Most healthcare activities fit within the buckets of prevention, diagnosis and treatment. Family practice docs and pediatricians cover all three but probably have greatest impact on public health and illness prevention. Pathologists and radiologists focus more on diagnosis, while surgeons and oncologists do more for treatment. We emergency physicians straddle diagnosis and treatment. We dabble in prevention too, perhaps most notably with our incessant tetanus boosters. We ask patients to stop smoking, and “get that blood pressure rechecked,” but with our limited follow up it can feel like barking at the moon.
Many medical problems improve immensely with simple saline…
Pre-R doesn’t do much for prevention either (unless you consider our Anxiometer tips and our efforts to prevent expensive trips to ERs). We do a little bit of relatively basic diagnosis: “Is this shingles, Strep throat, a UTI, etc.?” However, the majority of our work fits in the treatment bucket. Our patients typically know the problem and want it fixed.
With the addition of a “Pre-R Hydration Team” we want to take that treatment focus to another level. Many medical problems improve immensely with simple saline. When an ambulance rolls you into an ER, if the paramedics haven’t already placed an IV and started the saline, that’s frequently one of our very first steps. You may actually have saline running with blood drawn and sent before you even meet a physician. Sometimes that first bag may make you feel better and ready to go home in less than an hour even!
So why not offer just that as a stand-alone service in people’s homes? We do that already though, but this month we’re expanding that service.
Naturally, some of you will think of “Hangover Heaven” in Las Vegas for folks who have over shot the mark, and that’s just fine. We’re not opposed to lending a hand to Cal Poly or Cuesta students, or other wilted flowers that need watering. However, our target patient population is much larger.
Think of pregnant women with morning sickness sent to ERs for saline. Crazy right? And who wants to venture away from the bathroom after that three day old Caesar salad? How about elderly patients who forget to stay hydrated and happen to miss a couple meals? What about the marathon runner who is vomiting and cramping up at the finish? Is that someone who needs an ER? Does every diabetic with a blood sugar in the 400s need an ER? Probably no. Kids too… Imagine being a child, already with doctor phobia, with vomiting and diarrhea, stuck in a noisy, flourescent ER. No thanks. We want to help you all in the comfort of home.
Kelsey Dunn and Summer Garcia are two great friends and nurses who will help to extend our reach into San Luis Obispo North and South County. They are both highly competent and sensitive nurses who have placed hundreds of IVs. Plus they won’t just “turn and burn.” They will stay with you until you say you truly feel better. If the fluids don’t solve your problem, then together we will venture into diagnosis mode and help you make the best decision for your further evaluation. This may include a trip to an ER. But it could also include outpatient blood work, ultrasound or CT.
More serious problems like appendicitis, diabetic ketoacidosis, GI bleeding, intracranial bleeding and the like, are problems we never want to miss. So expect excellent follow up even after your treatment.
Give us a call. We charge $300 (and no charge for Zofran). And yes Hendrick… we’ll come to your party bus too. 😉
