Doctor tells patient he is doing to die by video link

[fluffythewondercat]

Originally Posted by Piney Creek

My initial reaction was there must have been a time issue. The doctor couldn't get to the patient in time to give the news personally, and he didn't want someone else to do it. You can still give a personal touch over a video link, even if you aren't physically in a room. I think it would have been colder to send someone else to tell the patient.

No, you misunderstand.

There is no geographical proximity issue today with medical care. If you go in for a CT scan today it will be read by someone who could be 3,000 miles away. Radiologists? Who needs a lot of radiologists on staff any more when you can pay a freelancer to interpret a scan?

That doctor on the telepresence robot screen could have been anywhere in California. That's WHY they use robots.

As I said in the beginning, this is the inevitable consequence of belonging to an HMO.

[ClaraC]

Originally Posted by CarnivalGal

The patient and his family had been told many times by many doctors in his actual presence that his condition was terminal. This was not new news to them. I think the family was just hoping that this other doctor would tell them something different than everyone else and were upset when he didn't. They are looking for someone to be angry at.

That. I think that's exactly it. They're trying to kill the messenger. Which, really, I can empathize with in their pain.

But he's not the cause of their pain.

I had a conversation with my doc while we were waiting for some lab results, and he said people more and more want impersonal service providers. More and more, we order online so we don't have to shop, email or text so we don't have to talk, drop and pick up items on our friend's doorsteps so we don't have to interact with a family member who might open the door, get our airline gate passes from a machine.

Except doctors. Doctors are it. We expect them to take a lot of personal time with us, to deliver bad news in person, and in fact, be as empathetic and emotional as a dear friend or family member would be when the news is bad.

And those doctors who are good at that are much more insulated from lawsuits than doctors who don't emote well.

Interesting.