Red eye clinic

Once I came across the term 'red eye clinic'. My mind immediately went to an ophthalmic clinic - dealing with eye problems. The writer was actually referring to out of hours clinics that offer doctor services when most clinics would be closed. Hence 'red eye' - referring to the tired clinician suffering from lack of sleep.

These clinics are particularly stressful because they tend to present problems which could be dealt with in other scenarios, like for example the three month old painful knee coming in for a check up at 4am. Hence the challenge is to educate the patient in a diplomatic way to seek the appropriate avenue of assistance.

Alternatively they present acute problems of a very serious nature, like trauma or heart problems, where timely and effective medical assistance is of utmost importance.

And last but not least - the doctor. He or she has to struggle with the natural urge to sleep at the hours usually dedicated to this activity whilst keeping an alert mind to deal with the issues at hand. Coffee is often the answer!