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Focus: Lymphatic and Respiratory Systems
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It's been 2 weeks since the motor vehicle accident at the intersection of Shawnee and Sheridan. Seventy-four-year-old Zane Davis, a victim in that incident, was taken from the site to Okla Trauma Center under the suspicion that he may have been experiencing a cardiac or cerebrovascular event. A complete assessment was performed, and these diagnoses were ruled out. However, because of the comprehensiveness of the diagnostic assessments that he underwent, physicians at Okla Trauma found shadows on Zane's lungs. They have referred him to Kootenay Cancer Care Center for follow-up. He has his first appointment today, and he is attending in the company of his wife, Stevie-Rose Davis.
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Patient Update
"Hello, I'm Jacob Sweetgrass. I'm an oncologist, a specialist in diagnosing and treating cancer. Thank you for coming. Please, sit down," said a man in his early 40s who was neatly dressed in slacks, a shirt, and a tie. He was accompanied by a woman wearing a lab coat, blouse, and slacks. He moved behind his desk, speaking as he did so.
"Before we begin, let me introduce Reilly-Jo Jackson. She's a medical e-scribe working with me this summer. As you can see, she has a laptop computer in hand. She will take my notes and ensure documentation of our interactions. She won't be commenting or participating in your care other than that," he explained. Reilly-Jo moved off to a nearby chair, where she could work while still observing and listening to the doctor and the patient. The Davises introduced themselves and asked to be called by their first names.
"Oh, I see. Electronic medical records, but Reilly-Jo here writes them as you work rather than listening to dictation after the fact," reflected Zane. "That's interesting." He smiled at Reilly-Jo and she smiled back, nodding in agreement.
"Yes, that's it," said Dr. Sweetgrass. "We've had medical e-scribes here for a while at the care center, and they are just invaluable to us. We have many on staff permanently, but Reilly-Jo is actually working on her master's degree in nursing and working here as a part-time job." Dr. Sweetgrass took a seat at his desk near Zane, where he could access his computer. He then pulled up Zane's patient file.
"Sir, I would like to ask a number of health history questions today. Please bear with me. Some of these you will have answered before with your own physician or over at Okla Trauma Center, but it's important that I confirm these answers so that we know where we are headed with your care, okay?"
Zane spoke up. "Your nurse… um …Carmelle was her name? Well, she called me the other day, and we had a good, long interview by phone. We're not going to go through all of that again, are we?" The patient looked annoyed, worrying that valuable time would be wasted repeating himself. The oncologist assured Zane ...