Care Of The Difficult Patient

Download Care Of The Difficult Patient full books in PDF, epub, and Kindle. Read online Care Of The Difficult Patient ebook anywhere anytime directly on your device. Fast Download speed and no annoying ads. We cannot guarantee that every ebooks is available!

Changing How We Think about Difficult Patients

Author : Joan Naidorf
Publisher :
ISBN 13 : 9780996663212
Total Pages : 128 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (632 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis Changing How We Think about Difficult Patients by : Joan Naidorf

Download or read book Changing How We Think about Difficult Patients written by Joan Naidorf and published by . This book was released on 2022-02-07 with total page 128 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Physicians enter their professions with the highest of hopes and ideals for compassionate and efficient patient care. Along the way, however, recurring problems arise in their interactions with some patients that lead physicians to label them as "difficult." Some studies indicate that physicians identify 15% or more of their patients as "difficult." The negative feelings that physicians have toward these patients may lead to frustration, cynicism. and burnout. Changing How We Think about Difficult Patients uses a multi-tiered approach to bring awareness to the difficult patient conundrum, then introduces simple, actionable tools that every physician, nurse, and caregiver can use to change their mindset about the patients who challenge them. Positive thoughts lead to more positive feelings and more effective treatments and results for patients. They also lead to more satisfaction and decreased feelings of burnout in healthcare professionals. How does this book give you an advantage? Caring for difficult patients poses a tremendous challenge for physicians, nurses, and clinical practitioners. It may contribute significantly to feelings of burnout, including feelings of exhaustion, cynicism, and lost sense of purpose. In response, Dr. Naidorf offers a pragmatic approach to accepting patients the way they are, then provides strategies for providers to find more happiness and satisfaction in their interactions with even the most challenging patients and families. Here are just some of the topics the author discusses in detail: What Makes a "Good" Patient? The Four Core Ethical Principals of the Clinician-Patient Relationship The Four Models of the Physician-Patient Relationship What Challenges Anybody with Illness or Injury? How "Good" Patients Handle the Challenges of Illness and Injury Six Common Reactions to Illness and Hospitalization On "Taking Care of the Hateful Patient" Standards for Education in Medical Ethics De-escalation Strategies Cultural, Structural, and Language Issues Types of Patients Who Tend to Challenge Us The Think, Feel, Act Cycle Recognizing Our Preconceived Thoughts Three Common Thought Distortions About Patients Asking Useful Questions Getting Out of the Victim Mentality Guiding our Thoughts Through a Common Scenario Show Compassion, Feel Compassion If you're a healthcare provider or caregiver, Changing How We Think about Difficult Patients will give you the benefit of understanding your most challenging patients, and a roadmap to positively changing your mindset and actions to better deliver care and compassion for all.

Care of the Difficult Patient

Author : Peter Manos
Publisher : Routledge
ISBN 13 : 1134245599
Total Pages : 168 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (342 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis Care of the Difficult Patient by : Peter Manos

Download or read book Care of the Difficult Patient written by Peter Manos and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2007-04-11 with total page 168 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Developed collaboratively by a doctor and nurse team, this is the first text to deal specifically with nursing difficult patients. Whether patient problems stem from mental distress and ill health, historic substance abuse, demanding family members or abusive behaviour, difficult patients place extra demands on nurses both professionally and personally. Caring for difficult patients requires both technical and interpersonal skills along with an ability to exercise power and set limits. This text presents invaluable practical recommendations and advice, well founded in experience and supported by relevant literature, for nurses coping with challenging, real world situations. Including learning points, further reading, case studies and dialogue examples to highlight good (and bad) practice, the book covers pertinent issues such as psychiatric diagnoses, setting limits and establishing authority, death and dying, stress and work. It is ideal for pre- and post-registration nurses, providing concrete direction on the management of difficult patients.

