Being Flexible
More than one way to skin a cat is a phrase that most of us have heard before. It is a convenient tool to say there are multiple ways to view/approach issues or situations that are out of your comfort zone. Throughout my lifetime, I have met a few individuals who categorically deny this approach. When those folks are in the medical field, it can become a precarious situation. As I have stated before, people are products of their training, and health care providers are no exception. Rigid, inflexible attitudes are prevalent in medicine, and although most of us have never seen, nor ever will skin a cat, providers with these attitudes can put their patient’s health at risk.
The Dangers of Being Stubborn
Recently I had the disappointing experience of dealing with a stubborn provider at a long-term care home. They insisted the only way to test UTI was by culture and refused to entertain the idea of using PCR testing. One of the residents of the home happened to be experiencing chronic UTI problems for several months. It just so happens she was the mother of the director of the home. One of our awesome ILDP reps called on the provider one day and struck up a conversation with the director. The discussion steered in the direction of the resident and PCR testing. As stories go, one thing led to another, and we agreed to run a PCR test on the director’s mother. Care to guess the results?
Escaping Your Comfort Zone
Her test returned with high Enterococcus faecalis, medium Escherichia coli, low Klebsiella oxytoca, and low Enterobacter cloacae. She had antibiotic resistance to Macrolide, Nitrofurantoin, Sulfonamides and Tetm. Yes, I hear the groans even in TN. E. faecalis is a gram-positive organism and will not grow on the culture plate. Therefore the provider was unaware this was the bug that would not leave its host. Sure the culture plate showed the E. Coli, but the main culprit was the bug that was not seen. Needless to say, a different course of action was immediately put in place. I will give the provider credit for stepping out of their comfort zone.
PCR Testing to Save Lives
We all can get stuck buying what is familiar. What we are comfortable with. In this case, the refusal to be more open-minded could have led to a disaster as a 93-year-old becomes a high-risk patient by maintaining a UTI for months. The only constant thing in life is change, and medicine is no different. PCR testing is unfamiliar to a lot of providers. This does not justify not using it. The efficacy of this type of testing is well documented and undeniable. In this case, using it may have saved a life. We are here to help you get comfortable with PCR testing. Its uses and benefits. Stepping out of comfort zones many times helps your patients. In what way will you skin this cat?
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