So today marks the first day that I have been lied to by a patient. Short version: there was a car accident. The patient denied using any "substances" prior to the incident. Toxicology disagreed.
I was notably chagrined to find out that I had not done my best to get an honest and complete history from the patient. But I learned that there are situations that are not acceptable - having a patient's family in the room will not work. I understand that in situations like today, it is not good medicine to have family in the room.
And I have taken another step on the path to good judgment. As they say, good judgment comes from experience, and experiences are gained by having bad judgment. I deemed the patient a reliable source, and my poor judgment on that gave me some more good experience. Experience I hope I won't soon forget.
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