The Enhanced Doctor-Chapter 541: The interns have grown

"Fortunately, the patient’s brain wasn’t damaged, and they were sent directly to the ward."

Qi Wentai, who took the patient for a CT scan, had returned.

Under normal circumstances, doctors don’t have the time to accompany patients for CT scans. Only critical cases receive this kind of attention. It’s either special cases like we’ve had before, or like today, where a small mistake almost happened during the rescue operation.

"You saw the patient’s family, right? I asked them to find you," Liu Banxia said.

"I did, and I feel quite relieved. Has the bystander been sent to the operating room?" Qi Wentai asked.

Liu Banxia nodded. "Their brain is fine too; the main issue was their spleen. I heard the traffic police are investigating how the ice formed on the road."

"Once it gets dark, it’s really hard to spot ice on the road. Anyone lacking skills would be in danger. We should always drive slowly; speeding is really not an option."

"Ah, people know this when talking, but once in the car, it’s hard to tell how fast you’re really going," Qi Wentai said with a smile.

"Thanks for today. It’s not their fault; I didn’t even think of it myself. Thankfully, the patient was saved. Otherwise, the mess would have been too big, too dangerous."

"No need for formalities; anyone would have done the same," Liu Banxia responded with a wave of his hand.

"You watch things downstairs for a while. I’m going upstairs to check on the patient who’s prone to nightmares. It’s quite a headache; I’m afraid it might be schizophrenia. It’s not easily diagnosed or treated."

Qi Wentai nodded.

"How is his condition?" Liu Banxia asked after reaching the upper floor.

"He’s sleeping soundly, and there’s nothing unusual on his EEG. He was softly snoring just now, but that must be due to his prolonged lack of sleep, right?" Li Hao hurriedly said.

Liu Banxia nodded. "Just by looking at his sleeping position, we can tell he’s sleeping well. He’s lying so peacefully without curling up. That’s good. Continue observing."

Li Hao nodded and sat back down on the chair.

To properly observe this patient, he didn’t dare to sit on an empty hospital bed. He feared that if he accidentally fell asleep, his tasks for the day would go down the drain.

"Teacher Liu, are you going to rest now?" Xu Yino came over just as Liu Banxia was leaving the ward.

"How can I sleep this early? Around 11 p.m., I’ll go to sleep. If there’s nothing else, I can sleep till dawn," Liu Banxia said.

"Then we’d like to discuss this patient’s condition with you," Xu Yino said.

Liu Banxia smiled and nodded, following them into the duty room.

"Go ahead and tell me, what are your thoughts?" Liu Banxia asked.

"Teacher Liu, we also think he might have schizophrenia," Liu Yiqing said. "We just researched some information about schizophrenia. If the patient is in the subacute phase, they may not have visual and auditory hallucinations, but they could have the symptoms he’s exhibiting now."

"Could it be a delusion? His current state appears similar to paranoid delusions. If that’s the case, along with some cognitive impairments, could he be confusing the real world for a dream when he’s awake?"

"Didn’t he say something similar when he first came in? He even asked if you had seen ’Inception’. In the movie, they mistake reality for dreams, not the other way around."

"If the patient has cognitive impairments, he could completely confuse the two. If we consider it from this angle, wouldn’t that be a possibility?"

Liu Banxia gave a thumbs up. "It’s not only possible, it’s highly likely. Very good. That’s a lot to say in one breath, Dr. Liu must be tired. Have some water."

"That’s how it should be done: identify all possible conditions, and then look for connections among them. Even if our current considerations are completely wrong, it’s better than thinking of it later. It saves a lot of time."

"Any symptoms that we can’t currently rule out need to be considered. This is not only for diagnosing the patient but also serves as a review process for us."

"You all used to be a bit lacking in this aspect, always waiting, seldom proactively thinking. From now on, be mindful. Even if it’s not a patient under your direct care, you can still use your brains."

Hearing his words, the interns felt embarrassed.

This was a rare compliment from Liu Banxia, but it was this very compliment that made them realize their previous attitude towards learning had been somewhat lax.

Why could Teacher Liu always notice such minor details? It was because he was always pondering the patient’s condition. Many times, the confirmed diagnosis of a case was deduced by Liu Banxia’s constant mulling. If he hadn’t already been thinking through multiple scenarios in his head, would muttering to himself have sufficed? This was treatment, not a magic spell.

"This can be a backup theory. Even if it’s wrong, what’s the impact? I think none at all. But if it turns out to be right, the impact would be enormous," Liu Banxia continued.

