This must never happen
Two patients named Sanchez (name changed) were in our ED at the same time. One was an elderly lady, the other a young man. Neither spoke a word of English, nor did their families. The unfortunate Mr. Sanchez had fallen after a few too many cervezas and had an obviously broken or dislocated finger. Mrs. Sanchez was suffering from altered mental status, presumedly from hepatic encephalopathy. The patients were not related, as far as we know.
I looked at the hand X ray of Mr. Sanchez, and I was surprised to see that it was entirely normal. Could the radiology technician have X-rayed his other hand? I found an interpreter and asked Mr. Sanchez which hand was imaged. He didn't remember getting any X-rays at all. He was so drunk that I still wasn't sure, but his parents confirmed his story.
His finger was grotesquely angulated, and there was no way this was his film, so I asked for a repeat X-ray which clearly showed the displaced fracture.
So whose X-ray was it? As it turns out, they had X-rayed the hand of Mrs. Sanchez's husband, who wasn't even a patient. I wonder what he was thinking when the tech came to take him to the radiology suite?
Mr. Sanchez?
Si (yes, I am Mr. Sanchez)
Follow me, I'm going to take you to X-ray
Que? (I don't speak English, lady)
Tech gestures with hand to follow her...
I looked at the hand X ray of Mr. Sanchez, and I was surprised to see that it was entirely normal. Could the radiology technician have X-rayed his other hand? I found an interpreter and asked Mr. Sanchez which hand was imaged. He didn't remember getting any X-rays at all. He was so drunk that I still wasn't sure, but his parents confirmed his story.
His finger was grotesquely angulated, and there was no way this was his film, so I asked for a repeat X-ray which clearly showed the displaced fracture.
So whose X-ray was it? As it turns out, they had X-rayed the hand of Mrs. Sanchez's husband, who wasn't even a patient. I wonder what he was thinking when the tech came to take him to the radiology suite?
Mr. Sanchez?
Si (yes, I am Mr. Sanchez)
Follow me, I'm going to take you to X-ray
Que? (I don't speak English, lady)
Tech gestures with hand to follow her...
Labels: patients
posted by scalpel at 3:58 PM
6 Comments:
This is becoming a big issue here in Texas. During the years I worked ER, I was the "translator" for everybody from the ER doc to the anesthesiologist, being the only RN around who spoke Spanish. (Learned it during my years as a Diplomatic Brat overseas.) It came in handy as many of our patients were fresh from Mexico, and many had not ever had medical care before--some not even knowing what to do with a thermometer. Nowadays, ever since I "put myself out to pasture", I still use my Spanish in the home health arena, as we occasionally get referrals for patients who don't speak English. I must admit that I am puzzled as to why more people don't have a working knowledge of Spanish around here, since such a huge population is Spanish-speaking. (I did make a blooper once. I used to use a slang term for a body orifice that was perfectly acceptable in South American Spanish, using it for a solid year before a shocked Hispanic ER tech informed me that it was considered a very nasty word in local Tejano/Mexican spanish. Oops.)
Gosh, I guess the tech didn't check the husband's non-existing
patient braclet.
Glad she wasn't getting a stereotactic breast biopsy
I know this should worry me but I find it rather amusing as well...
imagine different people sharing a surname
This happens all the time in Los Angeles.Even with all the "Name Alert" stickers and warnings. The worse is when they get the wrong drugs.
This is terrible, but I was kind of snickering as I read it. I wonder what the non-injured Mr. Sanchez was thinking as he was getting an x-ray for his non-existent injury. Crazy gringos!
Post a Comment
<< Home