Field notes: How one doctor showed he cares.

When a patient comes to the ER, I’ll often review recent medical notes in the electronic medical record. Information from the computer often gives helpful context. For example, is this a patient who hasn’t been to the ER or the hospital in years? Or do they have issues that require frequent visits?

A couple of months ago, I read a clinic note about a patient I was seeing in the ER at the time. The note had been written by a pretty good friend of mine who is an internist. The note took me aback—in a really good way. I could tell from the way it was written how much my friend really cares about this patient, and yet how challenging it has been to manage the patient’s chronic issues.

In fact, the note began with a sentence I don’t believe I have ever read in a medical chart before…