When In Manila, and especially if you’re in a vulnerable position where a loved one is hurt or trying to get medical help, emotions can run high. However, we should always remember that medical professionals are trained for precisely these situations. Recently, a number of doctors have trended on social media because of allegedly mishandling patients. Here’s one post graduate intern’s reply to one such incident:
Source: Marnelli Pineda Pitoy’s Facebook Page
The whole thing reads:
I will share this for the sake of awareness and lessen ignorance. I will share this to counteract the harrassment this person has given to this doctor. FRIENDS PLS TAKE TIME TO READ.
I decided to not reveal the person who posted this because unlike him, I am not a cyber bully.
I decided to keep and still show the logo of the doctor in this picture to defend their institution.
IN MY OPINION:
By the looks of his blazer I know this doctor is a POST GRADUATE INTERN like me. Graduate na. May degree na. Doctor na. Mataas na ang pinagaralan at di mo basta basta masasabing bobo kasi di nya matatapos ang kurso kung mahina ulo niya.
AND LIKE ME, we post grad interns are d front liners in the ER. we are the first ones to talk, interview, examine and attend to every patient. But as Interns, we are still not licensed that’s why we cant give treatment to any patient without supervision. We still need guidance from a higher boss doctor which is either a resident doctor or a higher doctor…a Consultant (specialist). BY LAW, WE ARE REQUIRED TO MOVE UNDER SUPERVISION OF A LICENSED DOCTOR.
That is why every patient we see… We inform our seniors every detail of every patient we have. And update them every now and then regarding the status of every patient.The doctor in this picture is clearly attending to the patient. What else would he be doing standing inside that room?
If that doctor is just killing time and doing non work related stuff on that phone, would he not do that while sitting down to give time for his feet to rest? And if he ever was just using his phone for fun, why would he do it beside a patient?
Do you really think doctors are that stupid to not know it is unethical to open non work related pages on the phone infront of a patient And cause this kind of commotion? We have a one whole subject/class just for that.According to this post the patient’s primary problem was a low oxygen saturation of 39% (probably due to difficulty breathing) This post contained a video and I can clearly say, the patient was DEFINITELY ATTENDED. She has an oxygen mask to her face, an IV on her hand, and a BP at bedside ready to monitor the patient every 15mins. THAT IS OUR ER PROTOCOL FOR PATIENTS COMPLAINING OF DIFFICULTY IN BREATHING. If she was unattended, none of these should be found in the patient. And I also clearly saw in the video that the doctor was indeed texting. BUT NOT FOR ENTERTAINMENT. He is obviously updating the ATTENDING PHYSICIAN (the boss) of the current vital signs and status of the patient. Halata naman kasi sa end ng video someone handed him a paper which obviously was a lab result and he txted while looking at the paper. CLEARLY AN UPDATING ACTION. We intern doctors dont rely on other people’s assessment when we update our boss. We cant just ask the nurses to assess for us because we are reliable to whatever we text or NOT TEXT. Whatever we see or we miss.. Responsibility namin. Pag may hindi kami nabanggit na detalye sa consultant, at importante yun sa pag progress ng pasyente… KAMI MAPAPAGALITAN.
That is why we, ourselves, go to each patient and text updates to the boss while describing the status and appearance of the patient while infront of our own eyes.Kasi pag hindi niyo kami pinatext..
Hindi malalaman ng doctor niyo status niyo. Pag hindi niya alam status niyo. Hindi kayo maasikaso at magagamot.
Pasalamat nga kayo may cellphone na e. Mas mabilis ang pag relay ng update. Hindi na kelangan hintayin na dumating ang consultant sa harap niyo bago kayo maasikaso at mabigyan ng kaukulang gamot.And guys, please stop posting pics of doctors this way. Kami.. WE WORK SO HARD TO PROTECT YOUR IDENTITY AND PRIVACY WHATEVER YOUR DISEASE OR SITUATION IS. Sana man lang gawin nyo din samin yun. RESPETO LANG.
Maraming salamat.
The author of this post later on noted that the doctor involved is already a licensed physician practicing in that province. This doesn’t negate the fact the the doctor has attended to his patient despite cellphone use that is most probably for a legitimate medical purpose.
