Notes on Shadowing a Hospitalist
11 days ago
- #healthcare-insights
- #medical-profession
- #hospital-culture
- Hospitalists manage day-to-day care for patients with serious but not immediately life-threatening conditions.
- Hospitalists act as medical coordinators, similar to project managers, aligning stakeholders and tracking patient progress.
- Medical staff use humor about death as a coping mechanism to maintain a positive work environment.
- Verbal communication is prioritized over written notes for up-to-date knowledge transfer in hospitals.
- Information asymmetry among staff leads to repeated explanations due to reliance on verbal communication.
- Hospitalists and specialists often communicate via phone calls, which can be hindered by poor cell reception.
- Hospitalists must extrapolate diagnoses from test results and patient interactions, often dealing with patient dishonesty.
- Doctor competence varies widely, with few incentives for improvement beyond intrinsic motivation.
- There is a social divide between doctors and nurses, with noticeable tension in casual interactions.
- Most hospitalists do not discuss work at home or encourage their children to pursue healthcare careers.
- Obese patients face practical limitations in hospital care, such as delayed diagnostics due to equipment constraints.
- Patients without close family tend to be more dismissive of medical advice compared to those with family support.
- Hospital security is surprisingly lax, with minimal checks for visitors.
- Artificial lighting in hospitals makes it easy to lose track of time, contributing to a disorienting work environment.