Doctors visits

[drz]

I was wondering if there has been a change over the decades in amount of physical contact and touching doctors do in their visits. It seems to me that now many doctors never touch their patients but rely on technology and just review the lab results, nurses notes, and then maybe ask a couple questions and write a prescription. I know some this probably relates to charges of sexual abuse that made headlines with some doctors ending up in prison and some of it probably results from time pressures to see more patients for shorter periods to maximize efficiency.

I have a couple doctors that touch me every time, like a podiatrist trims my nails, and my endocrinologist usually checks my feet and lungs and does a physical exam, my treating rheumatologist usually checks me over, and my ENT doctor usually looks up my nose or ear or throat depending upon my concern, and some specialists like urology, opthalmology, usually touch patients it seems and some times my internist checks me over depending upon my reason for visit. I remember when I was a child the doctors always checked you over by listening to you heart, lungs etc. and often gave you some kind of shot too it seemed.

Some studies have suggested that patient satisfaction is often related to having some appropriate physical contact, eye contact, and the amount of time spent with patient. Doctors with satisfied patients are less likely to be sued for malpractice even when they screw up.

[Dryhill]

Here in the UK when you see your GP it is still a one-to-one meeting but when you have a consultation at a hospital the doctor normally has a nurse or trainee doctor present. My GP still touches me (mind you am I ever likely to complain she is about 20 years younger than me and is an attractive female?), but it must be a concern for some doctors.

A few years ago a fellow taxi driver drove a teenage female to a night club she then refused to pay and threatened to call the police and say he raped her. He locked the car doors and started driving, when the girl asked what he was doing he replied going to the nearest police station so we can both be examined and have dna tests. She very quickly backed down ....... oh he charged her twice the fare for her troubles.

[delorisdoe]

lol. My weg doctor does not really touch me. His residents do to varying degrees. I had one of them once take both his hands and rub them up and down my legs vigorously...I was sooo embarassed. It was winter and I had not really shaved them for a little while. I still dont know why he did that.

[Dryhill]

delorisdoe, perhaps he has a fetish about unshaven female legs?

[Sangye]

I think the lack of touch has more to do with an over-reliance on diagnostic tests than worries about improper behavior. Chiropractors hear all the time how healing touch is for patients. I could tell a lot about my patients' physical and emotional state just by touching their arm or their back. Many people go for days, weeks, even months without being touched by anyone. If they're a patient with a chronic illness, often the only time they get touched is during painful procedures.

[Dirty Don]

I don't settle for lack of touch. I/we need it, especially for this disease...it helps, every bit helps. I usually initiate 'touch' with a friendly handshake, a joke and a pat on the back, asking the doc what she/he needs from/for me today. Some docs don't like it, but I do...tough on them...get what you need for this disease...be persistent...be patient!!

[Al]

I think the lack of touch has more to do with an over-reliance on diagnostic tests than worries about improper behavior. Chiropractors hear all the time how healing touch is for patients. I could tell a lot about my patients' physical and emotional state just by touching their arm or their back. Many people go for days, weeks, even months without being touched by anyone. If they're a patient with a chronic illness, often the only time they get touched is during painful procedures.

I think Sangye is correct. Abraham Verghese, at the Stanford School of Medicine, has taken it as a mission to train his students in the art of the exam. Remember when your family doctor knew everything about you, including your grades and social situation? And would talk you through your whole set of problems, and do his own urine testing? Rare, these days. It is too easy, and utterly efficient, to outsource all that and just luck at the tests. When is the last time a doctor has really dug into even your medical history, let alone how you live, how you work, and all those other things that have brought you to where you are today? Of course, we can't go back to the old days, for economic reasons, nor would we really want to; the tests really do tell a lot. And yet, there is a lot to be said for Dr. Verghese's campaign. It really does seem to me that many doctors have little sensitivity for important cues, including their patients' emotional states; they have not been trained in how to conduct an exam in the full sense. The older doctors established trust, in large part, because they were both hands-on and giving you their full attention. I wouldn't mind seeing a return to that...

Al

[Dryhill]

The older doctors established trust, in large part, because they were both hands-on and giving you their full attention. I wouldn't mind seeing a return to that...
Al

Well said Al.

[maria garcia]

We had a doctor who kept poking my daughters( Amandas) butt. I didn't know what to do my daughter looked at me and I was about to crack up. It was actually a rheumatologist but im not sure was he was checking. After we left the office we couldn't stop laughing. Till this day we talk about it. This is not the same doctor my daughter Christina is seing these days.

[Al]

We had a doctor who spanked my daughters( Amandas) butt. I didn't know what to do my daughter looked at me and I was about to crack up. It was actually a rheumatologist but im not sure was he was checking. After we left the office we couldn't stop laughing. Till this day we talk about it. This is not the same doctor my daughter Christina is seing these days.

Strange story, Maria. I can't guess what he might have been "checking" either, but I am glad you can laugh about it!

Al