The Difficult-to-Treat Psychiatric Patient

Author : Mantosh J. Dewan
Publisher : American Psychiatric Pub
ISBN 13 : 1585627887
Total Pages : 460 pages
Book Rating : 4.5/5 (856 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis The Difficult-to-Treat Psychiatric Patient by : Mantosh J. Dewan

Download or read book The Difficult-to-Treat Psychiatric Patient written by Mantosh J. Dewan and published by American Psychiatric Pub. This book was released on 2008-08-13 with total page 460 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Why do some psychiatric patients fail to get better, even when in the care of competent clinicians? Treatment-refractory conditions are all too common in everyday clinical practice. Treatment resistance occurs across the full spectrum of psychiatric disorders, incurring enormous emotional, economic, and social costs. In the United States, treatment of depression alone costs more than $40 billion annually, and as many as 40% of patients with depression have a treatment-refractory form of the illness. This groundbreaking clinical guide starts where standard textbooks end, focusing on clinical strategies to be used after all basic treatment options, such as medication and psychotherapy, have failed. In this book expert contributors address the sequential clinical steps in treating difficult-to-treat psychiatric patients by offering a blend of evidence-based clinical recommendations, detailed case vignettes, treatment algorithms, and -- when necessary to go beyond the reach of evidence -- the clinical wisdom of leaders in the field. The chapters in this user-friendly, practical guide are organized by major disorder. Each chapter offers concrete recommendations on what to do when the usual first steps in therapy are ineffective, including evidence for biopsychosocial treatments alone versus in combination, generic versus specific therapies, and literature reviews and the latest expert wisdom. A sampling includes The management of the complex and often refractory bipolar disorder, which involves replacing or combining lithium treatment with anticonvulsants or atypical antipsychotic agents with adjuncts such as benzodiazepines, thyroid hormone, and electroconvulsive therapy, but also -- above all -- with careful attention to the therapeutic alliance. The importance of combined therapeutic modalities for patients with schizophrenia -- especially given managed care's cost-cutting strategies, which deprive many schizophrenic patients of effective treatment modalities such as family therapy or early use of an atypical antipsychotic. Combination treatments for anxiety, with medications adjusted over time as symptoms wax and wane, and early and appropriate interventions to mitigate internal and external environmental stressors. The emphasis on common sense, optimism, a sense of humor, and an iron constitution as the most important tools for clinicians wishing to work with the most severely ill patients with borderline personality disorder. The importance of individual differences in biological vulnerability, emotionality and expressiveness, cognitive schemas and beliefs, prior traumatic experience, resilience, and coping strategies for successful treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder. Packed with up-to-date information of immediate relevance, this volume will prove invaluable in both classroom and clinical practice, for everyone from beginning interns and residents to experienced psychiatric and medical practitioners and social workers.

Difficult Patients

Author : Joy Duxbury
Publisher : Butterworth-Heinemann Medical
ISBN 13 : 9780750638388
Total Pages : 181 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (383 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis Difficult Patients by : Joy Duxbury

Download or read book Difficult Patients written by Joy Duxbury and published by Butterworth-Heinemann Medical. This book was released on 2000-01 with total page 181 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: One of the greatest challenges a nurse can face is to encounter what he or she perceives to be a 'difficult patient' or a difficult situation.

Field Guide to the Difficult Patient Interview

Author : Frederic W. Platt
Publisher : Lippincott Williams & Wilkins
ISBN 13 : 9780781747745
Total Pages : 328 pages
Book Rating : 4.7/5 (477 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis Field Guide to the Difficult Patient Interview by : Frederic W. Platt

Download or read book Field Guide to the Difficult Patient Interview written by Frederic W. Platt and published by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. This book was released on 2004 with total page 328 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Written by physicians skilled at coaching colleagues in physician-patient communication, this pocket guide presents practical strategies for handling a wide variety of difficult patient interviews. Each chapter presents a hypothetical scenario, describes effective communication techniques for each phase of the interaction, and identifies pitfalls to avoid. The presentation includes examples of physician-patient dialogue, illustrations showing body language, and key references. This edition includes new chapters on caring for physician-patients, communicating with colleagues, disclosing unexpected outcomes and medical errors, shared decision making and informed consent, and teaching communication skills. Other new chapters describe clinical attitudes such as patience, curiosity, and hope.

