The Patch

The study of medicine often leads one astray from the core reason for being in this field...the patient. It seems that patient centered care should be obvious and practiced daily.

Alas, it is not. Too many times we forget that the patient has not been to medical school and that it is important to be sure they understand what it is that we are trying to accomplish "with" them. it is, in the end, a cooperative venture that involves...not demands, the participation of the patient in everything we do. Simplifying the terminology and guiding the patient thru the process of "compliance" is the easy answer, but difficult to implement in a busy medical practice.

The Patch

During a patient's two week follow-up appointment with his cardiologist, he informed me, his doctor, that he was having trouble with one of his medications. "Which one?" I asked. "The patch. The nurse told me to put on a new one every six hours and now I'm running out of
places to put it!" I had him quickly undress and discovered what I hoped I wouldn't see. Yes, the man had over fifty patches on his body!

Now, the instructions include removal of the old patch before applying a new one. (From Dr. Rebecca St. Clair, Norfolk, VA)