ComputerHunter.org |
|
|
|||
|
 |
What Not to Tell Your Doctor?
For many years since medicine has been established as an ethical profession and gained widespread credence people have believed that they could and should tell their doctor everything even remotely pertinent to their health and that it was held in the strictest confidence. Furthermore, how can the physician make accurate judgments when important or significant information is missing? This system worked very well until relatively recently but there now exists a breach of this confidence that people should know about and this breach has developed from the advent of third party investigations into people's backgrounds. Your medical records are no longer confidential because you are forced to reveal them. Let us look at some scenarios. When visiting your doctor's office on a Monday not feeling well you tell him/her that you occasionally drink a half case of beer over the weekend. Believing in the confidentially of your records you forget about it. Some time later when you apply for life insurance the company requires you to sign a release for your medical records. (No release, no application.) The underwriters peruse your records, note the extra beer, and subsequently rate your premiums higher making you pay extra for decades, thousands of dollars. You complain to your doctor of recurrent chest pain. Investigation reveals nothing, the discomfort resolves permanently and you have no further follow-up to document the benign resolution. Everything is O.K. Ah, but not really. Those words sit there permanently in the record. Later you apply for a mortgage or health insurance or life insurance, signing a release of your records. You are turned down flat or at least rated a higher premium. Perhaps you have occasion to mention to your doctor that you have stress, marital discord, job problems, and mental/emotional problems, etc. You later apply for a job requiring security clearance or background checks. These jobs are many and include police, security and just about any job involving real responsibility. Despite having resolved the problems guess who might not get the job? You may never find out why, either. You injure your hand and you admit to your doctor that you punched a wall in anger. It could be the only time you ever did something like that but guess what? Those words will sit there forever and be taken as evidence of emotional instability. Want to try for a responsible job? It really is a shame to see someone pay higher life insurance premiums for decades or be passed over for a job they really want because of an entry in their medical record. What can be done about this dilemma? (Webster: A predicament that defies a satisfactory solution.) Your concerns must be balanced against the doctor's need for information and his real need to document what he/she concluded and why. A correct solution would be very welcome but one is not apparent. The best approach might be the following: Tell your doctor the truth and discuss with him/her your concerns regarding your record coming back to hurt you and how this can be managed in the best way. In the case of your problem turning out to be benign then make sure the record reflects this outcome and is satisfactory to you AT THAT TIME. Don't be required to scramble around years later trying to correct it. That's lame at best and you probably won't even get a chance. Besides, even doctors don't live forever. If your problem turns out not to be benign, then there is no choice but to have it in your record. That's life. When faced with a dilemma all one can do is make the most carefully considered decision one can. Work with your doctor and try to obtain a result that is best for you. After all, it's your life. Just be careful out there. (c)Vincent R. Moloney MD This article may be reprinted in your ezine or website in its entirety provided you leave all links in place, do not modify the content and do include the resource box. Please notify the author with a courtesy copy. Play music like you always wanted. Gain the knowledge you need to learn rapidly and cut out most of the practice drudgery. Dr. Moloney is a retired Family Practitioner with a lifelong interest in music and teaching. Empower yourself to take charge of your music learning by studying his E-book. http://www.musicsimplified.com/
Google News - Top Stories
|
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Lunesta Withdrawal Lunesta is a newly released sleeping pill. Marketed as a revolutionary sleep aid, Lunesta is the only medication approved by the FDA for long term treatment of insomnia symptoms. Although Lunesta is a quality medicine that has already helped many people cure their insomnia symptoms and get a better night's sleep, there is something you should know before your buy Lunesta. Arizona Drug Rehab: Finding Help in Arizona The state of Arizona has one of the worst drug problems in the United States. Historically and currently, the state is known as a transhipment location for a variety of drugs, including heroin, cocaine and marijuana, which are imported from other countries. As a result, these and other drugs are widely available in the state, and their abuse is common. There are probably few states that require the presence of rehabilitation centers as this one does - thankfully Arizona drug rehab centers are some of the best in the world. Generic Medicines Generic Drugs ?Foot Pain Relief At Last!? "As an arthritis specialist, one area that I see people complain about more often than almost any other, is their feet." So says Dr. Nathan Wei, Clinical Director of The Arthritis and Osteoporosis Center of Maryland. "This is too bad because there are many treatments that can be helpful," Dr. Wei adds. Top Ten Things You Should Know About Contact Lenses 1. Soft lenses are perceived by most patients and practitioners alike to be more immediately comfortable while adequately correcting vision. They come in all formats - even toric and bifocal. Disposable soft lenses take minimal but important care to maintain their safety and usefulness. Robotic Future of Hospitals; Pandemic Prevention and Bio-Terrorist Attack There is a huge concern in the medical industry that if a biological weapon were released that those sick might come to the hospitals in such large numbers that before you realized an attack had occurred everyone in every nearby hospital would also be infected. Then of course the hospital itself would be rendered useless and all those already in the hospital no matter what the reason would literally condemned. The