budgie's squawks - Question for any medical people reading this...?

09:07 pm September 28th, 2008




			budgie's squawks - Question for any medical people reading this...? online random ravings

budgie_uk


	Question for any medical people reading this...?
	Just a quick question, partly for a story I'm thinking about, partly because I've seen a couple of episodes of Cold Case. What's the likelihood that, twenty or thirty years later, a doctor is going to remember a patient with a broken bone, or another common injury, they saw in their first year of residency, no matter how unique?

6 squawks in response or squawk at me


	Comments

	From: surprisetruck	Date: September 28th, 2008 08:52 pm (UTC)		(Link)

It'd be possible - especially if there was a trigger to remembering the person, eg 1st ever night duty. Doctors are inveterate anecdote tellers for a start ... "I will always remember, Mr B____, 27, compaound fracture of the humerus ..."

Obviously facial recognition might be another thing.

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	From: landers	Date: September 28th, 2008 09:30 pm (UTC)		(Link)

I could describe to you in great detail the first guy I stitched up. I could tell you what he looked like, how it happened and where he lived. I could recount the entire conversation.

I could also describe the first person I saw with a CVA, the first broken femur, the first surgery, the first suicide attempt and the first drunk.

As you can see, they all have the fact they were my first. If I saw them again I'd know them but I think it's because I can relate them to being the first.

Other than those I could tell you about Gary who broke his leg. He wasn't the first, wasn't the most unique, in fact quite uninteresting, but we chatted a lot so he'll always stick in my head. Or Nora who had a water infection. Again, not the first, no interesting, but there was just something about her that I'll never forget although I never see her in particular again! (I could also tell you surnames etc)

I think it's very possible to remember these details but each time there is a connection of some sort. With yours it could just be that it was during there first year. I could tell you about 80% of the patients during my first placement but maybe not their names apart from one or two.

Hope that helps.

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	From: ladynina	Date: September 28th, 2008 09:53 pm (UTC)		(Link)

Unless the encounter was significant in some way - first patient, same name as parent/lover/pet, obvious distinguishing mark, fill your own reason in here - I'd say no.

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	From: ladynina	Date: September 28th, 2008 09:54 pm (UTC)		(Link)

Bugger, you said no matter how unique. I cannot brain today I have the dumb.

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	From: davidwynne	Date: September 29th, 2008 01:20 am (UTC)		(Link)

Uniqueness is likely the important word here. I'm not a doctor, far from it (porter), but I very rarely remember the patients I interact with, simply because of the sheer number. But if there's something that marks them out, then yes, I'll remember them.

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	From: nietzsche_baby	Date: September 29th, 2008 10:17 am (UTC)		(Link)

Spoke to Sparactus82 - He only remembers the interesting or badly behaved patients nowadays...

However, everything is relatively new and exciting in the 1st year of qualification so it is plausible that even mundane patients might be recalled, as first attempts! *grin*

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