Some Doctor’s Don’t Listen!

Could this be true? Surely medical schools teach that LISTENING is an important part of the doctor/patient relationship, yet too often I find some don’t listen.



Usually it’s the overconfident ones who have the most difficulty with this skill. They are usually the ones who’ve been in practice for 10 years or more.


Typically, when I’m in the hospital, the listening-challenged doctor will grandiosely waltz into my room followed by his/her learning-underling-doctors gesturing wildly, explaining, in-depth, my condition, while incorrectly finishing my sentences for me.


I have found younger doctors are usually better listeners. In fact, they want to hear everything!


They’ll ask for family history, for instance, and show interest in my great-aunt’s history of chronic in-grown toe nails!


Don’t get me wrong, I’m not complaining. I’m just saying: Can’t we strike a happy medium?


Here’s my solution: Sometimes, I wait till the listening-challenged doctor is alone, or I call him/her aside to explain a situation. This way they don’t have the influence of their entourage (whom they often feel a need to impress) to diminish said listening ability.


Often I find this is necessary when conflicts become apparent between actual facts and what the doctor believes are facts. Doctor’s don’t like to have their facts corrected by lowly patients in the presence of their subordinate peers.


Once, for example, I tried telling the doctor the dosage of medications I was given on a previous hospital admission. Did he listen? No, he seemed to ignore my information. I suggested he look at my last admission records, which he did not do. He started me out on a much lower dose of the medicine which meant I spent much longer in the hospital the second time.


Staying longer in the hospital is a waste of time, space, and money!


What are your experiences of doctors? I’ll post all “clean” comments.