I've always wondered myself

This article from the Wall Street Journal made me drudge up thoughts about some of the Hotel patients and other surgeons.

One patient had a common ailment that we see at the Hotel. It is always has the potential to be dangerous, even when it doesn't appear to be. It hides in the body and while we see the disfiguring side in nursing, mostly pressure sores, it's an illness that often requires the participation of multiple disciplines, ranging from plastic surgery (our most common), infectious disease, orthopedics, and sometimes even hematology/oncology.

People want to know what will happen and when one particular doctor gave his take of the situation, they called him "Debbie Downer". I explained to the patient (and the relatives) that this is not to scare them, but to tell them the truth. Informed consent really is a good thing, and sometimes, I spend way more time talking to patients after they hear life-changing news, and they ask the what, where, and why questions. Often, they just don't want to believe that one doctor.

However, our surgeon wasn't the only one. He also consulted with orthopedics. The patient was offered a procedure that was not acceptable. The other option was two different procedures: a hemipelvectomy or a girdlestone, but the patient wouldn't consent to those, either.

Our surgeon took the patient to the OR, since he/she agreed to the odds. The odds were not on their side. There was no miracle. The procedure could not be completed. We are pretty much where we started.

Now we wait to see what happens. Some things are just not what they seem, so being informed is a very good thing.

And tell us what you really think?

I know a lot of good folks come to us from At Your Cervix. The author doesn't mince words when she discusses a recent conference.

You go, girl. Tell it, because no one else will. We can't just do it because we've always done it that way.

Yes, EBP is a big hairy deal in the nursing world. And dosed with a healthy helping of common sense, it's a very good thing.

More later...