Do Not Edit

CP: Have you heard of selective reading?

CPP: I'm going to guess it's what's people do on the internet when "researching"?

CP: Yes. But along with that, they only provide you details they deem essential. 

CPP: Exactly like "researching it for themselves" on the internet. 

CP: Precisely. 

CPP: In what context are you raising this query?

CP: Remember last week when we discussed patients providing us superfluous information when requesting refills or prescriptions or just talking to us?

CPP: Yes. 

CP: Today we have the people who don't provide enough information, or rather, self-edited information. 

CPP: Do tell. 

CP: CP's Draughts and Drachms, how may I help you?

Please Read All Your Words On There: We are going out of town. 

CP: We are? 

PRAY WOT: My husband and I. 

CP: Good on you, love. Am I needed for this conversation? Is my bit coming round soon?

PRAY WOT: He has enough calcium to last until the day we come back and we don't want to run out while we are gone. 

CP: <knowing full well she means Atorvastatin> Well your insurance will pay for your refills a few weeks early since you last filled a 90 days supply. We can fill that today for you if you like. 

PRAY WOT: Oh really? I know it's just calcium but I don't want him to miss it.

CP: Do you have the bottle at hand? 

PRAY WOT: I do. I know it's not important.

CP: Stay with me here. What is the rest of the drug name?

PRAY WOT: I see calcium. 

CP: Do you also see Atorvastatin?

PRAY WOT: Yes. 

CP: That means it's his Lipitor; it's for his cholesterol. This makes it a little more important. 

PRAY WOT: Oh. I looked at the label and I only saw the calcium part of it. 

CP: Make sure when you read names, especially names of medications, that you read the entire name. You don't get to choose which parts are important. It changes the meaning considerably. I know "calcium" is recognizable, but it's not the important part of the name here.

PRAY WOT: Gotcha. Thank you. 

CPP: That's like reading only parts of a number; like the cents on a check and omitting the dollars. 

CP: Or giving directions to "Carolina", "Dakota", "Diego", "Los", etc.

CPP: I had this same conversation last night. 

CP: No way!

CPP: Way!

CP: Dude!

CPP: Sweet!

CP: Do tell. 

CPP: Patient said she was only allowed to take her blood pressure medication before her surgery. I looked at her chart and told her it was the Losartan. She asked about the Calcium. I told her Atorvastatin was not for blood pressure and she said "I thought it was when I saw the calcium". I explained that no, ATORVASTATIN was her cholesterol medication and she replied "I guess that makes sense because of the calcium in it". 

CP: It's a-TOR-VA-statin. The calcium don't enter into it. 

CPP: It's bleeding demised.