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Your doctor will always say he is always making the right decisions for you. Yet, most of you readers think drug companies and insurance companies influence doctors in their decisions.
The real problem is, doctors don't seem to be really focused on actually treating your disease. Simple things he should do are not done.
Doctors often fail to remind mothers to keep feeding their babies who have diarrhea. They don’t offer HIV testing to teenagers who have a sexual transmitted disease. After changing your medication, they fail to schedule a follow-up visit.
Doctors are among the most educated professionals. They spend thousands of hours in training, after finishing eight years of higher education, and another 10 years of residency and subspecialty training. Their licensing examinations are exact and complex, and require weeks and weeks of dedicated study to pass their board certification. After all this training, why on earth can't they give you simple optimal care?
During their residencies, doctors spend many hours learning how to diagnose rare ailments that have no successful treatments. All doctors can write prescriptions for your illness: but before they do, many protect themselves from medical liability, by ordering numerous lab tests, MRIs, and CAT scans. After your doctor has covered all his options, he can finally write your prescription.
WHAT ARE DOCTORS TAUGHT?
Acquire all the knowledge you can that is not related to patient care. As a pre-medical college student, he memorizes physics, organic chemistry, molecular biology, pharmaceutical complications, and anatomy.
The only skill that now matters to him is to keep gathering as much information as possible that may help him treat you the patient. As a doctor, he has learned, that he must somehow match your symptoms with the Harvard published clinical trials (which by the way, he never reads).
There is no longer any need to review, learn, or interpret, your symptoms. It is better for him to rely on his second hand wisdom. Your heart doctor can quickly describe the branches of the major coronary arteries, but rarely does he know all the cholesterol- lowering agents that can cut your heart disease risks.
Your doctor has found the value of websites. Often he searches medical websites for a cookbook recipe on how to best treat your symptoms and match them with available drugs. A favorite website, called “UpTo Date.com", is a subscription website which refuses advertising unlike rivals sites, Medscape and E-medicine.
This site relies on a couple of authors for its entire program. The quality of information on this site is quite good, but the treatment guidelines favor heavily medication over changing your behavior and lifestyle. The site, to his credit, is not affiliated with any government or professional association.
Such websites, help your doctor outsource his treatment plans to private contractors, who have no responsibility and don't have to answer to any authority. Drug company marketing campaigns mislead your doctor without any objection by him. Infections are often over-treated with very powerful antibiotics.
DOCTORS BLOCK THEIR EMOTIONS
Doctors are taught to block their emotions and feelings. They are not allowed to show empathy to you because you are a CASE, not a human being. He never asks your life experiences, your former occupation, your fears or hopes you have, and certainly not what your future dreams are. The only things important to him are your symptoms, his diagnosis, and his medical treatment.
He will not ask you to fight to live, nor encourage you to fight for survival. Your pains and fears are not important to him. Since your doctor holds all the power of healing over you, he has no need to be kind. There is no place for small talk and subtle words in the office. He has a busy schedule, and quickly asks all the proper questions. He sidetracks all your questions with new questions. He is not concerned about how you'll pay the hospital bill, or who would take care of your family.
You feel alone, confused, and afraid to take care of yourself. If only someone could help you make the right decisions, you could be made healthy again. Unfortunately, all you’re emotional needs and your medical problems have no place in the current medical world that lacks compassion.
GET YOUR DOCTOR TO TALK!
I know you trust your doctor to make your decisions for you. Asking him some questions is very uncomfortable. But it's time to take control of your situation, and ask some pointed questions. You can't be silent, since healthcare is all about you. Don't be intimidated and be put in a box with your doctor asking questions. Make a decision on what is important to you.
Don't be afraid to ask your doctor some very tough questions. Doctor, how long have you been in practice? Have you treated conditions like mine before? Are there any other possible treatments than the one that you are giving me? Would you repeat your explanation of my condition and how you plan to treat me? I could use some more information doctor. How much will all this cost me Doctor? I am financially strapped right now with this recession. Can you reduce your usual fee doctor?
COMMENTARY
It's going to take a lot of effort to refocus our doctors on how to treat you the patient. Things that your doctor should have learned in medical school are rarely considered. Your doctor never was trained in medical school to talk to you, told how to control your symptoms without antibiotics, nor create his own handouts for your education.
Some day, ask your doctor to describe the reasons and evidence for his choice of treatment. His answer will tell you a lot about the care you are getting.
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