Can you believe there are still people who question whether COVID-19 is real?
Sadly, some of these people are, in fact, coronavirus patients. So, while treating them, their doctors need to explain to them how critical their condition is. And even after the healthcare workers have explained everything, these people still don’t believe the virus is real.
Well, emergency room doctor Ryan Marino has recently shared his frustrating experience with suchlike patients. On his Twitter account, Dr. Marino has posted about one of his COVID-19 patients, who has actually accused the doctor of lying about their results.
In this situation, even the most experienced medic would ask themselves: How do you treat a patient for a disease they don’t believe exists?
I’ve been called a lot of names & accused of a lot of things by ER patients but it’s surreal to have a patient accuse me of falsifying their COVID result – bc they don’t believe the virus is real – as I’m actively trying to keep them from dying from multi organ failure from COVID pic.twitter.com/gyv9HQfL0F
— Ryan Marino (@RyanMarino) May 20, 2020
While doctors are putting up with a lot from various patients, they are now facing a modern problem. They now have to deal with patients who disbelieve the virus they have been diagnosed with is real. Moreover, by doing so, they undermine their doctors’ competence and professionalism.
Picture this: We’re in the middle of a global pandemic. A patient is already admitted to the hospital after testing positive for coronavirus. They clearly have shown severe symptoms to land them there. However, this patient still believes COVID-19 is some sort of conspiracy the government has made up to control its people.
Although this may sound surreal, it is actually happening. Yet, Dr. Marino doesn’t blame his patient. Instead, he believes that the numerous lies and half-truths this person has been fed have led to their extreme skepticism.
According to the doctor, it’s not surprising that a patient would accuse him of altering test results.
Isn’t it crazy we live in a world where people doubt everything they hear? It almost seems like the truth doesn’t matter anymore. People assume everything is political and question even professionals like reputable doctors and scientists. Unfortunately, it all appears to be an issue of misinformation.
So, how does a healthcare worker treat a patient who is doubtful of everything they hear?
Perhaps one of the things a doctor can do in such a situation is to hope that this patient would stop questioning their condition once their body starts reacting to the virus.
It’s probably world-shattering to be in the shoes of someone who has been repeatedly told that the global pandemic is fake and the virus is nothing but a hoax, and then, to find yourself at the hospital battling what you thought was not real. In such a prevailing moment, you need someone who would tell you the truth in a way that would get to your mind and heart.
Fortunately, Ryan Marino knew how to get his patient to accept the treatment they needed. Although it remains unclear whether they still deny the existence of COVID-19, at least they are not denying the hospital treatment their life depends on.
Hopefully, people will eventually understand the urgency of the current worldwide situation and will start trusting the ones who are only trying to help save their lives. Healthcare workers are the superheroes of our time, so they need to be treated with respect.
