| |
| |
|
Medicine Information |
|
|
|
What Not to Tell Your Doctor?
For many years since medicine has been established as an ethical profession and gained widespread credence people have believed that they could and should tell their doctor everything even remotely pertinent to their health and that it was held in the strictest confidence. Furthermore, how can the physician make accurate judgments when important or significant information is missing? This system worked very well until relatively recently but there now exists a breach of this confidence that people should know about and this breach has developed from the advent of third party investigations into people's backgrounds. Your medical records are no longer confidential because you are forced to reveal them. Let us look at some scenarios. When visiting your doctor's office on a Monday not feeling well you tell him/her that you occasionally drink a half case of beer over the weekend. Believing in the confidentially of your records you forget about it. Some time later when you apply for life insurance the company requires you to sign a release for your medical records. (No release, no application.) The underwriters peruse your records, note the extra beer, and subsequently rate your premiums higher making you pay extra for decades, thousands of dollars. You complain to your doctor of recurrent chest pain. Investigation reveals nothing, the discomfort resolves permanently and you have no further follow-up to document the benign resolution. Everything is O.K. Ah, but not really. Those words sit there permanently in the record. Later you apply for a mortgage or health insurance or life insurance, signing a release of your records. You are turned down flat or at least rated a higher premium. Perhaps you have occasion to mention to your doctor that you have stress, marital discord, job problems, and mental/emotional problems, etc. You later apply for a job requiring security clearance or background checks. These jobs are many and include police, security and just about any job involving real responsibility. Despite having resolved the problems guess who might not get the job? You may never find out why, either. You injure your hand and you admit to your doctor that you punched a wall in anger. It could be the only time you ever did something like that but guess what? Those words will sit there forever and be taken as evidence of emotional instability. Want to try for a responsible job? It really is a shame to see someone pay higher life insurance premiums for decades or be passed over for a job they really want because of an entry in their medical record. What can be done about this dilemma? (Webster: A predicament that defies a satisfactory solution.) Your concerns must be balanced against the doctor's need for information and his real need to document what he/she concluded and why. A correct solution would be very welcome but one is not apparent. The best approach might be the following: Tell your doctor the truth and discuss with him/her your concerns regarding your record coming back to hurt you and how this can be managed in the best way. In the case of your problem turning out to be benign then make sure the record reflects this outcome and is satisfactory to you AT THAT TIME. Don't be required to scramble around years later trying to correct it. That's lame at best and you probably won't even get a chance. Besides, even doctors don't live forever. If your problem turns out not to be benign, then there is no choice but to have it in your record. That's life. When faced with a dilemma all one can do is make the most carefully considered decision one can. Work with your doctor and try to obtain a result that is best for you. After all, it's your life. Just be careful out there. (c)Vincent R. Moloney MD This article may be reprinted in your ezine or website in its entirety provided you leave all links in place, do not modify the content and do include the resource box. Please notify the author with a courtesy copy. Play music like you always wanted. Gain the knowledge you need to learn rapidly and cut out most of the practice drudgery. Dr. Moloney is a retired Family Practitioner with a lifelong interest in music and teaching. Empower yourself to take charge of your music learning by studying his E-book. http://www.musicsimplified.com/
MORE RESOURCES:
Medicine - Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
How to Remove the Psychological Addiction to Smoking - and Start to ENJOY Giving Up Smoking! Consider this:Already since 1972, over 60 million people in the USA alone have successfully quit smoking!At one stage over 60% of the adult population was addicted to this drug. Today it is 28% and dropping. Ingrown Toe Nails Medical Treatment Medical Care:Treatment options depend on the stage of ingrown toenails, medically known as onychocryptosis.Stage 1 can be managed by recommending shoes with a comfortable wide toe box or open-toed shoes. Medical Tests: What Does a Normal Range Mean? We have a marvelous array of medical tests available to us. Many of them-typically blood-tests-even come with results expressed in numbers signifying the exact quantity of something that was measured. Integrative Medicine And Its Future The NBC National News, quoted the Washington Post in March 2000 about the concerns that the FDA had over the mixing of supplements and conventional medications. There was concerns that millions of people are taking supplements (considered herbs, homeopathic, vitamins, minerals, amino acids, enzymes and some diet products) and having reactions when they mix these things with common and prescribed medications. Dr. Will Horsley, M.D. Dr. Horsley is Cornea fellowship trained and Lasik board certified by the American Board of Eye Surgeons, (http://www. Heel Pain - Ten Tips for Treatment The most common cause of heel pain is plantar fasciitis (plan * tar fash* ee * I * tis). If you experience a sharp pain in your heel when you first step down in the morning, it is most likely due to plantar fasciitis. Treating Lazy Eye in Older Children Many eye doctors believed until recently that if a child's vision was impaired because of a "lazy eye," the condition could not be corrected past the age of six or seven years. However, a study funded by the National Eye Institute, part of the National Institutes of Health, has found that amblyopia or "lazy eye" treatment can be effective in children age seven through 17. Pain in the Butt. How to Deal with Hemorrhoids? This is very sensitive area of your body. Too private. Drug Abuse In Teens: Online Drug Abuse Identification Help Teen drug abuse is at an all time high, but not in the same way that most people might assume. Parents are accustomed to hearing about teens doing everything from huffing chemicals to smoking weed, popping ecstasy, and even injecting heroin. Adaptogens for Life - The Science Behind the Discovery of Adaptogens Modern civilization has produced an unusually stressful environment to humans and animals, with extreme high demands on our physical and mental abilities. The last one hundred years have brought unique new challenges for all. Why Drug Companies are Naughty and 5 Remedies to Cure the Symptoms With the hum of the election campaign and the debate of "big business," versus human interest, I decided to do a bit of muckraking into the art and science of the recent removal of Merck's Vioxx. My motivation of course; to look for clues as to the role drug companies play in our health and wellness (or lack thereof). The 7 Most Dangerous Mistakes You Can Make When You See a Doctor for Arthritis! 1. Seeing a doctor who's not board-certified or a doctor who isn't really an arthritis specialist. Rebound Headache - Stop The Cycle You've been getting headaches. Finally, you find some medications that are making a difference. High Cholesterol Prescription Medications Can Kill You The World Health Organization declares that heart disease is the number one killer worldwide. High cholesterol is a major contributor of heart disease. Signs of an Addiction Addictions come in many forms. It's important to recognize the signs of addictions in order to seek out help before the problem becomes to large. Medication Compliance Kit ... A Life Saver Pill Proof LLC introduces the first, easy to use medication compliance kit for consumers and medical professionals. Owner, Jane Langdon, has a sister in law with Parkinson's Disease. The Check Doctor Credentials Theory In 2003, there where more than 890 million doctor visits in the U.S. Natural Vitamin E Combined with Vitamin C for Treatment of Alzheimers Disease Checklist of Treatments for Alzheimer's DiseasePart 2 of 82. Vitamin E combined with Vitamin C. Celebrex? Vioxx? Can My Doctor Provide Me With Safe Prescription Painkillers? The news has been full of the recent FDA findings on a new set of drugs to help relieve pain. These drugs have been approved for re-release, but it is unclear whether Vioxx will be available again and whether physicians will feel comfortable prescribing Celebrex and Bextra for many of their patients. Three Questions People Are Asking About Health Care in America Q. Why is there so may uninsured people in America?A.
|
| home | site map |
| © 2006 |