"You guys go ahead and discuss it. I’ll keep an eye on things downstairs. I’ll check in again in the latter part of the night; I also need to manage my own sleep schedule. Then, have Huang Bo summarize today’s mistakes so we can learn from them."

"Teacher Liu, I already discussed the matter with everyone," Huang Bo quickly stood up.

Liu Banxia waved his hand, indicating for him to sit down. "It’s the same thing I’ve always said: you still have the chance to make mistakes now, so don’t be afraid. What’s truly to be feared is making a mistake when you can no longer afford to."

"Even I am like this now, always treading on thin ice. I’m terrified of making a wrong diagnosis or issuing the wrong medical order. Even if some mistakes aren’t life-threatening, they can still hit patients’ wallets."

"Let’s work together. I’m still a student; in fact, my academic credentials aren’t as high as yours. When I’m at the university, should I be calling you seniors?"

The interns grinned. Who would dare let him call them that? How many pig’s trotters and chicken drumsticks would they have to prepare? They wouldn’t dare.

Liu Banxia strolled downstairs, hands behind his back. Seeing Wei Yuan also emerge, Liu Banxia’s mood was quite good.

A quick discharge indicated the patient’s condition wasn’t serious, which was good news.

Few people come to the hospital without any illness. As long as it’s a minor illness, that’s a success.

"I heard you lost your temper in the rescue room again?" Wei Yuan said with a smile.

"I got anxious and didn’t manage my emotions well. I promise it won’t happen again," Liu Banxia said.

"How’s your patient? Is he asleep?" Wei Yuan asked.

Liu Banxia nodded. "I just checked; he’s sleeping soundly. After a detailed discussion, the interns also considered the possibility of schizophrenia."

"Now we’ll see if this guy has nightmares tonight or any instances of sleepwalking. If not, this diagnosis might indeed be uncertain."

"It looks like you’re pretty satisfied with them; otherwise, you wouldn’t be speaking like this," Wei Yuan said.

"They’ve learned to research patients’ conditions themselves, instead of waiting to be spoon-fed like before. That’s not easy," Liu Banxia said.

"Previously, they had a lot to learn and many patients. Whenever they had a little free time, they were desperate to catch up on sleep, which left them with much less time for critical thinking."

"Our occasional small discussion meetings are, to them, just like another problem to solve. But they still haven’t learned to proactively seek out their own ’test questions’ to answer. Hopefully, they’ll improve in the future."

"You should be content. For them to grow this quickly is already a difficult feat. Where would they find the time to play your little inference games?" Wei Yuan said with a helpless sigh.

"I think they’re doing pretty great now. You should hurry up and win over the other three. If they join us, things will be much more relaxed in the future."

"Hehe, that’s what I thought too," Liu Banxia said with a chuckle. "That’s why I put pressure on them, making their internship in our emergency center so demanding. If they went somewhere else, wouldn’t it be very boring?"

Wei Yuan shook his head helplessly. "You always have different ideas. But handle this yourself; just don’t pressure them so much they run off."

"I can’t be the only one, you know. You guys also need to help sweet-talk them occasionally," Liu Banxia said.

"Their evaluations are all very high right now. I’m worried the inpatient department might snatch them away. Although the pressure there isn’t small, the pressure on our side is definitely greater."

"Sigh... I have to give a lecture at school tomorrow. Let’s see if my patient can get a confirmed diagnosis by then; otherwise, it’ll be tough for me to go."

"That’s great; it’s good publicity for our hospital," Wei Yuan said.

"Anyway, you and Wang Chao will basically be responsible for these kinds of things in the future. That idea about community outreach for health education is pretty good too. At the very least, it’s a deterrent to those selling counterfeit and shoddy health products."

Liu Banxia shook his head. "That’s too difficult. These people are too cunning; they directly exploit the vulnerabilities of the elderly. The elderly know they might be cheated, but they think, ’What if it works?’ They’re willing to try anything for a few more days of life."

"Actually, many scammers operate the same way: they exploit people’s greed. I don’t think this problem can ever be completely eradicated."

"As long as there’s profit, people will take risks. Unless we can tackle it thoroughly from the very root, cutting off the source and eliminating the environment where such things can breed."

"But these aren’t matters we ordinary people can resolve. We’ll just have to see how things play out. Weren’t we just talking a few days ago about a patient who took some ’secret formula’ pills? They were simply packaged, homemade concoctions."

"Whether they actually work or not, it’s really hard to say. The knowledge in traditional Chinese medicine is profound, and many things are difficult to quantify."

Wei Yuan nodded. That was well said.

Things have gotten slightly better in the last couple of years, right? Otherwise, television commercials would still be frequently advertising all sorts of health products. If accountability were pursued for such things, many people could be implicated.