Thoughts on Medical Efficiency from DB's Medical Rants

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Five questions for hospital inpatients, via DB’s Medical Rants:

1. Are we certain of the diagnoses - or do we need more diagnostic information?
2. If we are treating, is the treatment working?
3. What are our goals, or where are we going? This is especially true for hospital patients. In the hospital we should always ask, what is the goal of hospitalization, and does the patient still require hospitalization?
4. What are the patient’s goals and are we meeting them?
5. Does the patient understand the diagnosis, or the diagnostic workup? Does the patient understand the treatment? Have we explained the expected course and emphasized "red flags"