Behavioral Medicine A Guide for Clinical Practice 5th Edition

Author : Mitchell D. Feldman
Publisher : McGraw Hill Professional
ISBN 13 : 1260142698
Total Pages : 608 pages
Book Rating : 4.2/5 (61 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis Behavioral Medicine A Guide for Clinical Practice 5th Edition by : Mitchell D. Feldman

Download or read book Behavioral Medicine A Guide for Clinical Practice 5th Edition written by Mitchell D. Feldman and published by McGraw Hill Professional. This book was released on 2020-01-05 with total page 608 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Publisher's Note: Products purchased from Third Party sellers are not guaranteed by the publisher for quality, authenticity, or access to any online entitlements included with the product. The #1 guide to behavioral issues in medicine delivering thorough, practical discussion of the full scope of the physician-patient relationship "This is an extraordinarily thorough, useful book. It manages to summarize numerous topics, many of which are not a part of a traditional medical curriculum, in concise, relevant chapters."--Doody's Review Service - 5 stars, reviewing an earlier edition The goal of Behavioral Medicine is to help practitioners and students understand the interplay between psychological, physical, social and cultural issues of patients. Within its pages readers will find real-world coverage of behavioral and interactional issues that occur between provider and patient in everyday clinical practice. Readers will learn how to deliver bad news, how to conduct an effective patient interview, how to care for patients at the end of life, how to clinically manage common mental and behavioral issues in medical patients, the principles of medical professionalism, motivating behavior change, and much more. As the leading text on the subject, this trusted classic delivers the most definitive, practical overview of the behavioral, clinical, and social contexts of the physician-patient relationship. The book is case based to reinforce learning through real-world examples, focusing on issues that commonly arise in everyday medical practice and training. One of the significant elements of Behavioral Medicine is the recognition that the wellbeing of physicians and other health professionals is critically important to caring for patients.

Concise Guide to Ethics in Mental Health Care

Author : Laura Weiss Roberts
Publisher : American Psychiatric Publishing
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 388 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (91 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis Concise Guide to Ethics in Mental Health Care by : Laura Weiss Roberts

Download or read book Concise Guide to Ethics in Mental Health Care written by Laura Weiss Roberts and published by American Psychiatric Publishing. This book was released on 2004 with total page 388 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Writing with clarity, coherence, and optimism, the authors summarize fundamental principles, enumerate essential skills, and review recent empirical findings in the overlapping areas of clinical ethics and psychiatry. Case illustrations, tables, and strategic lists enhance the book's 17 informative chapters.

Caring for Difficult Patients

Author : Joseph E. Koob
Publisher : Difficultpeople.org
ISBN 13 : 9780741437686
Total Pages : 172 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (376 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis Caring for Difficult Patients by : Joseph E. Koob

Download or read book Caring for Difficult Patients written by Joseph E. Koob and published by Difficultpeople.org. This book was released on 2007 with total page 172 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Caring for Difficult Patients: A Guide for Nursing Professionals, by Dr. Joseph Koob with Dr. Pam Koob provides a comprehensive perspective on how to work with difficult patients and situations that is relevant to all health-care professionals.

Managing the Difficult Patient

Author : Robert E. Hooberman
Publisher :
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 408 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (91 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis Managing the Difficult Patient by : Robert E. Hooberman

Download or read book Managing the Difficult Patient written by Robert E. Hooberman and published by . This book was released on 1998 with total page 408 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The authors -- a psychologist and a medical doctor -- impart in this accessible volume a framework for examining the aspects of the practitioner-patient relationship and interactions that give rise to a sense of the "difficult" in healthcare. Drawing on psychodynamic theory, they elucidate the features of transference, defenses, and the working alliance that are relevant to physicians and other health care practitioners who find patients' emotional and interpersonal problems impacting medical treatment or underlying presenting complaints of somatic dysfunction. Ways of improving the collaboration between doctor and patient and thereby maximizing compliance with medical regimens are examined. Each chapter contains highlighted suggestions for the practical application of the theory to the physician's private practice.

