"Sir, this patient looks quite pale. I think she requires a blood transfusion."
"Huh?" I said. I knew looks could be deceptive. "How much is her hemoglobin?"
"Sir, the laboratory report is 9 g%. But it is from the emergency lab!"
"So?" I was confused.
"Their reports are not accurate. They told us on phone that this patient's report was 8 g%. The printed report came as 9 g%, where the 8 had been changed to 9 with a pen. We asked them what was the meaning of that. The Resident Doctor in the lab said that they had to wash the chamber of the autoanalyzer frequently owing to the work load, and they could not do that. So they looked at RBC pallor on microscopy, and changed the final report from the machine depending on the pallor they saw."
"That sounds like us looking at the patient's conjunctiva. Why don't you send them a picture of the patient's conjunctiva on phone?"
The answer was a broad smile.
"So now what>" I asked.
"So we correct their report depending on our clinical judgment."
The patient fortunately did not understand what was being said. She just lay there in blissful ingnorance, believing she was being looked after well.
"Huh?" I said. I knew looks could be deceptive. "How much is her hemoglobin?"
"Sir, the laboratory report is 9 g%. But it is from the emergency lab!"
"So?" I was confused.
"Their reports are not accurate. They told us on phone that this patient's report was 8 g%. The printed report came as 9 g%, where the 8 had been changed to 9 with a pen. We asked them what was the meaning of that. The Resident Doctor in the lab said that they had to wash the chamber of the autoanalyzer frequently owing to the work load, and they could not do that. So they looked at RBC pallor on microscopy, and changed the final report from the machine depending on the pallor they saw."
"That sounds like us looking at the patient's conjunctiva. Why don't you send them a picture of the patient's conjunctiva on phone?"
The answer was a broad smile.
"So now what>" I asked.
"So we correct their report depending on our clinical judgment."
The patient fortunately did not understand what was being said. She just lay there in blissful ingnorance, believing she was being looked after well.
