The last time I was with my primary care doctor he asked, I thought, a strange question. He said, " what can I do for you?" But having just read the article I hope to hyperlink here, it is the perfect question. The physician sees us a compilation of all our serious medical problems, most of which cannot be fixed. But sometimes we are just there for sympathy or reassurance. Often the patient accepts the futility of treatment long before the doctor does. After all, the physician is trained to heal, to fix what is wrong. Not fixing things is failure.
But if the doctor can get past the desire to be the miracle worker, if he can open a dialogue with the patient, he (or she) might be surprised at how realistic we patients can be. Of course this article addresses the problem of meeting the needs of an elderly, seriously sick person. We don't all have such a serious situation going on.
Next time I see my doctor I'm going to be prepared. Why am I there? Is it just routine? What do I want? Do I just want my RX refilled? Am I just after a little TLC? Do I expect a cure or am I willing to accept the inevitability of the insoluble problems of age?
I wish I could copy the article here but it is too long. This appeared in the Washington Post March 9. I don't know how long it will be available. Here's an introduction:
"A doctor discovers an important question patients should be asked."
This patient isn’t usually mine, but today I’m covering for my partner in our family-practice office, so he has been slipped into my schedule.
Reading his chart, I have an ominous feeling that this visit won’t be simple.
A tall, lanky man with an air of quiet dignity, he is 88. His legs are swollen, and merely talking makes him short of breath...http://wapo.st/1Mny00x
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