Thursday, July 17, 2008

Blog Watch

I found a new blog that is pretty entertaining. She gives a hilarious recap of the "dying swan". Someone exaggerating their illness by flopping around on the waiting room floor to get in sooner. I felt guilty laughing given the recent death in a New York waiting room but the story is funny none the less. Check out Albinoblackbear at Asystole is the most stable rhythm.
Posted by Ian Furst at 9:06 AM
Labels:

3 comments:

Albinoblackbear said...

Er...yes. I didn't even think of the BAD timing of my post re: dying swans. Allow me to redeem myself.

I have been following the news regarding Esmin Green's death...the video of which I find chilling and disturbing. It seemed to represent a perfect storm of health care/societal issues; bystander effect, overcrowding, under staffing, lack of professional integrity (backcharting), unreasonable patient load, and dangerously long wait times. It is a tragic case all around and my heart goes out to the family and the staff at that hospital.

What happened there is every ER staff members worst nightmare. And unfortunately people die while they wait in Canada too (Surrey, BC, Winnipeg, MB come to mind). And though I don't know the minute details of those cases, if I were a betting woman I would put money down that those folks were not flopping about wailing and panting and creating a scene. They were the ones who (like Mrs. Green) were sitting there quietly, likely trying to hold it together (the REALLY quiet ones scare me the most because they are the ones that are REALLY trying to hold it together).

There are certain prototypes for ER/office patients which seem to be universal and the drama queen, princess, or 'dying swan' is one of them. Certain nights my patience and empathy for those folks runs dry because on the next stretcher over is someone who is truly ill and truly in need of my attention.

I hope I don't still look like a bitter, jaded, crass, evil woman.

:)

ABB

P.S Thanks for the props! Glad you found my blog entertaining. I'm going to peruse yours now.

Go Canada!

July 17, 2008 at 11:48 AM
Rogue Medic said...

The appearance of a lack of caring, that so many anonymous posters criticize, is just a misunderstanding. As ABB points out, these overly dramatic, go to the ED for everything - especially attention, patients deprive the truly sick patietns of the care they need.

July 17, 2008 at 8:51 PM
Ian Furst said...

thanks for the comments. I'd love to say that everytime someone cries wolf in the waiting room the place will hop but it's unlikely in a busy downtown ER where poorly controlled psych illness and addiction are very real factors.

July 20, 2008 at 5:17 PM

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)