What do you think about this?
Minsan siguro dapat sa trabaho natin may restrictions rin para di tayo ma-miss interpret ng client natin. I’ve work in hospitals in Manila and abroad. Naging pasyente na rin ako. I worked with different kinds of doctors and yet in different institutions may mga protocols na sinusunod. As I observed sa mga hospitals, we always rely on what technology can bring us today. what I know dapat ang cellphone off limits malapit sa mga machines and monitors ng hospital kasi it can interfere with the readings . Whereas ang paggamit ng cellphone texting somebody in front of a patient and a relative is merely not good lalo na if you don’t explain it to them and they are anxious of what’s happening to their love ones. When a person is anxious, there is an impulse compensatory mechanism to do an immediate action without thinking kasi their focus is their own feelings towards the relative. Kaya booom! nakunan kayo ng picture. Di nyo po masisi ang relative or ang pasyente. Di po lahat ng tao alam ang pinagdadaanan ng doctor sa pag-aaral nila to be in a post graduate until they reach specialist /consultant position sa pilipinas unless sila ay nasa health care profession. Siguro this is a good reminder that patients has rights and meron ding human rights. What we can learn to this scenario is be professional and communicate tactfully to your client. Use of gadget at the bedside to report to your residents, fellows or consultants should be restpectfully informed para di kyo mabastos. Sa totoo lang, marami sa mga doctor sa pinas eh masyadong mataas ang tingin sa sarile (pasintabi po!) Pero marami pa rin naman yung handang tumulong at may dedikasyon sa propesyong sinumpaan nila, those were the kind na nagiging successful… Alam nyo po kesa manggalaiti kayo sa inis… why don’t this serve as a lesson…. saka please… ang tao na may sakit na dinala sa ospital, may pera man o wala eh hindi experimental dummy. Have a heart and be emphatetic… Di ba mas masakit kung alam mo kung ano nangyayari and yet wala ka naman nagagawa?….
Well it’s obvious na hindi alam ng relative nung pasyente yung ganung protocol kaya sya nakapag-react ng ganun. Let’s undestand na ang may pasyenteng nasa critical na sitwasyon ay natural lang na mag-panic. In my opinion dapat ipinapaalam ng mga attending doctors kung ano ang prosesong ginagawa nila gaya ng paliwanag ng doctor na nag-post dito. Sa ganyan kasi madalas nangyayari ang hindi pagkakaunawaan, kulang tayo sa tamang pakikipag-komunikasyon. Syempre kung ano ang nakikita ng mga pasyente o kasama nila yun lang ang pinagbabasehan ng reaksyon nila. Hindi naman siguro mahirap sabihin na “tinitext ko po sa doctor nyo yung status ng pasyente para alam nya at mabigyan kami ng instructions on what to do and what to give the patient habang wala pa siya”. Di ba mas maayos ang ganun? Oh and by the way, based on my own experience, may mga hospital personnel din na may pagka-arogante.
Tama…..minsan kc ung mga kasama oa ng may sakit sobra din mkapag demand at mat mga intern din medyo may kagaspangan rin…0ppps on my own experience ha sa 1st baby k cyempre doon n ak nagpacheck p eversince ng unang prenatal k..mas compyansa ak n alm nila gagawin lalo na highrisk pregnsncy ak..sasabihan ks na musis mtagal pa yan p wede k pang manood ng cne umuwi ng cavite samntalng dinudugo na ak 3 cm na sobrang sakit na…pinpilit k pa rin doon nga ak at sabihan ka cguro may crush daw ak sa doctor na (intern) at that time,.kung d pa ak nskita ng senior staff nurse na pauwi na sana cya at nadaanan ak sa labas naawa sa akin at pinapasok n sk saka lng ak iniintende. Kung wala kang pera, wala kang kilala d ka iintindihin.parehad lng wag tsung naging balat sibuyas minsan ung nasa position din mspagmataas at sa ung nasa situation din na between life and death sensitive….lesson lawakan ang oang unawa ngnbawat isa….
Well said Doc. Marnelli Pitoy