I want to use this post, first to understand what I would expect from a doctor as patient and second to gain insight in how I could be a better doctor.
I'll start off with my second dermatologist in high school. As people who remembered me in high school knew, I had quite a bit of acne...unfortunately it runs pretty strongly on my dad's side. It got relatively bad, as my face would be covered in pimples (whiteheads, deep sebaceous swellings, and blackheads); I was afraid of scarring so I decided to explore some derms. My first dermatologist was a pretty good guy, he basically just prescribed doxycyclin and asked his PA to drain my pimples with a white-head removal tool. For some reason I still wasn't extremely satisfied with my care because for one my check-ups lasted only 10-15 minutes, and the doctor really had no other feedback except you have a classic case of acne. I personally wanted to hear about new treatments or drugs that he might be able to give me, but he didn't seem to have a solution. He wasn't a bad doctor..he just seemed average. He treated his practice like a day-job; punch-in and punch-out. That was his attitude. So I decided to go to another dermatologist.
The second dermatologist may have been the worst doctor I have come across. As soon as I arrived at his office, I waited in the examining room for 20 minutes. I couldn't imagine what type of dermatological case would take 20 minutes of my appointment, especially considering that there aren't many emergencies in dermatology. When he walked into my room, he was half awake. Right then and there I realized, "Omg this guy was taking a nap." Ok, so he took a nap, I was willing to overlook that...maybe he had a hard day blah blah w/e fine, as long as he does a good job in this consult I'll let it go. He looked at me for a total of 5 minutes, without touching my face or even looking closely, he gave me a topical cream and left. At this point, I was pissed off. Why? Because as a patient I felt disrespected. This was a doctor who saw me as some sort of annoying obligation he needed to get out of the way so that he could back to his nap. What could be more important than his patient? Medicine is ALL about the well-fare of the patient. He didn't care that I had questions about what was going on. For example, I was worried about permanent scarring, how long I could expect acne, and what treatments are available to remove scarring in the future. I didn't have any of those concerns addressed. I was completely neglected. On top of that, I payed him in full as it was a fully cosmetic consult. The lingering question in my head after this consult was, why is he treating people he doesn't care about? Doesn't he realize that they want understanding and clarity about their condition? I wanted to him to give me a sense of contentment. "O.k. Mr. Baig it's a normal phase of puberty, I think this is the most beneficial treatment, and scarring is removable... etc etc."
As a consequence I has some anxiety about the future of my skin. I didn't want the same scarring my dad has, and I was really worried because appearance means a lot in this society. Whether it's interviewing for a job, or interacting with future patients. This doctor had a duty to me, which I felt he failed. He failed to be what all doctors are, which is an advocate for their patient's health. With his knowledge and training I went to him to look our for my best interests, which why I put myself in his hands with a part of my body. If he doesn't take that seriously, I'm the one who suffers. On top of that I don't like feeling neglected by someone who I trusted to receive care from. I returned to my old dermatologist due to the large disparity in care
As bad as this experience may have been, good things came out of it. I now have a concrete example of how medicine should not be practiced. Note, I'm not making claims to how it should be practiced; but, if one hopes to be a caregiver, then they have a duty to provide superior care to their patients because patients are trusting them with their well being; it's only fair. A doctor is an authority because they make decisions in an arena where others pay the consequences, thus they have a responsibility to make decisions for the best possible outcome. As a doctor, I hope to embody this philosophy.
In my next post, I'll talk about doctors who in my opinion are great, and it's reflected in the success of their practice and their reputation in the medical community.
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