Dear All
There have already been several replies all with reasonable plans of action. I offer these additional thoughts for what they are worth.
I think the approach would depend on my knowledge of this nurse. Is it someone who
1. I know well
2. I have seen sometimes on the wards
3. I do not know at all
Also, in the case of [2] and [3] although I may not know the person well, I may know that
1. s/he is the study nurse of a team that does a lot of trial work and knows and undertands the meaning of reference ranges, relative and absolute risks and p-values, even if the team doesnot work with prostate cancer
2. s/he is not very academically inclined for want of a better word
Thus, it may be that I would sit down for an hour with the nurse and go through the issues in depth, including along the lines already described. The reality is that if I did not satisfy her curiosity s/he would go to the next person which could be a surgical SHO with too much faith in his own infallibility. This may already have happened. S/he is a colleague in the health service and is owed a collegial courtesey.
Indeed, the fact that she has contacted you, Gordon, suggests that she has some trust in the quality of the advice you may be giving her. Indeed, you can get the special registrar in training to speak to her initially. It would force that person to read up all about PSA and tumor markers in general, and get a bit of experience in counselling. Builds character.
As a corollary, you could organise a teaching session for all the nurses on this theme; that would give the SpR something to do and would raise the profile of your department. This could develop into a monthly theme.
Kind regards
Lars
Lars Breimer
MA PhD BM BCh MRCPath Dip Pharm Med
Clinical Science, Global Drug Development
Roche Products Limited
40 Broadwater Road, Welwyn Garden City, Herts, AL7 3AY, U K
Registration Number 100674
-----Original Message-----
From: g.challand [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
Sent: 09 November 2000 13:56
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Confidentiality of patient information (again!)
A belated thank you to everyone who contributed to the debate about this.
Just how difficult the situation is so far as Pathology is concerned is well illustrated by a 'phone call I received yesterday. The caller, a nurse from this Hospital, explained that a friend of hers had just had a PSA test done, and could I please tell her what the normal range [sic] for this test was.
How would list members respond to this query?
Best wishes
Gordon Challand
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