Treating Patients with a Mystifying Diagnosis
Purpose: The purpose of this report is to discuss the involvement of the interdisciplinary care of patients with an extremely rare and fascinating medical diagnosis and to promote awareness of challenges in medical care and provider behavior observed in such cases.
Description: When patients with extremely rare and mystifying conditions are admitted to a hospital, the case can bring pause and reflection to all healthcare professionals involved in their care, even in specialized care facilities. The literature describes negative treatment outcomes when treating very important person (“VIP”) or celebrity patients due difficulties with unrealistic patient demands that can result in skewed clinical judgement.
In our specialized neurosurgical center, a recent case of cojoined twins brought fascination and curiosity to all who cared for them. A disruption in the usual hospital routine was soon observed as all teams were overly eager to help and to offer assistance. Initially this lead to frequent scheduling conflicts and to multiple professionals standing at their bedside at the same time, disrupting care. During physical therapy sessions, frequent interruptions interfered with the flow of the sessions.
Bringing awareness to the problems associated with the “VIP syndrome” was certainly a valuable experience for the healthcare professionals that carried over to this particular case, assisting with the logistics of maintaining regular institutional protocols and routines, despite the novelty of the case.
Summary of Use: Healthcare professionals and clinicians are at times surprised by the disruption of patient care in cases of extremely rare and mystifying conditions. Having awareness of the potential negative impact associated with deviating from institutional protocols and routines in such cases can promote clinical reasoning and improve overall patient care.
Importance to Members: Treating patients with fascinating medical problems can lead to a natural disruption of institutional routines that can negatively impact patient care.