Bedside

"Time with the patient will remain the currency of medical care." - Leon Eisenberg

I recently admitted a patient from clinic whose medical problems I understood simply by looking at the chart. While he was being transported from the clinic to the hospital, I wrote most of my admission note. Upon hearing the sign-out from the attending, I knew what our plan would be. But when I saw the patient, I pulled up a chair and chatted with him and his daughter for half an hour. Much of it was that the service was slow and I had time to do so. And it was such a breath of relief. It felt good. The best part of my day is talking to patients, and in an era where medical care is limited to 15 minute office visits, patients like this luxury.

I didn't learn much that changed my direct medical care. But I listened to how the patient's disease was affecting him. I asked about his social history (though I had read the note from our transplant social worker) and inquired about his 3 marriages, his immigration from Cambodia, and his financial situation. I stopped worrying about time-constraints and just enjoyed the presence and role of being a doctor. It's the end of intern year - time to unfetter myself from being bogged down by scut and to take care of people.