More accurately: "He has a pet goldfish which is in good health, save for its memory, which appears to disappear every 15 seconds or so, or approximately upon each trip around the goldfish bowl."
Ah, you forget that it isn't whether you practice good medicine; it's whether the patient marks you all Excellents on the survey. Asking those personal questions, including the pets, get the Excellents. Finding the solution to the chief complaint -- might not get those Excellents.
i ask about pets in the home, which yields a fountain (or bowl) of clinical pearls....
trip hazard? able to attend to pet needs? (cognitive, financial, etc) who can I call (about pet care handoff) if the patient is to be admitted?
while pets are part of some families, but maybe not most appropriate to list under "family history" ((I add to "social hx", on the other hand, goldfish would be tails and fins above some of my family members.... - old PA
Don't forget the sweet old lady whom Dr. Grumpy noticed forgetting to take her medicine suddenly! He discovered that she had been timing her med doses upon her dog's regular habits of going outside, but the dog suddenly died, leaving her to forget to take her pills! So in her case, a medical history of her dog would have been useful!
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11 comments:
Father at 98
Mother at 99
Patient is 86
I always wondered what the relationship was to that entire line of questioning.
OH THANK GOD!
But it leads a life of quiet desperation.
If this were House, MD, then the goldfish would turn out to be key to the diagnosis...
whew...glad to hear that...was worried about Goldie....
More accurately: "He has a pet goldfish which is in good health, save for its memory, which appears to disappear every 15 seconds or so, or approximately upon each trip around the goldfish bowl."
I have the same kind of cataracts as my dog. And yes, I told my optometrist. He did not seem impressed.
Ah, you forget that it isn't whether you practice good medicine; it's whether the patient marks you all Excellents on the survey. Asking those personal questions, including the pets, get the Excellents. Finding the solution to the chief complaint -- might not get those Excellents.
i ask about pets in the home, which yields a fountain (or bowl) of clinical pearls....
trip hazard?
able to attend to pet needs? (cognitive, financial, etc)
who can I call (about pet care handoff) if the patient is to be admitted?
while pets are part of some families, but maybe not most appropriate to list under "family history" ((I add to "social hx", on the other hand, goldfish would be tails and fins above some of my family members.... - old PA
Don't forget the sweet old lady whom Dr. Grumpy noticed forgetting to take her medicine suddenly! He discovered that she had been timing her med doses upon her dog's regular habits of going outside, but the dog suddenly died, leaving her to forget to take her pills! So in her case, a medical history of her dog would have been useful!
Does Ed need a date?
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