I'm not legally allowed to discuss any specifics, but when an individual posts about one or two encounters he/she had and then cites one other post in a career that lasted 8 years, to support his/her own satisfaction level, it makes one wonder what the true agenda was. If a patient does not "gel" well with a provider, why go back to see that same person?
Medicine is complicated. Our bodies are complicated. A disagreement as to the root cause and the contributing factors of someone's condition is not uncommon. It doesn't mean the provider isn't listening or being cavalier about his/her diagnosis or plan of action. Symptoms and general appearance are the first things we see and hear. Antibiotics are almost always seen as the universal "cure all" to all problems. However, years and years of data have shown that is certainly not the case. Antibiotics do one thing: kill bacteria. However, one can have all the symptoms of an infection, but have no bacteria involved whatsoever. Allergens and viruses are just as likely to be the cause. Giving someone round after round of antibiotics might make the patient "feel" like they were listened to, but this course can and has had disastrous consequences.
In almost 10 years of clinical practice, I have never ignored anything to support some kind of weird, arrogant, upset-the-patient treatment plan that is contrary to the facts. I simply look at ALL evidence that just the patient's symptoms. I don't automatically dismiss a patient's own non-medical diagnosis (I don't even diagnosis myself), but I look at all the evidence like any good practitioner of medicine would. Disagreements may still arise and no practitioner of medicine is perfect or infallible. Everyone has made mistakes. But when personality is perceived to be part of the problem, the patient owes it to themselves to interact with someone else if for no other reason than to establish a level of trust to navigate the complexity of the human body. No patient can do this on their own - not even doctors who ALWAYS become patients themselves.
R.D. O'Bryan, PA
Former employee of Patterson First Care read more