Actually, this list would be quite long if I were to delve into EVERYTHING that irritates me: tepid coffee, fruitflies, the cold virus, husband's nagging, bad hair day, televised poker tournaments, overcooked pasta, stepping on dog poop, overpaid professional athletes, computer problems, dirt underneath fingernails, stain on my white coat, pollen, ill-fitting underwear that keeps riding up, chapped lips, waiting (for anything), clueless drivers, food particles lodged in-between teeth, hot sauce that is not really that hot, torn bookcover, too many pennies in my coin purse, limp fries, closed Starbucks amidst a caffeine withdrawal headache, difficult crossword clue that eludes me, papercuts (especially when pouring lemon juice on it), Paris Hilton, and much much more...
I actually just wanted to mention things that irritate me specifically in clinic.
1) Cellphones: I cannot describe how irking it is to enter the examining room and find the patient talking on the cellphone. Ask yourself, is this phone call more important than your bladder infection or kidney stone? If the answer is no, then please have the courtesy to put the phone away and silence the ringer.
Even ruder is when I am talking to the patient and the cellphone rings, and (s)he actually ANSWERS the damn thing in the middle of the consultation. I wait for the (usually inane) conversation to end while silently fuming inside.
2) Children: please don't get me wrong, I like the little munchkins, but they do not belong in the examining room of a urologist. If you are seeing me, it's usually for a problem in the "nether regions", and believe me, I am going to examine you in that area. It's one thing if the parent is coming in for a simple follow-up appointment or a med refill, but if it's the first consultation, or if (s)he is scheduled for an actual procedure, it's not appropriate to bring the kids. My nurses and staff members are not babysitters. It's also a bad idea when the child is a screaming hyperactive toddler, and the parent is uable to pay any attention to what I am saying about their medical condition.
3) Tardiness: this is a frequent event. If the patient is just a few minutes late (10 or 15 mins), I will see them. However, if they are 20 to 30 mins late, and they haven't called ahead to let us know, I want them to reschedule, and I am astounded at how many patients get thoroughly unhappy about this.
What a curmudgeon I am!!! yikes...
Monday, July 10, 2006
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12 comments:
I too am really irritated about cell phones going off during visits.
Had a patient today whose cell phone rang while I was consenting him for a myocardial perfusion scan.
I think my glaring look and continued explanation of the test inhibited his actions, but his instinct was certainly to answer it.
I am tired of clinic, 30cases/session.
I have not look at the patient until I say bye!
I'm a general surgeon, and I am right there with you on the list of annoyances. This one tickled me all day, though...
Recently I was seeing a young man on an initial consult for an inguinal hernia. I examined him and lo, it was a hernia, so we proceeded to discuss options for repair. He was holding his cellphone up in the air while we were talking, which I thought was odd, but since he wasn't using it, I did not comment. Towards the end of the conversation, I asked him if he had any questions we hadn't covered, and he calls out "did you get all that, Ma?". Turns out his phone was on speaker, and I was actually teleconferencing with his mother.
you are not at all in the wrong here. We all deal with this, and quite frankly, I'm not sure anything can be done about it.
I also am horribly annoyed by the cell phone phenomenon. We actually have signs posted saying to please silence your cell phone, and invariably at least 5 times a day a parent is talking on the phone when I come into the room. Worse even (as you said) is when the phone rings and they have the audacity to answer it and start talking.
I actually talked to my hairdresser about the late stuff. I thought it was unique to physicians and actually have said that I'm sure that people don't expect to be seen by their hairdresser when they are 30 minutes late. But they do. It's everywhere. People just don't care. We definitely live in a "me first" society. I gotta say that it's sad that I'm astounded when people actually apologize.
Hmmm. And folks wonder why us physicians are always running behind.
As a parent I would like to point out that some of us are not able to afford childcare even if we could find it.
My son looks completely normal yet if his stats were taken at any point in time he would be considered a "critical" patient. I can either hire a nurse to watch him (although I have no idea how to do that or if it can be done) or bring him with me.
