Shhhh, Don’t Tell

After suffering a back injury at work, Lowell has completed three weeks of physical therapy. While unable to work, Lowell has been going three times per week to see therapist Eve who has been working for three months at a new clinic and is still learning the ropes. After Lowell’s ninth treatment, his physician explained that he had made good progress. Lowell no longer needed PT but was unable to return to his physically demanding job. He continued the home exercise regimen that Eve had given him. When Eve saw Lowell on his fifth visit, he complained of increased pain with radiation down his left leg. During her evaluation, Eve concluded that his pain was different from the pain he experienced after the first fall and was almost certainly related to the second fall. She explained this to Lowell and suggested to him that he talk to his doctor to ensure that he received the appropriate treatment. Lowell insisted that he did want to bother his doctor with this.

• What should Eve do now? Why?
• What might Eve have done earlier?
• How would you have dealt with Lowell?

Apply Theory (Specific Professional Healthcare Competencies + Clinical Medical Ethical Principles) to Practice in order to provide Optimal Patient-Centered Care (OPCC)

Source – Santa Clara University, Markkula Center for Applied Ethics