Patients are kind of like children, they rely on us to keep them out of danger. The problem is, they often have their own ideas about what is dangerous and, unlike a child, you can't just drag them by the ear and tell them "No."
A patient was recently admitted to our hospital for difficulty walking, our initial workup showed that he had a massive stroke. We began our initial protocol: scan the neck for blockage in the arteries, get physical therapy involved, that sort of thing. In the midst of all of this, the patient suddenly demanded to be transferred from our facility to a specialty hospital....a specialty hospital that focused exclusively on heart-related issues (and yes, I know there are certain strokes that are caused by heart problems...this isn't one of them). We tried to explain to the man multiple times that the facility was not equipped to handle his problems as they did not have a neurologist on staff there. Additionally, the hospital would be under no obligation to accept him in transfer as they did not have a specialty that we did not already have. He was adamant, however, ultimately stating "No price is too great when it comes to my life!" (he kinda slurred this...stroke patient, remember?)
To my amazement, the hospitalist at the other facility accepted the patient. The head of my group would have killed me if I pulled that.
#grabshospitalistbyearandsays"NO!"
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