I can't even imagine what it's like to be a lay person again, with regards to adult medicine. Doctors see things through doctor eyes. Patients and families see things through patient and family eyes. Quite often the two visions are not congruent. And often times, the situation is not helped by partially trained pseudo lay people telling families information that is simply not correct. Let me give you an example of a common patient of mine. This is not an exaggeration.
An 87 year old man transferred for direct admission from a local nursing home.
What I see:
CAD with a hx of CABG (coronary artery disease with a history of coronary artery bypass grafting)
AF (atrial fibrillation)
HTN, uncontrolled (hypertension)
COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease)
DMII (diabetes mellitus type two)
CKD stage IV (chronic kidney disease stage four) baseline glomerular filtration rate of 18
Pacer
PVD (peripheral vascular disease)
GERD (gastroesophageal reflux disease)
OA (osteoarthritis)
Obesity
What the family sees:
Dad/Grandpa was just put into the nursing home a few weeks ago. He's been falling. He tore up his leg a few weeks prior. He just seems so weak. Mom couldn't take care of him. It's only temporary. We are fixing things up at the house so when he comes back it will be safer. This is only temporary. He's been using his walker pretty heavily for the last 6 months. He doesn't move much anymore regardless.
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http://thehappyhospitalist.blogspot.com/2008/09/your-new-home-is-happys-hospital.html
