How to Get Good Healthcare, Part II

The Combative and Impatient Patient:

We all realize that defenses mechanisms are on high at the doctors, especially when sick. Usually these defense mechanisms are kept in check; nevertheless, I cannot tell you how many times I’ve had an arguemetative patient (who I’m sure otherwise is a reasonable person) who comes to my exam room with unreasonable, rigid demands before I’ve even said a word.

My friend, Dr. Rob, who I refer to as the “Good, Not So Good Doctor,” tells the story of the patient who came to his ER, said that they have been to 3 ER’s that day, won’t be waiting and demanding a CT scan. Well, Dr. Rob knows a few things before even examining the patient. First, he knows the patient cannot really be in that dire of straits. After all, the patient has been shopping doctors all day so he cannot be in death’s waiting room. So Rob, who already has a busy emergency room, knows he can wait to see the not-so-acutely sick patient. Second, he knows this patient is impatient. Now Rob is a normal human being under the normal stresses of life. He reacts to stress like anybody else: He eats too much; he used to sneak cigarettes; he is sometimes passive-aggressive and if somebody is a demanding, impatient pain in the ass he will make them wait – oh and if somebody with a heart attack happens to roll into his ER, the impatient patient will wait that much longer.