Patient-Centered Healthcare

Author : Eldo Frezza
Publisher : CRC Press
ISBN 13 : 0429629532
Total Pages : 286 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (296 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis Patient-Centered Healthcare by : Eldo Frezza

Download or read book Patient-Centered Healthcare written by Eldo Frezza and published by CRC Press. This book was released on 2019-08-22 with total page 286 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Patient-centered care is a way of thinking and doing things that considers patients partners in the development of a healthcare plan designed to meet their specific needs. It involves knowledge of the individual as a person and integrates that knowledge into their plan of care. Patient-centered care is central to the discussion of healthcare at the insurance and hospital-level. The quality of the service is evaluated more deeply from all the healthcare components, including insurance payments. It is the start of a new client- and patient-centered healthcare, which is based on a profound respect for patients and the obligation to care for them in partnership with them. Healthcare has been lacking a strategy to teach patients how to take care of themselves as much as they possibly can. In countries with socialized healthcare, patients don’t go to the emergency room unless it is necessary; they have a physician on call instead. This affords more personalized care and avoids patients getting lost in the hospital system. This book advocates the critical role of patients in the health system and the need to encourage healthy living. We need to educate patients on how to be more self-aware, giving them the tools to better understand what they need to do to achieve healthy lifestyles, and the protocols and policies to sustain a better life. Prevention has always been the pinnacle of medical care. It’s time to highlight and share this approach with patients and involve them as active participants in their own healthcare. This is the method on which to build the new healthcare for the next century.

When We Do Harm

Author : Danielle Ofri, MD
Publisher : Beacon Press
ISBN 13 : 0807037885
Total Pages : 274 pages
Book Rating : 4.8/5 (7 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis When We Do Harm by : Danielle Ofri, MD

Download or read book When We Do Harm written by Danielle Ofri, MD and published by Beacon Press. This book was released on 2020-03-23 with total page 274 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Medical mistakes are more pervasive than we think. How can we improve outcomes? An acclaimed MD’s rich stories and research explore patient safety. Patients enter the medical system with faith that they will receive the best care possible, so when things go wrong, it’s a profound and painful breach. Medical science has made enormous strides in decreasing mortality and suffering, but there’s no doubt that treatment can also cause harm, a significant portion of which is preventable. In When We Do Harm, practicing physician and acclaimed author Danielle Ofri places the issues of medical error and patient safety front and center in our national healthcare conversation. Drawing on current research, professional experience, and extensive interviews with nurses, physicians, administrators, researchers, patients, and families, Dr. Ofri explores the diagnostic, systemic, and cognitive causes of medical error. She advocates for strategic use of concrete safety interventions such as checklists and improvements to the electronic medical record, but focuses on the full-scale cultural and cognitive shifts required to make a meaningful dent in medical error. Woven throughout the book are the powerfully human stories that Dr. Ofri is renowned for. The errors she dissects range from the hardly noticeable missteps to the harrowing medical cataclysms. While our healthcare system is—and always will be—imperfect, Dr. Ofri argues that it is possible to minimize preventable harms, and that this should be the galvanizing issue of current medical discourse.

Caring for Patients

Author : Allen Barbour
Publisher : Stanford University Press
ISBN 13 : 9780804731539
Total Pages : 428 pages
Book Rating : 4.7/5 (315 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis Caring for Patients by : Allen Barbour

Download or read book Caring for Patients written by Allen Barbour and published by Stanford University Press. This book was released on 1997-07-01 with total page 428 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An experienced and compassionate physician questions the prevailing medical model of patient care?that every illness has a physical cause that can be identified and treated medically?and argues for the necessity of taking the psychological and social situation of the patient into account in the process of diagnosis and treatment.

