Dr ASY (fictional name), while a junior resident in the Surgery Department AIIMS, New Delhi, was demonstrating a batch of Under-graduate (UG) students a patient with hydrocele, in the surgical OPD (out-patient-department).
Dr. ASY warned them that hydrocele could be easily confused with a hernia, but a good doctor can easily differentiate between the two, if he pays adequate attention and knows clearly the differences between them. The interested undergraduates eagerly asked him to teach them the differences.
For Non-Medicos: Hydrocele is collection of fluid in the scrotal sac, while in hernia the intestinal bowel loops comes down into the scrotal sac. Hydrocele can be operated under local anaesthesia in minor operation theatre while hernia needs operation in the major operation theatre under local or spinal anaesthesia.
While Dr. ASY was midway between explaining them the differences, Dr. MDB (fictional name) came from the minor operation theater adjacent to the OPD. He was accompanied with a patient who was carrying an OPD card with Dr. ASY’s signature.
Dr. MDB demanded, “ASY, why have you sent this patient suffering from hernia to minor operation theatre with the (mis-) diagnosis of hydrocele?”
The best among us may sometime commit mistake. This can be usually traced to lack of attention to the task at hand or getting over-confident or not applying the knowledge you know . Paying complete attention and avoiding shortcuts helps in avoiding such mistakes.
It is not enough to know the rules, but also to apply them, no matter how senior or experienced you become. This may help prevent embarrassment occurring to you, as it happened to Dr. ASY, who failed to apply something he knew quite well.
Dr. N. K. Dewanda's Law of Medical Misdiagnosis: You are most likely to make a misdiagnosis when it will cause you maximum embarrassment.
(Based on true incident)
— ND
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DISCLAIMER: This article is intended only for fun purpose. The author does not promote or recommend any behavior illustrated here or claim it to be useful. Use of the information herein is at you one's own risk. Before trying to emulate or follow anything the reader is well advised to take into account ethical, moral, legal and other considerations. The author recommends that Medical Practice should be of the highest ethical and moral level keeping in mind the interest of the patient as foremost.
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