Am I wrong, or don't they cover "bedside manner" in medical school???
Last week I posted about a bad experience with a doctor in the months before Bryce was born. Despite friends' demands that I write a letter of complaint, file a grievance, or somehow at least publicly humiliate this doctor, I didn't take any action. I also recently wrote about Dr. Psycho, the counselor Hannah has been seeing for depression (and now potential learning disorders). I joked about filing a grievance with the APA against her, but I haven't actually done it.
Apparently I'm not the only one who doesn't act on my instincts about this, but luckily, bad doctors are starting to feel the sting anyway. This website was started by a patient whose doctor didn't tell her she had Hepatitis A, but literally gave her a pat on the shoulder, handed her some drugs, and told her to take them for two weeks. Repeatedly. According to this article in the New York Times, there are medical groups that are now docking the pay of doctors who receive poor feedback on their patient interaction skills. There are also further attempts at training bad doctors on how to have a conversation:
Of course, Dr. Beckman said, "everyone thinks they're listening" to patients. But one method does work, he told the doctor. "You use continuers. As you're working with people, you say 'uh huh' three times."
OH. MY. GOD. These people got through four years of undergrad, four years of medical school, four years of residency. They need to be taught to say "uh huh" when having a conversation with someone??!!
This frightens me.
Apparently I'm not the only one who doesn't act on my instincts about this, but luckily, bad doctors are starting to feel the sting anyway. This website was started by a patient whose doctor didn't tell her she had Hepatitis A, but literally gave her a pat on the shoulder, handed her some drugs, and told her to take them for two weeks. Repeatedly. According to this article in the New York Times, there are medical groups that are now docking the pay of doctors who receive poor feedback on their patient interaction skills. There are also further attempts at training bad doctors on how to have a conversation:
Of course, Dr. Beckman said, "everyone thinks they're listening" to patients. But one method does work, he told the doctor. "You use continuers. As you're working with people, you say 'uh huh' three times."
OH. MY. GOD. These people got through four years of undergrad, four years of medical school, four years of residency. They need to be taught to say "uh huh" when having a conversation with someone??!!
This frightens me.
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