you know.

Yea after watching the videos and reading some articles, I just can't justify what the doctor did. It was completely unacceptable. That does not mean it isn't understandable, because we have all been in situations where the patient may be demanding and ridiculous and dramatic and a whole bunch of other nonpleasant adjectives BUT...that doesn't mean it is okay to act like this. No matter if this was a 100% known drug seeking annoying GOMER, still doesn't make it okay. And that is coming from a pediatric nurse who firmly believes in the concept of giving patients tough love.

That being said, I also do not think its fair that this one piece of recorded video (by the pt's grandfather, if I remember reading correctly) is what this doctor is going to be judged by because we have all reached our boiling point - yes, it's wrong, but that doesn't mean that is how she always is and that she should be completely blacklisted. But that is where we are at as a technological social media-driven society, unfortunately.

[ILoveHorsesRN, ADN]

This Dr was obviously unprofessional and extremely uncaring and rude. I don't care if she is burned out! If this was a nurse talking to the patient in this manner, the nurse would have been FIRED! I see this Dr was suspended from working at that ER, but i am sure she will work somewhere else very soon.

At this point, she should retire or quit.

[Leader25, ASN, BSN, RN]

Doc was having a bad day, and of course now family suing for $$$$$$.

[BostonFNP, APRN]

It really seems like only part of the story.

[klone, MSN, RN]

. We've had a few faking seizures on us....load up 1mL normal saline...tell them it's Ativan...administer...seizing stopped.

Well, that's kind of illegal.

[BostonFNP, APRN]

Well, that's kind of illegal.

Don't think it's illegal just highly unethical.

[broughden]

I work in the ER. Believe me, this type of patient comes in all ethnicities and genders. It's not a racial thing at all.

If the very FIRST time a provider walks into a room with a nonviolent patient is with a security guard, then yes it very much IS a racial thing.

This is like the ridiculous woman calling the cops on the family BBQ'ing.

[broughden]

From the video that was linked to the only thing I could see wrong was at 3:15 where the doctor swore. Everything else was fine. I don't understand how you get pain from 'anxiety' and I don't understand what the breathing difficulty was.

As far as I can see the doctor was not willing to put up with the BS and reacted accordingly.

Really?

Symptoms such as feeling like you are choking and chest pain are common symptoms of anxiety/panic attacks. Its why myocardial infarctions are often mistaken to be panic attacks in women.