"Um...That Is My Bone"

This week I have witnessed something disturbing and scary with a few of my patients.  However, before I get into my story, let me throw a troubling statistic with you.  In fact it is so unsettling, it may be a little hard to believe.  In an article I read in Health Affairs I found the statement, “We estimate that the annual cost of measurable medical errors that harm patients was $17.1 billion in 2008".

Now there is something very wrong with this statistic…the fact itself is correct, but really what does this say about our medical field.  I am sure that there are many people who have their own stories of errors or possible errors.  Now onto my patient’s story.

 When I arrived at work, I made a list of all the things that I had to do as the resource nurse.  One of the patients had just been admitted and there were a ton of STAT labs that needed collecting.  When I went into the patient’s room and introduced myself, the patient seemed very aggravated about something.  I nonchalantly asked him if there was something wrong.  He started to shake his head, but then stopped and laughed.  “Well yeah there is…I know it’s funny and you will probably laugh and I’m probably making it a bigger deal about it then it should be but something one of the surgeons said left me dumbfounded.”

I laughed…and told him since I was already laughing at him, he should go ahead and tell me.  He laughed.

“The surgeons came in and one started asking me questions.  The other grabbed my left shoulder and started poking and prodding.  He was actually very rough and it hurt a little.  Anyway as I was in the middle of answering a question from the other surgeon…the one with his hands all over me, asked ‘Is this the abscess…gee it’s gotten so much bigger than I thought it was going to be’.”  At this the patient stopped talking and stared at me trying to draw his labs. 

“Well, what did they say after that?” I asked.  

“I looked at him and said, ‘Sir that’s my shoulder bone.  My abscess is actually on my leg!’”  At this I just about died laughing.  The patient stared at me for a minute, and then died laughing with me.

“As the surgeons were leaving they asked me if I had any questions.  ‘Yeah, I do have one.  Please tell me that man is NOT part of my surgery team!’”  With this we both were laughing so hard I just about cried.  I’m just so glad that this patient was paying attention and was able to make sure the surgeons were sure of what they needed to do.