My son was held in the NICU for several days because residents weren't willing to take the risk of saying he was okay to go home. Every time he would hit a benchmark that we were told would mean he was okay, a resident would set a new benchmark.
https://twitter.com/michaelyehmd/status/1379498018035015680
We had to throw a fit and be rude to hospital staff in order for them to agree to send an attending doctor to evaluate our kid. When we eventually got one over he said, and I quote "he could have gone home three days ago."
That's three days of unnecessary medical intervention for a newborn, and three days of emotional turmoil, lack of sleep, bad food and discomfort for his parents. It's also a bill for three days of expensive resources that we didn't need.
We only knew to ask for an attending doctor because a family member who works in a hospital told us that residents are always hesitant to release a patient. This isn't because residents are bad doctors - it's a side effect of our insanely stupid healthcare system.
Everything is about what insurance will pay for and what could lead to litigation, not necessarily what the patient really needs.
That's not residents' fault, but it is unreasonable to demand that patients assume the emotional, medical and financial risks of allowing residents to try to impress insurance companies and legal departments. When safeguards for patients exist, maybe then.
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