Kris Arden B.

Mangubat

Exercise 5

1. DR. P, an experienced and skilled surgeon, is about to finish night duty at a mediumsized
community hospital. A young woman is brought to the hospital by her mother, who leaves
immediately after telling the ER nurse that she has to look after her other children. The patient
is bleeding vaginally and is in great pain. Dr. P examines her and decides that she has either a
miscarriage or a self-induced abortion. He does a quick dilatation and curettage and tells the
nurse to ask the patient whether she can afford to stay in the hospital until it is safe for her to be
discharged. Dr. Q comes in to replace Dr. P, who goes home without having spoken to the
patient.
a. WRITE WHAT YOU THINK OF DR. P’S BEHAVIOR?
i. I think that Dr P, not even talking to the patient after endorsing to a colleague, is
disrespectful to the patient and unprofessional. One, because as a physician
even if we already endorsed it to someone else, I personally think that there is
always a continuity of care in doing our work and what he did walking without
talking or doing reassessment with the patient is lacking.
2. Dr C, a newly appointed anesthetist in a city hospital, is alarmed by the behavior of the senior
surgeon in the operating room. The surgeon uses out-of-date techniques that prolong
operations and result in greater post-operative pain and longer recovery times. Moreover, he
makes frequent crude jokes about the patients that obviously bother the assisting nurses. As a
more junior staff member, Dr. C is reluctant to criticize the surgeon personally or to report him
to higher authorities. However, he feels that he must do something to improve the situation.
a. WRITE WHAT YOU THINK OF DR. C SHOULD DO
i. I personally think that the senior surgeon’s behavior was unprofessional, making
crude jokes to a patient you are tending to, is out of the line. Having this kind of
behavior is childish and unprofessional. I think what Dr C should do is confront
the senior and remind him of what we ought to do as a care provider. By doing
so, he will be reminded to be cautious of his actions. Nevertheless, this act is not
ought to criticize the senior surgeon but help him to understand that as senior
we have to be a role model to our juniors in the profession.
3. Dr. R, a general practitioner in a small rural town, is approached by a contract research
organization (CRO) to participate in a clinical trial of a new nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug
(NSAID) for osteoarthritis. She is offered a sum of money for each patient that she enrolls in the
trial. The CRO representative assures her that the trial has received all the necessary approvals,
including one from an ethics review committee. Dr. R has never participated in a trial before and
is pleased to have this opportunity, especially with the extra money. She accepts without
inquiring further about the scientific or ethical aspects of the trial.
a. WRITE WHAT YOU THINK OF DR. R’S DECISION
i. I think Dr R’s decision is rush and not wise. Being a physician, we should know
that receiving a great sum of money for endorsing an unapproved drug in the
market is not tolerated. And as a professional we should know and research and
countercheck first the background of the contracts we are accepting. If
unfortunate things will happen in the future, Dr R will be in a shaky possession
for his ignorance and incompetence.