Source: Almay
How should the worst medical news be conveyed? A recent news story on Medscape described a case in which a specialist used a remote video to inform a patient that he likely had only a matter of days to live. This led to dynamic and often outraged responses in the comments from medical professionals. A strong majority objected to the way the bad news was given. A dentist kicked things off with a simple formulation:
[The doctor] could not treat the lung, but he could treat the dying patient appropriately. The bad lung was attached to a person who was still alive.
A registered nurse was livid:
Ethics is no longer of any importance to the medical profession. But physicians who are devoid of ethical principles today may find that what goes around comes around.
An emergency physician agreed:
Just because you have this capability [to communicate remotely] doesn't mean it's appropriate in all circumstances. The [doctor] should reconsider their approach to discussing emotional topics like this.
A physician assistant saw an ugly trend developing:
This is simply the next step in corporate medicine, where the dollar and bureaucrats call the shots, no matter how tacky it is.
A nurse practitioner agreed and gave a stern warning:
