Surfing the Net...

Names have been changed to protect the innocent...


          What resident blogs ,who has trained at Grady Memorial Hospital, without the obligatory Grady story! Like to hear it ?? Here it goes!! So... it's my clinic day which tends to be pretty full. My ususal 8 patients had shown up. However, the most memorable part of my day was Ms. ummmm let's call her  "Ms. Georgia." She was a forty-something year old, who had a one year history of high blood pressure that was controlled on a medication that she took daily. The conversation...
Ms. Georgia: You my doctor honey? I never met you before!
Me: Yes mam, I am.  I'm Dr. (MedgirlMD) and we will be working together on your health! What brings you in today?
Ms. Georgia: Well, I got pressure (high blood pressure) but that ain't it girl! See I have a rash or something on my thigh. It doesn't itch now but it did a few months ago.
Me:  Can you describe the rash more, such as when  you noticed it and have you had anything like it before?

        We go over more history and description of her rash.We go over her medications. We discuss allergies. I ask whether it was painful or if she had contact with anything in that area of her thigh. I then ask her to disrobe of her pants only and cover herself with the provided gown. I step out of the room to give her privacy. On my return I examine the area of her medial left thigh where she said this rash would be. I found hyperpigmentation (darkening of the skin)  in the area with no exact shape and no depth. No evidence of scratching,  no bumps ... nada! I reassure her that I found nothing there. Given that her description did not yield anything I could suspect as a past rash, I gave her my impression. I tell her that I need to quickly discuss her overall management with my supervising physician and that she could get dressed. I leave the room , do as I planned. I knocked and announced myself...
Ms. Georgia: " Sure honey! Come in !"
I walk in and she is sitting in my chair , on my computer and in her underpants!!  
Me: "Ms. Georgia... what are you doing and why haven't you gotten dressed?"
Ms. Georgia:"I was surfing the net girl! I was checking Bossip! (an internet gossip site) What? I have internet, I just wanted to check something while I waited.

        I then asked her politely to get dressed while I stepped outside the room. I quickly returned to reassure her about her lack of a rash. Refilled her blood pressure medication. I then asked her why she was really on my computer? She said that actually she wanted to look at her medical records and see what I wrote about her. Interesting method aside ... I can understand the effects of these times where patients want access to their medical records on-line. I make sure how to tell her how she can properly access her medical records. Grady is one the few hospitals in the country that actually has electronic medical records for medical personnel to use but not for patients. At least not yet. Who knows what the future will hold. This does raise the question "How can we make our patients feel more informed and empowered?" What I am sure of is that I would rather that my patient not surf the net on my computer in her undies during her medical visit. Oh well! We can learn from anything ! SMH

Any interesting occurrences at your job??