I was in the bank opening an account. The banker who was helping me was chatting about different things and got around to asking me what I do for a living. I explained that I was a physician.
It’s interesting the personal stories that people will tell you when they know that you are a doctor.
She told me she was planning to find a new family doctor. She said her current doctor scared her parents when she told them about the side effects of the medicines she was prescribing. The banker was upset because her father refused to take the medicine. He was worried about the side effects. She was worried about the side effects of her own medications, too.
We got the account opened and I left, stunned.
As you know, I am all about information. The more you have the better. I worry that doctors do not give enough information. I also worry that patients don’t ask for enough information. I hadn’t even thought about people getting upset about getting too much information.
I think this banker wanted to go to a doctor who prescribed a treatment and took full responsibility for the outcomes of the treatment.
This, of course, means that the banker would not be responsible.
I don’t think that she saw it this way. I think she just didn’t want to have to think about bad things happening. She did not want to decide whether or not to proceed with a treatment.
Do you know what happens increases when a person relinquishes all responsibility for making decisions for their care? LAWSUITS.
We do not like it when someone else makes decisions for us. What happened with the cigarette companies? They decided you did not need to know that their product was linked to many medical conditions that could shorten your life.
How did we react? We sued them. They knew what they were selling could hurt us and they did not tell us. They acted paternalistic and decided that they knew what was best for us–the cigarettes.
Turns out many of us would have decided not to smoke. Many may choose to take the risk and smoke even with the information. The point is, someone else decided what you should know.
If you want the best care, you must be involved. You must make decisions about your treatments based on the advice given to you by your doctor. It is always your decision. It is always your responsibility to choose what you do and don’t do. To make a good decision, you need to know the information, risks, benefits and alternatives. Without the information, you cannot make a sound decision. Even if the treatment scares you, even if the side effects scare you, it is important for you to hear them so that you can decide.
Choosing to not listen and not ask questions is making a decision.
Your health is your responsibility.
