This miracle doctor just wants to be fired!

"Director Wang, but if we wait until we are transferred to a specialist to have a lumbar puncture, won't that delay the diagnosis and treatment?" Zhou Cheng asked.

"It won't delay anything." Wang Jianming waved his hand firmly. "We'll contact the neurology department right now and coordinate with them to admit the patient as soon as possible. The neurology department has more experience and is more professional in performing lumbar punctures. After the patient is transferred there, they will assess and perform the lumbar puncture. Even if there are any questions later, the specialist will be responsible for explaining them, which can minimize the risks to our emergency department."

Li Degang chimed in, "Director Wang is right. The emergency department focuses on resuscitation and initial treatment. It's safer to leave these highly specialized invasive examinations to specialists. Moreover, transferring to another department will ensure a more coherent follow-up treatment, which is more beneficial for the patient."

"Xiao Zhou, please stop insisting on treating the patient in the emergency room. The most urgent thing is to coordinate the transfer to another department, prepare the necessary documents, and provide a detailed handover of the patient's condition, examination results, and changes in symptoms."

Zhou Cheng sighed inwardly.

They have such a beautiful dream.

If you don't want to undergo invasive examinations, do you think other departments will be willing to?

But he could only outwardly comply, nodding and saying, "Okay, Director Wang, Teacher Li, I understand. I'll contact the neurology department now to coordinate the transfer and prepare the necessary documents."

"Yes, implement it as soon as possible," Wang Jianming instructed. "Before the transfer, communicate with the family again, explaining that the purpose of the transfer is to allow the specialist to provide more accurate diagnosis and treatment, including having the subsequent lumbar puncture performed by a specialist, to reassure them and avoid any resistance. Be careful with your tone when communicating, so as not to cause any unnecessary conflicts."

"Understood." Zhou Cheng responded and left the office, with Li Yang following closely behind.

As Li Yang walked out of the office, he couldn't help but say, "Professor Zhou, aren't Director Wang and Professor Li being a bit too cautious? We're performing lumbar punctures for the patient's own good."

Zhou Cheng patted him on the shoulder and said calmly, "This is the trade-off in clinical work. We must consider both the patient's condition and the medical risks."

"We're in a critical period for the hospital's tertiary hospital review, and our department really can't afford any mistakes. Let's follow the instructions from higher authorities, coordinate the transfer to another department as soon as possible, and not overthink it. Let's just focus on doing the job at hand."

After speaking, Zhou Cheng turned and walked towards the nurses' station to contact the neurology department again, explaining the patient's latest diagnosis and transfer request.

……

Just as Zhou Cheng finished organizing the transfer documents, Lin Ling rushed back: "Dr. Zhou, I've spoken with the neurology department, and they said all the beds are full and they can't admit any more patients for the time being."

Before Zhou Cheng could speak, Li Degang frowned: "Are all the beds full? Did you make it clear to them that the patient's condition is urgent and involves meningitis screening? Didn't you emphasize the need for priority coordination?"

"I did! I specifically mentioned the patient's condition and the previous consultation opinion from Director Liu of the Neurology Department." Lin Ling nodded quickly. "They said they've admitted too many critically ill patients recently, and they've even added beds in the corridors. They really can't free up any space."

"They also said that a lumbar puncture is the key to a definitive diagnosis, and told us to do it directly in the emergency department. Once the cerebrospinal fluid results came back and confirmed that it was meningitis, they would then try to coordinate a bed for admission."

Upon hearing this, Li Degang's face darkened.

His worst fears came true.

The specialized college has thrown the problem back at us again.

He immediately grabbed the transfer documents and, together with Zhou Cheng, hurried to find Wang Jianming to report.

"All the beds are full? What a coincidence! It's obvious they don't want to take on this hot potato!"

Wang Jianming's brows furrowed, and his expression grew increasingly grave.

He paused for a moment before slowly speaking: "They've just passed the buck back to us. If they make us do a lumbar puncture in the emergency room and the results come back normal, they'll have even more reason to refuse treatment later. If meningitis is diagnosed, then admitting them would be perfectly legitimate, and they wouldn't have to bear the risks of the initial procedures."

"But this is so irresponsible to the patient!" Zhou Cheng couldn't help but speak up, his tone filled with obvious anxiety. "The patient has a persistent low-grade fever and a persistent headache. The possibility of meningitis cannot be ruled out. If we delay any longer, the condition is likely to relapse or even worsen. The sooner we perform a lumbar puncture, the sooner we can make a clear diagnosis and formulate a treatment plan. We can't afford to delay! Director, why don't we do it in our emergency department?"

Wang Jianming sighed, his face full of helplessness: "I know we can't afford to delay, but the risk is still too great if we do it in the emergency room."

"You know the family's temper; if they have any complaints, they'll immediately file a complaint. This is such a crucial time for the hospital's third-tier hospital review; we really can't afford any setbacks."

He was caught in the middle, torn between the patient's condition and the department's risks.

Silence fell over the office, and the air seemed to grow heavy.

Wang Jianming leaned back in his chair, staring intently out the window. After a long while, he turned to Zhou Cheng, his tone slightly probing: "Zhou Cheng, have you considered the possibility that, I mean, what if the cerebrospinal fluid test results are also normal?"

Zhou Cheng's heart skipped a beat, and he instantly understood the unspoken meaning behind Wang Jianming's words.

On the surface, he was questioning the diagnosis, but in reality, he was making excuses to delay. In essence, he didn't want to have the lumbar puncture done in the emergency department.

Zhou Cheng looked up at Wang Jianming and said calmly, "Director Wang, I've considered it. But even if the cerebrospinal fluid results are normal, it can rule out infectious meningitis, narrowing down the scope of our investigation, which is also meaningful for subsequent diagnosis and treatment."

"Moreover, the patient's symptoms and test results now point to inflammation of the central nervous system. Cerebrospinal fluid examination is a necessary and crucial step, and we cannot give up just because we are worried that the results will be normal."

"That's true, but we also have to consider the risks." Wang Jianming frowned. "If the test results are normal, the family members might question why we did a useless test."

Zhou Cheng sneered inwardly.

Just as he expected, no matter how much Wang Jianming said, the core issue was that he was afraid of complaints and taking risks.

He didn't directly refute her, but simply said, "Director Wang, I understand your concerns. But as doctors, our primary concern is the patient's condition. The patient's condition is urgent, and we cannot delay treatment just because we're afraid of trouble or complaints."

"As for the risks, we can explain the situation to the family members in advance, making sure they understand the necessity of the examination, the possible results and risks, and have them sign an informed consent form to avoid disputes as much as possible."

Li Degang chimed in, "Director Wang, Zhou Cheng is right. Proper communication beforehand and signing informed consent forms can significantly reduce risks. Besides, the specialists have already put it this way; we can't just ignore it. We can't just watch the patient's condition worsen, can we?"

Although Li Degang was also afraid of the risks, he was even more aware that the consequences of delaying treatment would be more serious.

Wang Jianming remained silent for a long time. Looking at the two men's determined expressions and thinking about the patient's persistent low-grade fever and headache, he finally relented.

"Fine, we'll do as you say."

"Zhou Cheng, you are responsible for communicating with the family. Make sure you explain everything clearly so they understand and agree. After they sign the informed consent form, then arrange the lumbar puncture."

"The entire procedure must be performed according to regulations, with the assistance of an experienced nurse. Absolutely no mistakes can be made!"