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A Doctor Remotely Told A Patient He Was Going To Die Using A Video-Link Robot (bbc.com)

Posted by EditorDavid on from the bedside-manners dept.

dryriver quotes the BBC: A doctor in California told a patient he was going to die using a robot with a video-link screen. Ernest Quintana, 78, was at Kaiser Permanente Medical Center in Fremont when a doctor — appearing on the robot's screen — informed him that he would die within a few days. A family friend wrote on social media that it was "not the way to show value and compassion to a patient". The hospital says it "regrets falling short" of the family's expectations.

Mr Quintana died the next day.

6 of 223 comments (clear)

  1. Doctor Joke #1 by PopeRatzo · · Score: 5, Funny

    I went to the doctor and he examined me and ran a battery of tests. His video link robot came back into the room and said, "Mr Ratzo, you're crazy." I told him I wanted a second opinion and he said, "You're ugly, too."

    But the video link robot did suggest that I start doing yoga. When I asked him why, he said, "So you can kiss your ass goodbye."

    --
    You are welcome on my lawn.
    1. Re:Doctor Joke #1 by JustAnotherOldGuy · · Score: 5, Funny

      A dying man smells his favorite oatmeal raisin cookies cooking downstairs. It takes all the strength he has left but he gets up from the bed and crawls down the stairs.

      He sees the cookies cooling on the counter and staggers over to them. As he reaches for one, his wife's wrinkled hand reaches out, smacks his and she yells:

      "No, you can't have those! They're for the funeral!"

      --
      Just cruising through this digital world at 33 1/3 rpm...
  2. Re:So, maybe not the best bedside manner by K.+S.+Kyosuke · · Score: 5, Funny

    Botside manner?

    --
    Ezekiel 23:20
  3. That story list... by SeaFox · · Score: 4, Funny

    I like the story immediately preceding this one is "Is Bad Customer Service More Profitable Than Good?"

  4. Re: wasn't a robot you tards by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Funny

    Pedant (noun): a person who reads definitions to other people from the dictionary

  5. Good news, you've got 10 days to live.. by h33t+l4x0r · · Score: 4, Funny

    "what's the bad news?" he asked the robot doctor.
    "That number is in binary and I've been trying to get in touch with you since yesterday"