Friday, February 25, 2011

Villifying the patient

I must say that I have a few people in my life who have villified me.  One I will note is a physician whose care I was under.   I was in an interview with this physician and he was very anxious.  He took a phone call and he completely ignored me in the office.  I mentioned to him that I thought he was slightly anxious.  This caused him to turn me out of his office for further appointments and he sent me to a lesser physician in the group.  What I believe the proper protocol for a physician to follow is to inform the patient that he thinks that the doctor patient relationship is not working right and that he would like to know if the patient would like another physician.  I must say I felt as I was abandoned and I was.  True I did get another physician.  The new physician did not give me the best care.  I ended up in the hospital and his decisions were marginal at best.  I even had this new physician tell me all about how he goes home and talks about stock trades with his brothers and on one occasion that he told another social worker in the room a 3 minute break from my interview to discuss his home nation, India.  I thought this was an improper way to use patient time.  You do not discuss your personal activities out of the hospital unless you are trying to make conversation with the patient that makes for a better doctor patient relationship.  It was like asking me to sing the blues while he played the harmonica.  I was not for it.

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