Hours later, the doctor came in and said, "Your blood sugar level is high. I think you're diabetic." He sent her home with a glucose test meter and test strips, and told her to test her blood sugar level regularly.
Amber's primary care doctor later confirmed what Amber already knew: She is not diabetic. The problems that landed her in the emergency room had nothing to do with diabetes. She was sent home from the ER with no treatment for a potentially life-threatening brain infection that went undiagnosed.
What went wrong with her medical test? No one connected the dots. The doctor may have ordered the blood test before the IV line went in. The lab may have been backed up and so didn't get to Amber until after she had had roughly a quart of sugar water infused into her veins. Or perhaps the doctor ordered the blood test after ordering the dextrose drip while he was thinking about something else.
This busy doctor may have read the report out of context without thinking about what else was happening with Amber at the time. He might review dozens or hundreds of medical test results in one shift in the ER. He probably has a routine: Quickly scan for the marks that show an abnormality. Prescribe treatment to deal with that problem. Move on to the next test result.
