Are we overdoing it? (1)

Let me share a recent story.

Well, he is a businessman in his fifties. Living with his family he enjoys quite a good past health. Only that he found himself a lingering headache for a week, together with on and off cough and occasional sneezes. Coming to the emergency department, he met a busy doctor, diagnosing him with chest infection, X-ray taken with some bloods drawn, he was then sent to our unit.

Few minutes after entering ward, nurses found him with fever. With the headache going, he was pushed down urgently at night again to AED for urgent CT brain.

Enjoyed the radiation shower, he was then transferred again back to the ward, started on intravenous antibiotics. Sputum and urine saved for bugs screening, blood taken again for further culture and investigations.

Results back, his liver function is slightly derranged. An urgent ultrasound abdomen was done the other morning, to look for possible liver abscess. Turn out - only fatty liver.

Finally his nasopharyngeal aspirate results are back - yielded Influenza A.

Then he stayed in-hospital for 5 more days, to complete his antibiotics, together with an antiviral, and finally discharged.

============================

He is just a regular everyday normal guy.
A middle age gentleman with fatty liver and common flu.

What have we offered him?
- Blood tests >30 items
- Needle sticks >10 times
- Chest radiograph x 3
- Nasopharyngeal aspiration x 1
- CT Brain x 1 (with radiation ~200 chest X-ray)
- Intravenous antibiotic x 1
- Antiviral x 1
- Hospitialization x 5 days
- Uncertainty, fear, worry

What did he actually need?
- A good rest
- Reassurance
- Good education for diet and exercising
- Sickleave x 2 days

=============================