biggest issue with this is that those places we have available to help our populations stay well would be immediately and totally useless. For some background on the World Think Tank discussion and on-going subject of bio-terrorism control and isolation, please see this page: Eliminate Agonizing Hand Pain Quickly and Easily! According to Dr. Nathan Wei, "The hand and wrist are the mirrors of disease." While the cause of hand pain can be a localized problem, hand pain can also be the presenting sign for other diseases. Health Needs of Survivors of Domestic Violence Domestic violence is not over when the victim is safe and out of harm's way. It's not over until justice has been served. Even then, it's not over. It's not over until the victim is safe, justice has been served, and the victim is well. The Basic First Aid for Child Care Programs We cannot help but accept the fact that children do get into trouble and sometimes emergencies when they are left in childcare programs. We just have to pray that most injuries sustained are minor such as cuts, scrapes, bruises, among others. Ulcers Are No Laughing Matter Peptic ulcers, which are in the stomach and the duodenum (the first part of the intestine leading from the stomach) can occur at any age and affect both men and women. Untreated, sufferers can look forward to a long siege with them. But today's peptic ulcer sufferers have a brighter prospect for relief than did those of even a single generation ago. There is now less than 1 chance in 18 that surgery will every be necessary and new medications act faster and better and offer more relief than ever before. Rezulin Liver Failure Causes FDA to Recall Drug Rezulin, a prescription type 2 diabetes drug has been withdrawn from the market by the FDA. New drugs have come out which offer the benefits that Rezulin provides but without such damaging side effects. Rezulin caused extreme damage to the liver that often resulted in liver failure. Liver failure was so widespread amongst Rezulin users that there has been progressively increasing encouragement for these people to have frequent liver function tests to monitor liver damage. In fact, Rezulin users are 1200 times more likely to have liver failure than non-users of the drug. Lamictal Rash Lawyer Lamictal, or lamotrigine, is an anti-seizure medication that has been prescribed to treat epileptic seizures for about 10 years. In addition to its mood stabilizing effects, Lamictal has antidepressant effects as well that have been prescribed for bipolar or manic depressive patients. Some researchers have suggested that Lamictal be the first-prescribed medication for bipolar patients suffering from more depressed versions of the disorder. Often antidepressants prescribed for bipolar disorder will trigger manic phases, increasing the rate of unhealthy mood swings, but Lamictal does not appear to have this same effect. To Buy Pain Meds Online, a Dangerous Move Many people want to buy pain meds online simply because it is cheaper for them. Recently, thousands of online pharmacies have popped up offering for people to buy pain meds online without a prescription. They offer to sell the medication at cost, or at wholesale prices. This sounds all and good at first, but is it really safe to buy pain meds online? Hacking through the Medical Scheduling Software Jungle: Helpful Search Tips It is the reality of the 21st century medical practice that in order to ensure the most effective office management and to provide the best service to patients, a medical office must incorporate medical scheduling software. Medical scheduling software helps to run the modern medical practice. But, to find the right medical scheduling software is like searching for buried treasure. Nasonex And You: Breathe Easy, Not Sneezy While everybody else is wandering around enjoying the spring weather, are you hiding out in your hermetically-sealed house? Do you dread the start of poolside parties because your date is going to be a box of tissues? If so, like so many of us, allergies may be running your life. Are You Suffering From Addiction? Many researchers believe that addiction is a behavior that can be controlled to some extent and also a brain disease. And since some testing with functional magnetic resonance imaging (FMRI) found that all addictions tend to cause nearly the same reactions inside the brain, there could be one type of control model for addiction health-related issues. Stevens-Johnson Syndrome Stevens Johnson Syndrome (SJS) is a severe and deadly allergic reaction to certain drugs, some proscription and some over the counter, which causes the severe burning of skin and mucosal membranes from the inside out. 15% of people who develop Stevens Johnson Syndrome will die as a direct result. Many drugs which have been known to cause SJS do not have warning labels notifying users about the very real danger of Stevens Johnson Syndrome. If you or a loved one has SJS, a Stevens Johnson Syndrome lawyer can help you receive financial compensation. Viagra Users - Overcome NAION Fear NAION is the latest side effect linked to Viagra and other ED drugs. It is a condition which results from a painless swelling of the optic nerve that causes rapid reduction in vision. Those who suffer from NAION wake up with vision loss and it may worsen in one or two weeks. The main risk factors include hypertension, diabetes or fever and a different appearance of the optic nerve which an ophthalmologist can recognize. Cut Your Prescription Drug Costs Without Having to Buy Foreign Drugs Save Up to 93% by Asking for a Generic - Use generics whenever they are available. Both brand name and generic drugs contain the same active ingredients, are the same in strength and dosage and meet the same government quality control standards. Online Pharmacy Watch: DEA Does Spring Cleaning Of Illegal Internet Pharmacies Since early 2004, it has become more apparent every day that the online pharmacy industry is being destroyed. Who is doing such damage to bring the industry crashing down, you ask? So far, the people responsible are savvy businessmen who are using their skills to create temporary safety nets for black-hat operations using loopholes in international security. Many pharmacy businesses were just shut down, and 20 people arrested during a DEA operation to stop the illegal sale and importation of controlled substances into the United States. I'd rather call these businesses drug rings than online pharmacies because many offered these medications of questionable quality without a prescription.
|
|
|
|
|