I would venture that most people who bring their child dont have many other options (however it may appear on the outside). Is there really a person who WANTS to bring a small child to a possibly invasive medical procedure? I think not.
I'd also like to say that if you can, please pity the parent who drags the (usually reasonable but with crapshoot likelihood suddenly once in the office atmosphere, sometimes after an interminable wait) hyperactive, whiny, screaming kid in with them to the doctor. Some of us have absolutely no family support and can't quite afford and don't have easy access to paid babysitters for the odd occasion like being seen in a doctor's office. Believe me, we're hating the situation worse than you are. I just wanted you to know that it's not our choice and it's probably making our blood pressure go through the roof, so have a little sympathy and realize it was probably a choice between that or not seeing the doctor. My teeth have gone to **** in a handbasket in large part because having my husband stay home from work so I can go see a dentist is a luxury we never seem to be able to afford, so I don't go, by and large.
I almost always turn my cellphone off. When I don't. It's for reason. BUT ..when the doctor walks in, I warn them I've got it on, and why. Not once has the doctor said "No, you need to focus on me"
But then ... the reason this last week was a friend's baby with ATRT brain tumor and waiting on spinal tap results to see if her cancer had spread to the spinal fluid. I promised her I'd be available, in case worst news came.
The 2 docs I had to deal with while waiting were very understanding. The one said that if the call came, she'd leave me to take it, go to the next patient, then come back. The other one was just as understanding.
Otherwise ... I leave my cell phone off. (before I carried a cellphone I borrowed my mom's ... my son called me during the middle of my 'annual exam'
I was sooo embarrased ...the doctor handed me the phone (I told her not to) and we all just started to laugh like crazy.
When I got my phone, remembering that experience, has kept me turning it off!
I am in total agreement w/ common irritants.
#1. How about colleagues who answer their cell phones while working with patients. Yes, I saw the PTA answer his phone while working w/ a patient. How unprofessional is that? And isnt' that against the rules? BTW--this same PTA actually goes into our one exam room and takes a nap during his lunch hour. Sorry, but he's not a doctor and doesn't work 50+ hours a week. I couldn't beleive it when someone said he was taking a nap. I thought they were joking.
#2. Poorly behaved children. Yes they are everywhere and sometimes I feel sorry for them as they have not received discipline from their parents. I had to physically remove one child from our equipment so she wouldn't get hurt and had to tell her whining brother 2 times to stop playing w/ our equipment. All the while the mother is trying to manage all 4 of her children while doing PT. We are all entitled to work in an evironment that is not overly distracting.
#3. Tardiness . . . I also get very frustrated w/ people who don't show up for appointments, who don't call to say there are going to be late, or who think they can just stroll in at any time and be seen. First of all it's disrespectful to me b/c this is my time to help you out. If you don't want my help, then just d/c yourself. Also, these people obviously don't think about the effects their actions or lack of actions have on others. If they are late, then I am late for my next patient and the patient after that. Also, I struggle w/ saying yes and taking the patients when they are late (if they don't call) as I think that it can foster their behavior. I don't want to feed into that cycle.
While I think it's rude for a patient to answer the phone while you're in the exam room, there's also the fact that some doctors keep you waiting in the exam room for a *long* time before they come in (I've been left in an exam room for over an hour before the doctor showed his face). Patients may think they're in for a longer wait, and your prompt arrival takes them by surprise.
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what about doctors who answer their cell phones and proceed to have a conversation when you are sitting there, waiting for them to finish, so that you can move on from describing symptom three to symptom four?
I am a RMA and i work in a very busy urology clinic with three very demanding doctors. We do cystos in office and im passing our digital flex scope to the dr and his cell rings, i am thinking ok no big deal because he doesn't have his pager anymore, let it ring. no!, he hands the scope back to me, while still in the pt, and says "hold on" has the conversation, then takes the scope back and finishes the cysto.. I was floored. Don't get me wrong, he is an amazing dr but wow. Turns out it was the CEO of the hospital, but he didnt know that until he took the phone out of his pocket, It makes me cringe thinking about it...
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