Epocrates Online

Saturday, February 25, 2006

A morale boost

Mr F that I bolgged last month Is back to the common general surgical ward and is in a very positive mood and relatively in good shape. Congratulates to all helth care workers who involved in taking care of him!

He was transfered back from plastic surgical. The plastic team had done a marvelous job. He last a lower limb, injured his genitalia, losses part of his bowel, losses more then 20kg but he has his life back and his lovely wife (a staff nurse) is doing a good job keeping him in a good shape (physically and mentally).

I went to visit him last week when my surgical colleague informed me that he is back to their ward. He is cheerful now compare to when we transfered him out from ICU. I think finally he sees and focus on what he have got rather then what he had lost. He is ready to embark on his next phase of life which I worried he might not be able to cope. I'm not worry now.

Godspeed and God bless u Mr F.

Friday, February 24, 2006

To wear (white coat) or not to wear?

This white coat thingy has been dragging too long...

I blogged about this earlier here and here... Recently MMR also blogged about this issue again.

Noted this piece of news tonight: "BMA to doctors: abandon bug-spreading ties".

LONDON (Reuters) - Doctors should stop wearing ties and traditional white coats to work because they might be responsible for spreading deadly hospital superbugs, according to a report on Monday.

The British Medical Association (BMA), which represents three-quarters of the country's doctors, said ties performed no beneficial function in treating patients and, as they were rarely washed, were a potential bug haven.

In Britain alone, up to 5,000 people every year are killed by hospital infections such as MRSA (methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus), costing the state-funded National Health Service as much as 1 billion pounds a year, the BMA said.

Washing hands properly was the most important action medical staff could take to help stop the spread of the so-called superbugs.

However other steps, such as doctors abandoning ties and other "functionless" clothing, could also help minimise the risk, said Peter Maguire, deputy chairman of the BMA's board of science.

"Hand-washing, wearing clothes that minimise the spread of infection such as clean, closely woven cotton, and stopping wearing ... functionless clothing such as ties will make a huge difference," Maguire added.


When will our Mr DG wake up and stop pressuring all of us to wear a white coat like him? Free use from this bug carrier job!

BTW, I do have a new whitecoat now and it is always hanging in the call room (just in case). I'm still wearing scrub shirt with name tag (top it up with a smile) whenever I go out of OT or ICU to see patients in the wards.

Wednesday, February 15, 2006

Kek Lok Shi at night during CNY

Kek Lok Shi at night. Isn't this a great view?

Tuesday, February 14, 2006

weirdo

I was covering a private hospital's emergency dept (ed) few days back. At 5 am in the morning, a 30ish lady came in, ask for antibiotic for her 'going to come' UTI...

Well, this lady said she had recurrent UTI before, so she knows that when 'it is coming'. At that time, she had no UTI symptoms yet, on examination there was nothing to suggest any infections going on from head to toe. Urine FEME is perfectly normal, but she said she knows she is going to get it soon, so she wants antibiotic coverage before the UTI strike! (she already had all the other popular drugs for symptomatic relief of UTI) Man, at 5am in the morning!

This reminded me of the famous aunty lilian's antibiotic story... :)

While I was explaining to her that she is okay and doesn't have UTI at the moment and sugested her to see the in-house urologist in the morning, I got a called from the ward that a young girl's BP crashing. So I write her her prescription and ask her to wait for me if she needs to clarify about her condition.

By the time I came back resuscitating the young girl in the ward, she had left the ED.

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