Ruffling the doc's feathers
Have you ticked your doctor off lately?
It seems some docs have gotten their feathers ruffled by patients who may be a little more vocal, shall we say, in their input when it comes to their care and treatment.
Vocal is what you should be. I applaud anyone who is taking an active part in matters of their own health, because no one cares about it more than you.
But did you know it could get you fired? From your doctor, that is.
A recent news clip told the tale of how one doctor did just that to a patient. It seems a gentleman came into his office with a cough, which the doctor proceeded to diagnose and offer a drug for. But when the patient did a little research on his own, he became concerned about the drug's side effects and argued against taking it.
They evidently had a back-and-forth, the end result being an untreated patient and a doctor feeling threatened by his patient pushing back, resisting his advice. He told him he could no longer be his doctor, since he wouldn't accept his care.
A lot of mainstream doctors have lost the fine art of the doctor-patient conversation. That's a shame, because when an actual relationship is established, the little things aren't as likely to get missed. You also know your patient well enough to know what his fears and concerns are.
As a patient, work with your doctor. After all, he did attend medical school and works with ailments and symptoms all day long, week in and week out. While a lot of docs may have gone astray on the pharmaceutical bandwagon, this does't automatically discount the wealth of knowledge they hold. Not to say you can't resist where you feel it's necessary.
But you know what they say: you catch more flies with honey. I guess it's all in the presentation.
In my own experience with just listening to my patients, I've often been able to expand my knowledge on important subjects, for which I am grateful. In others words, I didn't come out of my training the complete, perfect doctor with all of the answers! I think keeping an open mind is important as a medical professional: It creates space to think beyond the drug bonanza in terms of treatment. Also, I'm always saddened—and sometimes maddened—to hear the "my-way-or-the- highway" approach to patient care. Healing comes from a partnership between the doctor and patient.
With more and more patients learning to navigate the internet in order to learn about health issues and preventive care, this will continue to be a trend that doctors will just have to get used to.
And if your doctor ever fires you for being vocal about your health care, chalk it up to him being the wrong doc for you. Move on to someone more open-minded who wants to work with you.
