When my late husband and I were first married we lived in an apartment for a short time. The fact that he was a physician seemed to get around the building fairly quickly and led to frequent medical-related questions from other residents. I was used to people asking for his advice, in and out of the office. It seemed to be part of the job and he was always very gracious in responding.
However, the day a neighbor, whom we had never met, presented herself at our door in her bathrobe to get a diagnosis for her rash I felt a line had been crossed. Imagine my surprise when she opened her robe exposing a naked body! Not a pretty picture.
What’s the morale of the story? Be careful not to take advantage of people and their expertise. There is a time and place to seek medical advice from any physician or health care professional. Certainly, family members and good friends in the field can be a great asset in navigating the complexities of health care today and most are eager to help. However, there are some rules to be considered in and out of the office:
• Don’t turn a social event into an ongoing office call. Just because someone is in the heath care field doesn’t mean they are dying to hear about all of your aches and pains
• If you have an office appointment for yourself don’t bring the whole family and expect them to be seen in your time slot
• If you want to add an additional person, call and see if the physician’s schedule can handle it
• Many practices limit the number of complaints that can be addressed at one appointment. If you have multiple issues you may need another appointment or two.
• Bring your medication list with you at every visit
• If medications and/or dosages have changed, be sure to ask if the new medicine is replacing one you have been taking. This helps avoid double dosing.
• Be sure to introduce any friend and/or family member who may go with you to an office visit. Let the doctor know their relationship to you.
A little courtesy and understanding on the patients’ side is important and will be greatly appreciated by the physician and staff. I know…I was once an office nurse.
Please feel free to share your thoughts and experiences regarding this.
