hi there. i'm aaron.
Hi there. I'm Aaron Sonnenberg. I work at Blip and live in Greenpoint. You can find me on flickr, twitter or e-mail me at: aaron/at/blip/dot/com
This is home, and this is everything.
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Hallucinations in Hospital Pose Risk to the Elderly
“Disproportionately affecting older people, a rapidly growing share of patients, hospital delirium affects about one-third of patients over 70, and a greater percentage of intensive-care or postsurgical patients, the American Geriatrics Society estimates.
A delirious patient happens almost every day,” said Dr. Manuel N. Pacheco, director of consultation and emergency services at Mount Auburn Hospital in Cambridge, Mass. He treated Mr. Kaplan, whom he described as “a very learned, acclaimed person,” for whom “this is not the kind of behavior that’s normal.” “People don’t talk about it, because it’s embarrassing,” Dr. Pacheco said. “They’re having sheer terror, like their worst nightmare.”
The cause of delirium is unclear, but there are many apparent triggers: infections, surgery, pneumonia, and procedures like catheter insertions, all of which can spur anxiety in frail, vulnerable patients. Some medications, difficult for older people to metabolize, seem associated with delirium.
Doctors once dismissed it as a “reversible transient phenomenon,” thinking “it’s O.K. for someone, if they’re elderly, to become confused in the hospital,” said Dr. Sharon Inouye, a Harvard Medical School professor. But new research shows significant negative effects.”
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Unfortunately, I’ve seen this happen to a grandparent. It’s terrifying to watch and there’s no doubt in my mind it significantly contributed to his ultimate deterioration. Blood tests in the middle of the night, endless scans at all hours, and still the doctors just wrote it off as an elderly patient becoming confused in the hospital.
I’m glad to see that some doctors are waking up to the significance of mental health in the treatment of a patient. Too often, they fail to step back and consider the psychological impact of their words, tests, and interactions.
I’m not saying that all doctors do this, or that the tests and treatments are unnecessary. I’ve had some wonderful doctors who really take the time to consider the mental aspect of injury or illness - it’s personally helped me overcome a number of health related issues.
However, I really would like to see increased education to improve the communication techniques of doctors and their consideration of the psychological impact words or procedures will have on the patient.
In my opinion, being able to diagnose and treat physical problems is only 50% of being a good doctor. The ability to communicate, listen and understand is just as important.
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