A lawyer is going viral on TikTok after sharing three key things that he said can save hospital patients.
User @tommythelawyer, a medical malpractice lawyer, dedicates most of his TikTok page to sharing legal tips. He said that he would share these three nuggets of wisdom with people whom he loves and cares about.
He also included the caveat that patients should use these tips “to the extent that they can.” As of Thursday, his video had amassed more than 30,400 views.
‘You need to be your own advocate’
Tommy’s first piece of advice is to always bring someone with you. “I know that you don’t always have that power, but if you can bring someone with you” do it, he advised.
“You need a witness,” he added, in the event that something happens. For example, on the off-chance that doctors try to deny your version of events, Tommy said, “it’s always good to have someone there.”
Secondly, Tommy said that you should try to figure out who the attending physician is. The attending physician, he clarified, is the doctor in charge.
“A lot of times, you’re being cared for by resident physicians who—although they’re technically doctors—are still considered ‘in training’ by the hospital,” he said. As a result, he said that these doctors might’ve not received their board certification yet. This means that they are not allowed to practice unsupervised.
Lastly, hospital patients need to quickly assess what the plan of care is. Tommy said that the doctors might not always communicate what their plans are or why they’re doing something.
“So you need to be your own advocate and figure that out,” he told viewers.
Are these legit?
There’s no readily available evidence online suggesting that bringing a companion with you to the hospital will prevent future incidents. Should you bring a friend or family member, though, it’s important to note that most hospitals have visitation hours that guests need to heed.
Hospital visitors should also be sure to wash their hands, turn off their cell phones, consider allergies or restrictions on bringing food into the building, and to give their loved one privacy if they ask for it.
When it comes to who’s doing the check-up, there are benefits to seeing a resident physician. For example, because resident physicians are supervised, when you receive care from a resident, you’ll also receive care from their attending. “This means you’ll benefit from the expertise and knowledge of both,” Verywell Health reported. And according to a separate Quora thread on the topic, although most patient-to-doctor contact will be through a resident, you’ll likely get acquainted with the attending physician too.
That said, residents have full licenses to practice medicine once they complete their first year of residency. “So I would say it is quite safe,” a physician in the thread noted. “If you feel uncomfortable, you can always request someone else. It probably won’t be very well received though.”
Meanwhile, your plan of care should be communicated to you—but it never hurts to ask. According to one Reddit user in the r/publichealth subreddit, one issue that may arise is a sudden breakdown in communication between healthcare providers. In this case, then, there are benefits to the patient knowing what’s next for them.
There’s also unwritten hospital etiquette
In addition to the aforementioned tips, there are certain courtesies that hospital visitors should be aware of.
In the r/askreddit subreddit, one woman said she considered herself an expert on this topic since she recently spent a lot of time in the hospital with her husband, who died after a heart transplant.
As for her recommended “dos,” she said that friends and family should be sure to visit often. “Nothing else is as important,” she said. The woman also said that visitors should avoid only talking about a patient’s illness and to be prepared to listen.
The woman’s “don’ts” list was slightly longer. It noted, for instance, that visitors should not bring food that the patient cannot eat and to not speak too loudly. But, in the end, said she that being there is really all that matters.
“Don’t worry about ‘hospital etiquette’—it’s really, really nice of you to visit and almost anything stupid you do will be forgotten,” the redditor wrote.
Viewers share tips that have helped them
In the comments of Tommy’s video, many viewers affirmed his suggestions and said that following his tips was worthwhile.
“Never ever be alone,” one woman said.
“As a Trauma nurse I 100% agree on this,” another person wrote.
“This is excellent advice,” a third viewer affirmed.
Other patients shared their own counsel.
“I record every visit not for that reason really but because I can’t remember what they say but I live in a one-party consent state,” one viewer shared. “Always check your visit notes after each visit for accuracy.”
@tommythelawyer If you can, do these things #fyp #tips #health #medical #malpractice #safety #law ♬ original sound – tommythelawyer
“They almost double dosed me with strong pain meds 1.5 hours apart,” another said. “Fortunately, I caught it. My tip: text time & dose of all meds so someone else knows also.”
The Daily Dot has reached out to Tommy.
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The post ‘You need a witness’: Lawyer says always do these 3 things when you visit the hospital appeared first on The Daily Dot.