I hadn't considered that. That does make me wonder something, though. Would the doc be allowed to say that one way or the other? HIPAA and all that? I don't know how that intersects with POTUS. I get Trump can release it himself as he likes, but could the doctor?Originally Posted by TheRoland
Sorta around sometimes for some of your shitty mod needs.
This is one case where I'd actually like to hear "I'm not a doctor, but I play one on TV".
(Hey, I could care less what he takes. Maybe they should mix some abilify in there as well.)
There's nothing civil about this war.
Current treatment would be certainly considered HIPAA protected information - Trump would have to sign a release for this information to be transmitted to anyone except those to whom it is relevant for direct patient care (eg other docs).
That said, lots of other information in the letter would also considered HIPAA protected ("eg He receives regular COVID19 testing, all negative to date.) so Trump must have signed a release for that information to be released in the letter as well. The equivocation on whether or not he is taking HCQ seems to be deliberate to me.
While there may be people in the media/lay public who are arguing for/against the use of the drug for COVID-19, I assure you there is no shilling happening in either direction in medical community. There has been, however, a lot of recent studies on the drug's use for COVID-19, and so far the sum of the evidence indicates that it does not help . Frankly, there was never a good rationale for its use to begin with, which largely originated in the hare-brained ideas of a questionable French scientist.
Its also worth noting that age doesn't really have anything to do with its safety, or frankly how well we understand it, either. We understand how to appropriately dose it for patients with RA or lupus for maximal clinical effect, and also know what side effects to monitor for in that setting.
The danger is that in the US, HCQ has been prescribed at different dosages, by different providers, in different settings, for patients with a wide spectrum of COVID-19 severity. If you are a provider who is not used to prescribing HCQ, and you are not adequately monitoring them for adverse effects (e.g. writing it for an outpatient), there is a very real potential for harm. This is true of all medications, which is why we rely so heavily on clinical trials and national society best practices guidelines and consult our colleagues in other specialties when we feel out of our depth.
Last edited by Nephrology; 05-19-2020 at 09:06 AM.
My first reaction is that this was rhetorical flourish but he's not actually taking it. But then I read where Cheney's former cardiologist opined that it's possible he is based on his elevated risk if he contracts this disease.
“The White House medical unit obviously made a calculated decision that they considered his risk of taking the drug lower than his risk of actually contracting the virus,” he said. “My calculations, I think his risk… he probably has a 15 to 20 percent chance of dying of this virus should he contract it.”
So maybe it's BS, maybe not.
https://www.rawstory.com/2020/05/dic...e-coronavirus/
“Remember, being healthy is basically just dying as slowly as possible,” Ricky Gervais
Trump has an 86% turnover for his "A" team as of this month. Those are members of his executive office and not cabinet positions. I suspect if the president ever gets sick from self medication the good doctor is history.
Last edited by Borderland; 05-19-2020 at 09:39 AM.
In the P-F basket of deplorables.
Trump is >65 and obese so he is definitely at increased risk for severe illness if he contracts COVID-19. I don't know if it's really possible to put an exact number on it at this time, given that we still don't have a great handle on infection morbidity/mortality rates.
We still have no evidence that HCQ does anything at all for COVID-19 - if anything, we have ever-increasing amounts of evidence suggesting that it is not effective - so I question the decisionmaking here somewhat. My guess is that if Trump is taking HCQ, it is on some level at his own insistence. It certainly isn't evidence based medicine.
A few weeks from now...somewhere in America:
"Mom, can I have some more Hydroxychloroquine...please?"
There's nothing civil about this war.
My thoughts exactly. If the doctor refused, he'd be replaced by one who wouldn't refuse.
So not that different than many other outpatients then
"Listen doc, I know it's my low T.... just give me my nandrolone or I'll find someone who will!!"
(Funny enough, that's a direct quote from a patient I had once... in the emergency dept)
My wife had prescription authority and dealt with a lot of low income folks. She has some stories. The drug problem is much worse than most people realize.So not that different than many other outpatients then
"Listen doc, I know it's my low T.... just give me my nandrolone or I'll find someone who will!!"
(Funny enough, that's a direct quote from a patient I had once... in the emergency dept
In the P-F basket of deplorables.
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