Dr. Jerome Groopman provides an interesting insight into the world of doctors in his book “How Doctors Think.” Dr. Groopman comments on questions that I believe many people who have ever been to see a doctor have had. The most interesting subject I believe he brings up is how do you know if a doctor is truly competent or not. Dr. Groopman brings forth the fact that a doctor can be very nice, full of concern, and his patients will love him for that, However, these great attributes have little to do with his competence as a doctor. Dr. Groopman provides the example in the beginning of his book of a lady who went to multiple doctors in the course of fifteen years and was misdiagnosed or not diagnosed at all until finally one doctor discovered that she had celiac disease. He relates back to his time as a physician and recounts times where he met doctors that he didn’t believe to be best fit to be practicing doctors.
The main question is, and subject of much of our conversations during the lectures, is how can someone determine if their doctor is diagnosing them correctly or not. Of course there is not one magical technique that can help you determine this. A doctor is someone who you should trust and believe has your best medical interests in mind and constantly doubting them will not solve your issues. However, as Groopman states, no doctor is perfect and they make mistakes as well. I believe that Groopman gives great advice for patients in his epilogue to help avoid these problems of misdiagnoses, especially when you feel something is wrong and you aren’t getting the adequate amount of help to cure it. When seeking medical attention from doctors, it should be a two-way conversation. You should tell your doctor everything you know, feel, and are worried about with your ailment instead of depending on your doctor alone to discover what is wrong with you. I especially like Dr. Groopman’s advice to retell the story from the beginning. There are many things about medicine that are confusing and there aren’t always obvious correlations between what hurts and what is actually wrong with your body. By telling the whole story, it gives your doctor a better chance at picking out what could be wrong with your health and provide proper diagnoses to cure what is wrong. If you don’t feel that your doctor is providing you with the proper care after this, you should always seek a second opinion to make sure that you are getting the best care possible .
I think you bring up a good point on the importance of competence when seeking medical advice. Usually when we seek medical professionals, we place our complete faith in their ability to diagnose and treat us. However, I would hesitate to say that doctors are incompetent, as they know far more about my anatomy and physiology than I do.
ReplyDeleteWhat the problem could be on misdiagnosis and mistreatment is the lack of a two-way conversation and the problems with doctors “going with (their) gut” (46). Groopman points out that treating patients is extremely stressful and at times, doctors don’t have the time make the best decision; they must think and act at the same time. Not only do doctors need to recall specialized medical knowledge when they care for a patient, they also “begin to think of diagnoses from the first moments they meet a patient” (35). Their intent on diagnosing as soon as possible may need to be intervened by patient conversation that may add to the doctor’s process of critical thinking and diagnosing.
What may be difficult to change in a doctor though, is a physician’s ability to treat a patient that depends on his or her feelings about a patient. Although having a conversation with your doctors about you physical troubles may help the situation, what can be done when a doctor, or many doctors, cannot relate, admire or identify with their patient? This emotion and bond with the doctor also changes the “quality of care we receive” (46).
I agree that it is truly important to talk with your doctor about how you feel and make your voice heard if you feel that the doctor is not addressing your problem correctly.
ReplyDeleteFor me, the problem is that in any sort of medical situation, it's ultimately the doctor's diagnosis and opinion that overrides that of the patients. In most situations this makes sense. Obviously doctors are much more knowledgeable then the general population about the subject of health and medicine. The difficultly as a patient is then disagreeing with your doctor, when you really feel as though they are not diagnosing the problem correctly. I think this is very difficult to do because as a patient you know the doctor has been to medical school, is an expert in his or her field, and should know how to fix your medical problem better then you do. That’s why you go to the doctor in the first place. Even if you feel as though your doctor is wrong, how do you prove it? They’ve been to medical school and you haven’t.
I think the most important thing is choosing a doctor you feel comfortable enough with to ask as many questions as you like and can feel free to openly disagree with. I just think it’s easier said then done.