Why Won’t My Doctor Listen?

I am a doctor …. That allows me the privilege of treating the sick, writing prescriptions, and directing medical care. It doesn’t automatically give me the right to belittle patients and their ideas, ignore their desires for modalities of care or disregard their reading and Internet research.

Many of us (doctors) are entrenched in the traditional and “dependable” (safe) methods of medical practice. Some of these methods are time proven and effective and some are outdated and no longer in the best interest of the patient. To understand this entrenchment one needs to understand the methodology used in training physicians and especially specialists.

First, in medical school, we learn the didactic information needed to understand the complex medical issues we will encounter with our patients illnesses and treatments. This didactic period usually takes about two years and is followed by the last two “clinical years” of school where medical students actually diagnose and treat patients. It is during this phase of training that the physician is first “indoctrinated” with the mainstream “dogma” that prevails throughout his training including internship and specialty residency.

Physicians just out of training are reluctant to deviate from this set of treatment “rules” because of their relative inexperience and the older doctors are not comfortable changing something they perceive to be working well.

The previous scenario clearly demonstrates why significant change is so difficult with mainstream medicine. When a physician does make these changes he/she is often labeled a maverick or worse a Quack by his/her peers. It is simply much easier and “safer” to toe the line and continue with traditional medications and treatments.

Unfortunately, physicians often allow their egos to get in the way when their treatment plans are questioned or altered. This ego is demonstrated when the physician refuses to listen to what the patient read on the Internet or heard from a friend or other physician.
I tell my patients not to depend on the schools to educate their children (they need to be involved at home) and never depend on doctors to keep them healthy. Everyone needs to be involved in his or her own healthcare decisions and treatments. Never feel uncomfortable in questioning your Doctor about any issues. You are not “his patient”; he is “your doctor”.