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A doctor informed a patient that he was going to die by means of a video transmitted by a robot, a situation that bothered relatives of the patient who considered this path as "an atrocity".
Annalisa Wilharm was sitting next to her grandfather's bed in the intensive care unit of the Kaiser Permanente Medical Center in Fremont, California late Monday night when the machine entered the room.
A live video link appeared across a screen with a doctor who had told him the bad news. His grandfather Ernest Quintana, 78, died the next day.
"I think they should have had more dignity and treat it better than them"says Wilharm to CNN. "No granddaughter, no family member should suffer what I just happened to him," he added.
Wilharm told CNN that his family knew his grandfather was going to die soon. But they are unhappy about how the situation was managed and how the diagnosis was made. The granddaughter of the patient hopes that no one else will receive the same treatment.
"I was so scared for him and I was disappointed with the way"Said Wilharm suffocating. "And I could see through the expression of his face what it had done to him."
A spokeswoman for the hospital presented "her heartfelt condolences to the family" in a statement sent to CNN.
"We take this very seriously and have contacted the family to share their concerns," said Michelle Gaskill-Hames, Senior Vice President and Area Manager.
"Our doctors and nurses have maintained regular and in-person communication with the patient and his family about his state of health upon entering our hospital," he added.
"The teleconference through the afternoon video followed previous medical consultations, did not replace previous conversations with the patient or with family members, and was not used either. in the initial diagnosis ".
"You know, I do not know if you're going home"The doctor said, adding that the best treatment plan at this time was to focus on the comfort of Quintana.
Wilharm told CNN that at that time, he had to call his mother and grandmother so that they could return to the hospital.
"It did not matter (for the hospital) that his wife, 58, was not there for that," he said.
When his grandmother came back to the hospital, he asked the nurses about the robot. According to Wilharm, they explained that the hospital was small and that the robot was used to do rounds at night.
Gaskill-Hames, a spokesman for the hospital, said the health care provider "continues to learn the best way to integrate technology with patient interactions."
"In all aspects of our care, especially when we communicate difficult information, we do so with compbadion, personally," he said, adding that the term "robot" was "inaccurate and inappropriate".
"This secure video technology is a live conversation with a doctor who uses television technology, and always with a nurse or other doctor present in the room to explain the purpose and operation of this technology," added Gaskill-Hames. "This allows a small hospital to have additional specialists, such as a board-certified intensive care physician, available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, which improves the care provided and offers additional counseling experience at the bedside. "
Wilharm said the doctor himself was "very kind" and held his grandfather's hand while talking to him about palliative care and his options.
Gaskill-Hames said the hospital does not encourage the use of technology to replace personal interactions between patients and health workers.
"We understand how important it is for everyone involved and we regret that we did not meet the expectations of the family," he said.
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