Reporters: They're Just Like Us!
Joe writes:
Sometimes a reporter fails in his or her duty to inform the community. Here is one perfect example in an article which happens to deal with ECT. At the onset, the reporter asserts an absolute which is not the case, "In Vermont, patients are given complete medical and psychiatric examinations when they enter the hospital." The Vermont State Hospital came under criticism for failing to provide any physical examination let alone a "complete" physical examination. It was reported on December 11, 2007 that, "The monitors found areas of worry. They called it 'dangerous' that the hospital doesn't provide every new patient with a physical examination. 'You can't treat patients psychiatrically without knowing their physical status.' "How many persons who have been in a psych hospital or on a psych unit have experienced a complete medical examination?
Comments
I just had 2 hospitalizations. I never got a physical from either one. I don't know any of the patients who had a physical, unless you call taking temperature and blood pressure every four hours to be a physical.
Posted by: susan | January 7, 2008 06:23 PM
While I am not at all defending either the reporter or their article(s) on ECT published in the Times Argus/Rutland Herald sister-newspapers yesterday and I believe Joe is generally correct that "complete" physical examination on psych units might be rare (if they ever take place at all in advance of such treatments), typically being more rhetoric than practice, it is important to note that his attempt to draw a connection between Vermont State Hospital (VSH) and the point he raises about this within the context he does is somewhat flawed. Shock treatment does not occur at VSH and was not discussed within the context of the article(s) as it was addressing these treatments being done elsewhere, not at VSH. Thus it cannot be implied that one thing has anything to do with the other in the fashion generally attempted. That said, the article(s) does mention the treatment being done in an outpatient treatment setting and one could then be concerned about those held at VSH or on ONH's (Orders of Non-Hospitalization) if they were to be given shock treatment within that particular context.
Posted by: mwb | January 7, 2008 07:59 PM
In my experience I can vouch for the fact that reporters often get information incorrectly reported and in many cases in my opinion I often find them superficially covering stories seeming only to fill space in publications as opposed to presenting quality information and reporting.
With that stated I would like to point out as a support person and caregiver to my spouse that my wife’s experiences in southern Florida has been that she has had a complete physical examination during her hospitalizations and prior to ECT. Also as an outpatient while she was receiving ECT one of the hospitals had insisted upon a complete physical examination every 7 days which meant any patient having a series of more than 3 ECT or on a maintenance program also had to have more than one complete physical examination or medical clearance as they referred to the documents. A medical clearance consisted of a chest x-ray, blood workup, and cardiogram and physician interview.
Warmly,
Herb
VNSdepression.com
Posted by: herb | January 9, 2008 12:04 AM