Dying in America

Author : Institute of Medicine
Publisher : National Academies Press
ISBN 13 : 0309303133
Total Pages : 638 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (93 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis Dying in America by : Institute of Medicine

Download or read book Dying in America written by Institute of Medicine and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 2015-03-19 with total page 638 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: For patients and their loved ones, no care decisions are more profound than those made near the end of life. Unfortunately, the experience of dying in the United States is often characterized by fragmented care, inadequate treatment of distressing symptoms, frequent transitions among care settings, and enormous care responsibilities for families. According to this report, the current health care system of rendering more intensive services than are necessary and desired by patients, and the lack of coordination among programs increases risks to patients and creates avoidable burdens on them and their families. Dying in America is a study of the current state of health care for persons of all ages who are nearing the end of life. Death is not a strictly medical event. Ideally, health care for those nearing the end of life harmonizes with social, psychological, and spiritual support. All people with advanced illnesses who may be approaching the end of life are entitled to access to high-quality, compassionate, evidence-based care, consistent with their wishes. Dying in America evaluates strategies to integrate care into a person- and family-centered, team-based framework, and makes recommendations to create a system that coordinates care and supports and respects the choices of patients and their families. The findings and recommendations of this report will address the needs of patients and their families and assist policy makers, clinicians and their educational and credentialing bodies, leaders of health care delivery and financing organizations, researchers, public and private funders, religious and community leaders, advocates of better care, journalists, and the public to provide the best care possible for people nearing the end of life.

Aesthetic Applications of Intense Pulsed Light

Author : Lucian Fodor
Publisher : Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN 13 : 1849964564
Total Pages : 148 pages
Book Rating : 4.8/5 (499 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis Aesthetic Applications of Intense Pulsed Light by : Lucian Fodor

Download or read book Aesthetic Applications of Intense Pulsed Light written by Lucian Fodor and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2010-10-14 with total page 148 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The book is structured into eight chapters: 1. Skin anatomy. This chapter is intended to describe the pertinent anatomy related to IPL applications. In addition to the described main structural elements of the skin, the chapter has important points about skin aging and histological aspects which gives the reader a better understanding of the etiology of skin lesions and the need for Intense Pulsed Light (IPL) treatment. 2. Light-tissue interaction. This chapter describes the interaction between IPL and different skin structures. Target skin structures (chromophores) are described in detail. The results of this interaction are detailed as being important to understanding the goals and principles of IPL treatment. 3. IPL safety and legal issues. This chapter describes the needs of the environment for a safe treatment. The necessary equipment and things to avoid pitfalls which may lead to lawsuits are detailed. Several aspects of IPL legal issues are also described: how to avoid medical liabilities and how to manage them are also included in this chapter. 4. Patient selection. This chapter describes the pearls and pitfalls in selecting patients for IPL treatment. This is not an easy task and proper patient selection is extremely important to have satisfied patients. Problematic patient types are also described here. 5. Skin rejuvenation. This chapter starts with a description of skin aging. Intrinsic and extrinsic mechanisms are detailed. The most common skin lesions related to aging that can benefit from IPL treatment for rejuvenation are detailed. The chapter continues with treatment protocols which describe strategies for achieving optimal results. A review of the literature is included, presenting the treatment parameters of different studies and their results. 6. Hair removal. This chapter starts with a description of the hair follicle cycle, hair types and important structures for treatment. Treatment strategies are emphasized and detailed, starting from choosing the right parameters to post-treatment recommendations. A literature review is presented regarding treatment parameters and results according to different authors. 7. Vascular lesions treatment. This chapter describes the types of vascular lesions that can benefit from IPL treatment. The treatment protocol is emphasized and all the steps for performing this application are described in detail. A literature review is presented and different results are compared regarding treatment parameters. 8. Complications. It is inevitable that any medical treatment can end with complications. The possible complications of the most common IPL applications (skin rejuvenation, hair removal, pigmented and vascular lesion treatment) are detailed. The way to avoid them and how to handle them is also described. At the end of each chapter, there is a section on the practical points highlighting the most important points of the chapter. An extensive literature review of this technology is presented alongside numerous illustrations, tables and color pictures. The book will benefit any doctor or healthcare professional who uses IPL for cosmetic purposes, such as plastic surgeons, dermatologists, ophthalmologists, maxillofacial surgeons and otolaryngologists dealing with aesthetics of the face, as well as residents interested in learning the subject.

