And I can’t count the number of times I’ve had patients DEMANDING an antibiotic I didn’t think they needed. Followed by the dreaded “ patient complaint”. Lots of us just give up and write the Rx.
I’m not looking to start an argument, but I’ve heard this from drs before. My question is this (and I think it’s a reasonable one): What would you do if a patient demanded opoids or an unnecessary surgery or a CT scan that they didn’t need?
I’ve had incidents where I went in with something in mind, but the dr effectively communicated with me and talked me into another route or into giving time for the problem to resolve. Hell, a dr explained why they weren’t giving my son a CT scan (and instead were running a hundred other tests) when the CT scan would’ve answered all of our questions. (Turns out there’s a lot more radiation than the general public is aware of.) I thanked him for explaining it to me and backed off.
Many parents/patients get frustrated because they’re living with the cycles of infection (and all the misery that goes with it) and, in many cases, they do need antibiotics regularly. But I promise you, in those cases, a patient would welcome an interested dr who said, “Let’s get to the bottom of this problem so we can get you healthy and keep it that way.” I don’t know anyone who loves antibiotics. They cause their own problems.
Again, I’m not tying to be confrontational, I just don’t understand why drs are such strong, confident professionals and effective communicators in every other area except this one.
Make sense?
And yes, I am genuinely listening with open ears and an open mind for your response.