The Lies We Tell Our Doctors

Yes, I know you don't always tell me the truth. I learned the hard way as a medical student. Med students (and the interns) are the first ones to interview and examine a patient. Many times the story I elicited didn't match the interns, the residents, or the attendings. The patient would reveal more or change things all together usually when speaking to the attending (the big cheese in the medical totem pole). So I would feel like an idiot since the attending would hear my version before walking in the patient's room.

Oh, and MEN! Yes, the male patient isn't often seen in the doctor's office. When they do come in, it's because the wife/girlfriend forced them to go. They really need to take better care of themselves. The other reason is usually relating to sex such as STDs or viagra. Sex is a hard topic to bring up with the doc (I know especially if the doc is a woman). Usually they will begin with a vague complaint like being too tired all the time, feeling dizzy, etc. Now, I'm thinking "why are you REALLY here?" The sooner I can broach the topic of sex, the faster we can tackle the issue. Before office visits were difficult because one would assume the reason given to the nurse was the TRUE medical issue. Now I know patients will often lie to nurses or the medical assistants about why they are seeing the doc (usually out of embarrassment). Open ended questions are truly a physician's best friend.

Remember there is physician and patient confidentiality (even for teenagers). Physicians are not obligation to share your medical information with anyone (friends/family/spouse) unless you are a danger to your self, danger to others, or in cases of abuse (child and senior).