Question

WA 5 OR WA 6--Choose ONE topic from a) to f) Choose only ONE topic from either one of the Module headings, and write an essay of at least 500 words with a heading, and page numbering in the upper right-hand corner that starts with a 2 on the second page of text. Module 5: THE GOOD DOCTOR a) Write from the point of view of the patient Richard Selzer calls "The Discus Thrower." Write a memoir or an essay, and have the patient tell the reader who he is, how he ended up in this hospital in his state of health, and how he feels about his situation. b) These readings look inside the doctor's mind and heart. How do you process these readings? What do you think after reading these sensitive writings: Are there only a few doctors like this? Do doctors start out this way and change along the way? Do they write this way but behave differently? (You don't have to answer all these questions; they just serve to make you think.) Write an essay in which you discuss this topic. c) You have seen many of the good doctors in the Modules. If you could have the doctor of your dreams, would you want what Anatole Broyard wants? Would you want the doctor to be an artist and a scientist? Would you want a Patch Adams? Would you want a Richard Selzer or a William Carlos Williams? A Dannie Abse, a Jack Coulehan? Discuss your ideas in an essay. Module 6: HOW DOCTORS THINK d) Knowing about the many mistakes doctors and health facilities make, how would you prepare yourself or a relative to cope with having to have major surgery? Discuss your ideas in an essay. e) Imagine that you are a patient with chronic symptoms of illness for which doctors are not finding a diagnosis? Of course, if you are in pain and discomfort, you might also feel depressed. It is difficult to keep searching for a diagnosis when you are feeling debilitated by illness and stress, and you are getting multiple diagnoses from doctors...or you are being rejected by doctors. So, what would you do to try to find out what is wrong with you, so you can get well or at least learn how to manage your symptoms? Discuss your ideas in an essay. f) Imagine that you are a hospital administrator designing a plan to reduce the number of mistakes doctors and/or health care professionals make during surgery. What type of plan would you develop? Discuss your ideas in an essay or in a report to your hospital.

Answer 1

Module 6

d) Knowing about the many mistakes doctors and health facilities make, I would prepare my relative to cope with having to have a major surgery by giving him a proper introduction of the flaws in patient safety during surgery. I will also give him proper education about patient strategies to prevent surgical errors by doctors and other healthcare staff including the preop and postop errors. Since I am also a part of the healthcare service, I would like to prevent any surgical casualties caused due to any erroneous practice or service provided by surgeons or other healthcare professionals, at any cost. I will also advise the patient on various patient safety organizations (PSO) including that of WHO, World Alliance for Patient Safety.

Some common mistakes or erroneous practices of healthcare professionals include but are not limited to and strategies to prevent:

• Identification error, which leads to operating the wrong patient. In such cases, wrong medical record details could lead to ID error and operating a patient who doesn't need surgery. To avoid this, the patient should make sure to verify patient ID and other MR details in his presence by the surgeon.
• Identification of wrong body part by the surgeon. To avoid this, the patient should make sure to verify MR details about the part to be operated. The usual discrepancies include right/left extremity and upper/lower extremity.
• Removing a patient's breathing tube early before proper status assessment. This is a matter to be taken care of by the patient's bystander/family member.
• Forgetting to remove or leaving a urinary cath in for a prolonged period. This should be dealt with by having the concerned healthcare professional check it daily.
• Forgetting to wash hands when latex gloves are worn. A proper hospital and good surgeon should be chosen as a precaution.
• Infections spread through ventilators. Proper healthcare facility with sufficient infrastructure and well-educated healthcare professionals should be chosen as a precaution.
• Prescribing wrong dosages and wrong medications, which is the most common medical error and could be fatal. A hospital with a good reputation, highly qualified professionals, and ample staffing should be chosen as a precaution.
• Leaving foreign objects like surgical instruments inside a patient's body. In this case, the healthcare professionals are to check instrument/sponge count before and after surgery. As a precaution from the patient's side, he can always opt to have the surgery done in a hospital with a good reputation, highly qualified professionals, and ample staffing.
• Dismissing a patient's symptoms preop or postop, which leads to other complications. A hospital with a good reputation, highly qualified professionals, and ample staffing should be chosen as a first-level precaution. The patient's family member should also be present with him while having preop and postop evaluations to ensure that the patient is receiving treatment based on his subjective symptoms.
• Over-treatment by prescribing medications, procedures, and test that they don't really need. The patient/family member should be cautious with this practice. They should be able to identify the unnecessary remedies offered.
• Following another physician's wrong advice without a second thought.  The patient/family member should be cautious and they should make the physician verify it.
• Improper and inefficient hygienic practices, which could lead to surgical wound infections.  A hospital with a good reputation, highly qualified professionals, and ample staffing should be chosen as a precaution.