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WHAT IS GOING ON WITH DOCTORS TODAY, I MEAN THOSE WHO DON'T EXAMINE YOU, DON'T GET ON THE PHONE AND TALK TO YOU, DON'T EXPLAIN ISSUES, AND GENERALLY JUST DON'T CARE ABOUT YOU AS A PERSON OR A PATIENT?

These 'doctors' represent a major hazard to your health and are an embarrassment to what used to be the ' profession of medicine'.

Patients generally ASSUME their doctor knows what he or she is doing. Don't assume that.

This is a baseless assumption as:

medical knowledge and experience varies widely among doctors depending upon education (which medical school they went to),

where they stood in their class (it is harder to get OUT of medical school than it is to get IN and it is hard to get into traditional medical schools),

where they trained for internship and residency (different hospitals have very different quality of faculty and patient mixes) and,

how well they did (oh, everyone passes),

number of years in practice (right out of residency textbook knowledge is high and experience is minimal,

ten years out knowledge and experience are decent,

twenty years out experience is better but medical knowledge becomes stale and out of date,

thirty years out-lots of experience but likely still practicing old medicine, after that it's all downhill.

But the human qualities of empathy, compassion, caring about-not just for-a patient are often missing from the get-go after medical school and diminish continuously after that.

Bottom line-you need to be pro-active, and smarter than your doctor.

You need to know what is right and what are your rights.

PRACTICE HEALTH DEFENSE:

For example, if you go to doctor for pain in a certain area,  make sure you are examined and tested for all of the possible causes.

If you are contemplating surgery find out how often the surgeon does the particular procedure. GET A  NUMBER, not 'a lot'.-is it once a week, ten times a month,  one a year.

Find one who does the most. It is a fact that there are surgeons operating for ovarian cancer who do one or two a year! NOT GOOD!

Ask for how long has the surgeon been doing the procedure. Six months, five years?

Pick the one with the most experience.

ASK THE SURGEON STRAIGHT-OUT 'IF AFTER THE SURGERY I CALL TO SPEAK TO YOU, WILL YOU 'PERSONALLY' GET ON THE PHONE OR CALL ME BACK?'  IF THE ANSWER IS 'NO, MY NURSE DOES THAT' GET ANOTHER SURGEON.

ASK THE SURGEON IF HE OR SHE WILL DO THE SURGERY OR HIS OR HER RESIDENT WILL DO THE SURGERY. INSIST THE SURGEON DOES THE SURGERY.

ASK THE SURGEON IF THE SURGEON WILL SEE YOU IN FOLLOW-UP OR THE NURSE DOES THAT. MAKE SURE THE DOCTOR DOES THAT.

ASK THE SURGEON FOR PAIN MEDICINE UP FRONT.

ASK THE SURGEON IF A DOCTOR-NOT A NURSE- IS ALWAYS ON CALL-IF 'NO', RECONSIDER.

ASK THE SURGEON IF HE OR SHE EVER CALLED A PATIENT TO SEE HOW THEY WERE DOING WITHOUT HAVING THE PATIENT CALL FIRST. IF 'NO' ASK 'WHY NOT?'

TRY TO BE SEEN IN A FACILLITY THAT HAS A TEAM OF SURGEONS, SPECIALISTS, AND SUPPORT STAFF GEARED TO YOUR PARTICULAR PROBLEM.  SEARCH FOR THESE.

TRY TO BE SEEN IN A HOSPITAL THAT HAS RESIDENTS AND FELLOWS ( FULLTIME RESIDENTS TRAINING IN A PARTICULAR SPECIALITY).

EXCEPTIONAL  NURSING CARE IS ESSENTIAL.  ASK THE HOSPITAL IF THEY RECEIVED 'MAGNET PROGRAM RECOGNITION'. ONLY 293 HOSPITALS OUT OF MORE THAN 6000 RECEIVED SUCH RECOGNITION.  IF NOT, FIND A HOSPITAL THAT HAS.

MORE TO COME.