Improving Patient Care

Author : Richard Grol
Publisher : John Wiley & Sons
ISBN 13 : 111852599X
Total Pages : 525 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (185 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis Improving Patient Care by : Richard Grol

Download or read book Improving Patient Care written by Richard Grol and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2013-03-18 with total page 525 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: As innovations are constantly being developed within health care, it can be difficult both to select appropriate new practices and technologies and to successfully adopt them within complex organizations. It is necessary to understand the consequences of introducing change, how to best implement new procedures and techniques, how to evaluate success and to improve the quality of patient care. This comprehensive guide allows you to do just that. Improving Patient Care, 2nd edition provides a structure for professionals and change agents to implement better practices in health care. It helps health professionals, managers, policy makers and researchers to assess new techniques and select and implement change in their organizations. This new edition includes recent evidence and further coverage on patient safety and patient centred strategies for change. Written by an international expert author team, Improving Patient Care is an established standard text for postgraduate students of health policy, health services and health management. The strong author team are global professors involved in managing research and development in the field of quality improvement, evidence-based practice and guidelines, quality assessment and indicators to improve patient outcomes through receiving appropriate healthcare.

Psychonephrology

Author : Ana Hategan
Publisher : Springer Nature
ISBN 13 : 3030847403
Total Pages : 442 pages
Book Rating : 4.0/5 (38 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis Psychonephrology by : Ana Hategan

Download or read book Psychonephrology written by Ana Hategan and published by Springer Nature. This book was released on 2022-01-01 with total page 442 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The book focuses on pharmacological and non-pharmacological approaches of psychiatric syndromes that commonly occur in patients with kidney disease. It specifically reviews principles of psychotherapy and psychopharmacology with an emphasis on organ impairment and drug-drug interactions specific to nephrology. This book also covers issues with medication nonadherence in patients with chronic kidney disease and psychiatric comorbidity, as well as the associated issues in dialysis and renal transplantation. Additionally, chapters cover various other topics addressing an active stance towards health promotion in chronically ill patients, including the critical role of the diet and physical activity. Such advice is often complex and changing depending on the stage of chronic kidney disease and the individual needs of the patient. Written by specialists in the field, Psychonephrology: A Guide to Principles and Practice serves as a valuable reference and teaching tool that provides an opportunity for learning across a rapidly evolving medical field.

The Patient in Room Nine Says He's God

Author : Louis Profeta
Publisher : John Hunt Publishing
ISBN 13 : 184694354X
Total Pages : 191 pages
Book Rating : 4.8/5 (469 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis The Patient in Room Nine Says He's God by : Louis Profeta

Download or read book The Patient in Room Nine Says He's God written by Louis Profeta and published by John Hunt Publishing. This book was released on 2010 with total page 191 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A young Jewish doctor prays to a coma patient's Blessed Mother on Christmas Eve, only to have the woman suddenly awakened; there is the voice that tells a too-busy ER doctor to stop a patient walking out, discovering an embolus that would have killed him. The late-night passing of a beloved aunt summons a childhood bully who shows up minutes later, after twenty-five years, to be forgiven and to heal a broken doctor. This ER doctor finds God's opposite in: a battered child's bruises covered over by make-up, a dying patient whose son finally shows up at the end to reclaim the man's high-top sneakers, the rich or celebrity patients loaded with prescription drugs from doctor friends who end up addicted. But, his real outrage is directed at our cavalier treatment of the elderly, If you put a G-tube in your 80-year-old mother with Alzheimer's because she's no longer eating, you will probably have a fast track to hell.