Sunday, September 27, 2009
So many, many ways.
Doctoring, it seems to me, is far too impersonal. Think about it. I've gone to the same doctor for maybe 30 years or more. For an occasional physical. Or a relatively minor malady. And I'd like to conclude that I really know my doctor. And that she really knows me. But I doubt it. In large part, because we hardly ever socialize. Just a few minutes here and there. Because we're on the go. Spread thin. We really don't take the time to talk. Deeply. Significantly. Oh, we're subjected to tests. All kinds. Lab tests. And always blood pressure readings. And listening to the heart with a peculiar looking device. Maybe we walk and run on a treadmill. Or climb into an MRI tube. Or submit to a colonoscopy. But I'd like it if my doctor occasionally let me take her to lunch. A long lunch. So we could converse in truly significant ways. So we could talk casually. And truly get to know each other. We'd both benefit. Medically and -- well, yes, so many, many ways. --Jim Broede
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8 comments:
Geez, your doctor is a professional not someone that wants to listen your nonsense. She mostly has "friend" that she would much rather spend what free time with in her spare time.
I bet she even rolls her eyes when she see's you on her appt list.
On the verge of stalking jimbo...
....Medically and -- well, yes, so many, many ways. --Jim Broede
Yes, it's a chronic problem in life. We don't have time for each other. So we have to focus on a select few. Otherwise, we'd spread ourselves far too thin. I suppose the best way to be effective is to influence the select few, and then have the select few influence another select few. Thereby starting a chain reaction. That's the positive way to look at it. Gradually, it mushrooms into a team effort. Enough to shift the tide. --Jim Broede
I am sorry Jim, that your doctor has real friends and truthfully I highly doubt that she would even want you as a friend. You have stated many many MANY times you have very few friends. One, two many three. So why in the world would it be different for her not wanting to befriend you for small talk, lunch, or anything else for that matter.
You sound much like a 5 year old on the playground.
You miss the point. I'm not talking about friendship. I'm talking about doctors knowing their patients. And the patients knowing their doctors. In more than a clinical sense. The best doctors, the good doctors, put forth more effort. Same for the patient. More effort at good communication. We often don't take the time to communicate effectively. On both ends of the equation. We don't take the time to get to know each other. Effectively. In ways that count. And often, I admit, it's because we are spread too thin. We don't have the time. Or we don't make the time. Or put forth the effort. And it's not only in the medical/health area. It runs the gamut. In all sorts of professions and pursuits. Doctors and patients don't have to be friends. But they need to know each other far better than they do. That's what I'm saying. Do you get it? We cut too many corners. Take too many shortcuts. And in so doing, we cheat each other. We all could do better. --Jim Broede
You know, doctors used to make house calls. When I was growing up they did. They entered the family setting. They saw the living conditions. There was a homey relationship. More of a real interchange. But maybe that was deemed an inefficient way to deliver medicine, or doctoring. Now it tends to be more cold. Impersonal. When my Jeanne was having problems. And had to be evaluated for dementia, I would rather that the doctor evaluated her over lunch, in a relaxed and casual setting, than in a sterile examining room. --Jim
Good doctors, it seems to me, need time to study patients. To get more of an idea of what makes them tick. More about their habits. To better understand them in both the physical and mental sense. And the patient, too, needs to discover more about a doctor. More time to discuss medical issues. And I think that's best done in a casual setting. In a relaxed, unhurried atmosphere. Rather than in an assembly-line setting. I shop for my kind of doctors. Even doctors that allowed me to go into surgery with Jeanne. So I could participate in the treatment. Now that's my kind of doctor. He/she takes the time to get me involved. Directly. Intimately. There are such doctors. But not enough of 'em. --Jim Broede
By the way, I'm not talking about doctors devoting their spare time to patients. Instead, I want the interaction to be part of their normal workday. Part of their regular work routine. Maybe they'll have to work somewhat longer hours. But so be it. Maybe they'll have to see fewer patients. And maybe we need more doctors. What I'm saying is, let's do it right. Let's do it better. Our whole health care system needs reform. Overhaul. New approaches. New ideas. New standards. --Jim Broede
The poster at the top of this comments column gives the impression that I'm disenchanted with my primary care doctor. Ain't true. I think my doctor is a darn good doctor. Otherwise, I wouldn't have stuck with her for over three decades. In fact, I drive 42 miles just to get to her clinic. That's how much I respect her. And she respects me, I'm sure. When I criticize doctors, I'm speaking in general terms. I've encountered many doctors over my lifespan. Some that dealt with my precious Jeanne. Others wth my mother. And with me. All kinds of doctors. Maybe even some quacks. And I always try to gravitate to, if not the best, to the ones I trust. For one reason or another. From what I've seen so far, seems to me that women make better doctors than men. Of course, that's from my jaundiced perspective. They seem more consoling, more soothing than men. That's a nice attribute. My primary doctor takes an interest in me. If she hasn't heard from me in almost a year, I'll hear from her. She sends a message. If I want my prescriptions renewed, get in pronto. And she recommends different tests, everything from a colonoscopy to -- well, you name it. Lots of things. She's smart. And caring. And she keeps up on the latest advances in the medical field. But hey, I've known some doctors I wouldn't go to to get a hangnail treated. They'd find a way to screw it up. Yes, I like to know my doctors. I insist on it. And a good doctor understands. We work with each other. As a team. --Jim Broede
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