ER Doctor Gets Suspended After Improper Treatment of Patient with Anxiety Attack

An ER doctor from California got suspended after she mistreated a 20-year-old patient suffering an anxiety attack. The doctor got into a dispute with the patient and his father, so the man started recording the incident and then posted it on the internet. Of course, the video quickly went viral, resulting in the woman being suspended.

The young man suffered an anxiety attack

Last Monday, Samuel Bardwell, aged 20, was right in the middle of his basketball practice when he suddenly suffered an anxiety attack. His father, Donald, was around, so he immediately took his son to the nearest medical center, El Camino Hospital. The ER doctor that was on duty at the time was Beth Keegstra.

However, the doctor started arguing with the patient and his father. She said the young patient was the least ill of all the other people who were there, and that he could get up. Bardwell needed anxiety medication, but the physician started claiming he came there only to get narcotics.

The ER doctor was suspended from her position

The patient usually took Klonopin, a benzodiazepine that can treat anxiety, panic attacks, or seizures. However, he hadn’t taken any drugs several days before he suffered the anxiety attack. His father feared he was experiencing withdrawal symptoms, so he was outraged at the doctor’s behavior. Therefore, he decided to record her while she was examining his son.

Afterwards, the man posted the video on Facebook, where it quickly went viral. People watched it 4.3 million times and shared it across many social media platforms. Therefore, it was easy for the video to reach the woman’s superiors.

As a result, they took measures immediately and suspended Dr. Keegstra from her position. They also posted a message where they publicly apologized to the family and said the doctor showed an unprofessional attitude towards the patient. Therefore, she had been removed from the working schedule, and the hospital officials are currently performing more investigations on the matter.

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