Dr.Chiou; is a specialist in gynecologic oncology. Went on rounds with him and an intern and visited with 5 patients. Most did not want to go home yet, even though Dr. Chiou said they could be discharged today. In Taiwan, with its national health care, patients don’t have to pay for hospital stays, so they tend to want to stay longer and make sure their post surgery status is good. Dr. Chiou believes it’s good for patients but it also prevents new patients from getting a bed in the hospital. Chung Gung Linkou branch has 5,000 beds and they are all taken. The ER is overflowing with patients waiting for a bed, they even have beds in the hallways.
An ICU patient was referred to Dr.Chiou; she is 20yo and has been diagnosed with ovarian teratoma. She presented with irritability, restlessness and when she checked into the hospital was first said to have encephalopathy, but a smart doc suggested a full body scan and thus found a mass in her left ovary. She is scheduled to have surgery tomorrow. Dr. Chiou says that the teratoma caused an auto-immune disease that caused antibodies to attack her brain. He believes removing the teratoma will hopefully relieve and cure her encephalopathy.
The rest of the day was spent in the clinic. Dr.Chiou saw 53 patients in 4 hours. They have a fast and efficient way of taking histories. With their smart cards, patients medical history is a click away. Dr. Chiou performs follow-ups and routine pap smears, one right after the other.
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