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We don't tell the truth to doctors and we disregard their recommendations. But they are not always blameless either. A paternalistic (authoritative) approach to the patient discourages him from being honest and cooperative. How to change it?

We expectdoctorto heal us quickly, and he counts on following his recommendations. But the expectations ofpatientanddoctordo not always come true, because they cannot talk to each other and make mistakes in mutual relations.

A visit to the doctor - fairy tales about a he althy lifestyle

We tell them to doctors to show ourselves in a better light. So we say that we eat he althy, although we eat fat, sweet, too much. We claim that we play sports regularly, in fact we go to the swimming pool once a month. It seems that these are such innocent lies, and yet in our lifestyle and diet, a doctor can find the cause of he alth problems. In order to do better, we either do not admit to alcohol or smoking abuse or minimize these addictions. And misleading a doctor can be upsetting. If we tell the gynecologist that we do not smoke, he will prescribe hormonal contraceptives, and in smokers they increase the risk of thromboembolism. Sometimes cheating is only apparently trivial. It happens that when asked about the weight of the body, we subtract kilograms or give their estimated number, because we are ashamed to admit that we do not know how much we weigh. And the dosage of some medications depends on body weight. If we do not tell the truth, the doctor will prescribe too little or too much of the drug, so the treatment will not bring any effect. It can even hurt.

Treatment - the drug will never work if left untreated

Every third Pole undergoing chronic treatment does not follow the doctor's recommendations regarding not only diet and lifestyle (they play a large role in the treatment of certain diseases, e.g. diabetes, ischemic heart disease), but also taking medications. We stop the treatment when we feel better, change the doses of preparations or take them irregularly. Of course, we don't admit it. So the doctor does not know that the therapy is ineffective because the patient is not applying it as agreed. And he changes drugs unnecessarily, oftenstronger, we can tolerate it worse, or add another specific.

A visit to the doctor - what is really important?

We sometimes keep silent about certain facts because we think they don't matter. During the visit, we complain about, for example, fatigue, drowsiness, weakness, not to mention the fact that we are on a restrictive slimming diet. And the doctor wonders if it's anemia or a thyroid problem. After all, she directs us to research to make a correct diagnosis. As a rule, we do not inform you about any dietary supplements, painkillers, and over-the-counter anti-inflammatory drugs you take. Meanwhile, some dietary supplements interact with the drugs prescribed by the doctor, e.g. preparations with St. John's wort may reduce the effectiveness of cardiac drugs, antidepressants, and those with vitamin E - increase the effect of anticoagulants. Over-the-counter painkillers and anti-inflammatory drugs, if taken frequently or abused, interact with other medications (e.g. acetylsalicylic acid reduces the effect of oral anti-diabetic drugs, diuretics).

The Internet Doctor knows best?

Over 30 percent Poles do not trust doctors. That is why some of us do not stop at visiting one specialist. Checks if the other will make the same diagnosis. We have the right to do so, after all, it is about our he alth. The problem is that some patients are treated simultaneously with two doctors who do not know anything about each other. Doing so can have serious consequences for your he alth, because taking medications prescribed by both specialists can harm yourself. Self-treatment also proves our distrust of doctors. It happens that we come to the doctor with a ready diagnosis based on knowledge from the Internet and we only expect him to prescribe drugs. We are sure of ours, because our "diagnosis" is confirmed by descriptions of diseases and statements of Internet users. So we are critical of the solutions proposed by the doctor, if they differ from those provided on the Internet.

A visit to the doctor - we talk and the doctor is silent

Our distrust of doctors does not come from nothing. We come to them for help, so we expect their kindness and interest, and it happens that we receive a cold and unpleasant reception. Then we would most likely leave the office, because we feel like an intruder there. We stay because we need help, but we can't be honest anymore. Anyway, this honesty is sometimes unnecessary, because often the doctor is not very inquisitive. He only asks the question: "What is wrong with you / you?" He will not ask when we come to him, e.g.with a cold, have there been any other changes in our well-being recently, are we undergoing treatment by other doctors (e.g. cardiologist, urologist) who are taking our medications. It happens that the internist does not even touch us during the visit. It will not measure the pressure, it will not listen to the heart or lungs, it will not examine the abdomen. Better not to go to such a doctor any more. It is also common not to examine patients' breasts by gynecologists. And they should do it, because not all women perform self-examination and remember to repeat ultrasound and mammography on a regular basis. It is also rare for a physician of a particular speci alty to become interested in the general state of he alth of a patient. He only sees a given disease, not a person who may have many other ailments and take various medications.

Doctor-patient - when communication fails

It happens that we leave the office not knowing what is wrong, why we should take the prescribed drugs, how to dose them. The law obliges the doctor to provide comprehensible information about the diagnosis, proposed and possible diagnostic and treatment methods, treatment results and prognosis. It cannot limit the patient's right to participate in decisions about their own he alth. In fact, it is not the case. We leave the office with a feeling of uncertainty about our he alth condition, unbelief in the positive effects of the administered treatment, because we are uninformed. In our medicine there is still a paternalistic approach to the patient. The doctor thinks it is enough if he knows what he is doing. This knowledge is unnecessary for the patient, while good communication (medical history) plays an important role in the diagnosis and treatment process. Thanks to it, the disease is diagnosed faster and the effects of the treatment are better. When the doctor is kind, gives us comprehensive information, treats us subjectively, we trust him more. It is also easier to motivate us to take medications systematically, to change our lifestyle and diet, and to perform the prescribed tests. When communication fails, the doctor obtains false or meager information from us, and we do not listen to him. Then the time allocated for the visit is not used properly.

Important

Follow these rules when contacting a doctor

  • If we expect him to be polite, kind, let's do it ourselves.
  • Let's tell him not only about the ailments that we consider important, but about all of them.
  • Let us provide reliable answers to the questions asked by the doctor.
  • When we want to receive detailed information about our he alth, just ask for it. Some people need it, others don't. Doctordue to lack of time or poor assessment of the patient's needs, he or she may say too little or too much.
You must do it

Prepare carefully for the visit

  • Recall what your relatives had or are ill with. The tendency to some diseases can be hereditary, e.g. to diabetes, breast cancer or hypertension. Also, don't ignore the mental illnesses that have been in your family.
  • Take your recent test results with you. The doctor will have more information about you. Think about what you are going to the doctor for. Do you mean checking your he alth condition, or do you want to report specific ailments or ask for help in quitting the addiction.
  • If the reason for your visit is, for example, stomach pains, tell also about other symptoms that bother you (eg increased thirst). While seemingly insignificant, they can be an important clue to your doctor.
  • Don't be shy. Embarrassing ailments for you, such as anal itching, winds, decreased potency, are normal for a doctor. Tell about them, because they can be a signal of illness.
  • Admit your neglect to your own he alth.
  • Inform about medications, including over-the-counter medications, and dietary supplements.
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