By Barbara Ficarra Today, Kevin Pho, MD writes, “Why can’t young doctors intubate patients correctly? Blame television.” Dr. Pho references a Canadian newspaper where it’s reported that “Many of the doctors in training said they had learned the procedure from watching medical dramas. And a subsequent analysis of the show ER revealed its fictional MDs and nurses performed intubations incorrectly almost every time.” Medical dramas on television are for entertainment purposes. They are not educational…
Read More...Empathy for Family Members
From the Front Lines By Barbara Ficarra, RN, BSN, MPA As nurses we tend to focus on treating a patient’s illness and still show compassion. As a nurse I try to feel the surroundings. I try to sense not only what a patient is going through, but what the family goes through. And yes, I need to avoid being so intertwined with a patient that it becomes emotionally overwhelming. The key is to separate the…
Read More...How to Question Doctors and Nurses — Without “Challenging” Them
By Barbara Ficarra I think there is a huge difference between challenging a doctor or nurse and simply questioning a doctor or nurse. In yesterday’s The Wall Street Journal, in an article titled “Finding a Way To Ask Doctors Tough Questions,” Laura Landro writes: “Despite efforts by advocacy groups and others to empower patients, challenging a doctor or nurse on whether they are correctly doing their jobs remain downright intimidating. Signs and posters in hospitals…
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