I laugh when someone asks “Who’s the POTUS again?” because it reminds of the lyrics to “Born in East LA” by Cheech Marin when asked the same question and he answers “That guy that used to be on Death Valley Days, John Wayne” Of course he was talking about Ronald Reagan at the time.
I think docs need to ask more relevant questions then “Who’s the POTUS” because they might end up giving someone a heart attack- PB/TK
Where Are We? Who Is President? Oh God – By Jeremy Samuel Faust
As an emergency doctor, one thing I cannot take for granted is whether or not a patient is fully oriented. To assess this, I ask four basic questions: What is your name? Where are we? What is the date? Who is the president of the United States? If the person knows all four answers, they are said to be “alert and oriented to person, place, time, and POTUS.” When they get one of the answers wrong, it is good practice to reorient them.
Just by the math of it, several times per week, a patient of mine answers the POTUS question incorrectly. Jimmy Carter seems to be a favorite. Last week I had a patient tell me that Obama was the president. When I told him that Obama’s term was up, he wanted another guess. He went backward to Bush.
All kinds of things can cause these lapses in memory, from chronic dementia to a temporary head injury. So, some patients are alert, conversant, and are otherwise “with it” enough to understand the gravity of the news I end up breaking to them. It’s actually a fascinating moment, and I have become deeply curious as to what each patient’s reaction will be. Each time now, I stop, take a big breath, look them squarely in the eyes, and then I reveal to them the full, undeniable truth of the situation: The president of these United States is Donald J. Trump. I pause. I do not break eye contact.
For the most part, it isn’t pretty.
Continue to slate.com article: http://www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/medical_examiner/2017/02/one_doctor_s_experience_telling_patients_trump_is_president.html
