From the article: How to Deal with an Arrogant Doctor
Sometimes we have no choice but to learn to deal with doctors who come across as arrogant or superior. Yet, we patients must still be able to ask the questions we need to ask, and get the answers we need, despite the unpleasant personality of Dr. Arrogant. Here are some stories and suggestions from empowered patients. Share Your Experience
My physician won't see me.
- I have a chronic illness that I have been dealing with since 1977 and have been hospitalized more times than I like to remember. About 5 years ago my disease progressed and I was dignosed with Primary Sclerocing Colengitice which was helped along by my physician cutting my bile duct. I have had several surgerys; the last one with my bile duct being connected to my small intesting. I found this wonderful physician who would take care for me when I was ill, but about a year ago he left. Now I am left with another physician who tells me to call my GP when ever I am running a fever or having ruq pain. I was recently hospitalized for about a month and about 5 days after my last admission I started the pain again and fever. I called my specialist and was told that although I had been released from the hospital where I thought he was in charge. that I had to go to the ER or see my own physician. I am at a loss. The thought of finding another physican just depresses me. Barb
- —Barbara3553
arrogant and dangrous doctors
- Just yesterday I had to go to the ER to see my brother in law. For the 6th time he was admitted with difficulty breathing. He is a brittle diabetic, learning disabled, has congestive heart failure and COPD. He was put on a CPAP machine for 12 hours as his oxygen saturation as low (85). The next day after 12 hours on CPAP and then oxygen while laying in bed, the "doctor" says he can go home. I ask "What about oxygen?" He got incensed that I would question him and I said I have been dealing with his health issues for 10 years. I have been called to the ER twice in the middle of the night as he was not expected to live. The "doctor" acquiesced to my wish to walk my BIL and retest him for O2 saturation. On the second walk within 1 hour of the first "no oxygen" release notes, his saturation was at 80. Needless to say, having full POA on my brother I told the nursing staff that that "doctor" was not permitted back in the room and I would get the hospital admin on board. He left with oxygen.
- —Gizmologist
Some doctors are quiet by nature
- Sometimes it's very easy to think that a person who is quiet by nature is arrogant, but then when you get to know them a bit more you find out that they weren't the way you thought they were. The same also can apply to doctors. This is something I learned through personal experience during this past year with one of my doctors. This very quiet natured doctor has helped me to feel better than I have in a very long time and I am starting to get my life back. I am very grateful to him for how he has helped me.
- —Kristy38
I relate
- This is a excellent article.Thankyou Trisha Torrey!There need to be so much more like this out there and its good to hear the stories of all the other people that have had similar experiences as i have had.
- —Guest mary
Omnipotence
- I saw a new doctor for a chronic recurring infection, hoping that he might have a new approach that might resolve it for me. He was highly recommended by a friend of mine who happened to be a doctor's wife. When he saw me he was very well mannered and listened to my history. I was hopeful that I'd found a really good practitioner. He prescribed some new medications for me. When I called his office because the infection recurred he said, "That is impossible. I treated you for that." Yes it was possible...I'd been battling this recurrent problem for a couple of years and had seen doctors and was terribly frustrated. At that point I was in tears. That was the last I saw him. How insensitive. It was so arrogant to think that because HE had treated me that it was an impossibility that the infection that had been recurring for a couple of years and ruining my life had recurred. He had only made matters worse with his attitude!
- —Eastcoastlady
Kicked out of the ER
- I went to the ER with typical symptoms of appendicitis. The resident told me that the attending insisted on a pregnancy test even though I told her that I could not be pregnant. She said the attending refused to let me see a surgeon until I had the pregnancy test. When the test came back negative, the resident told me the attending decided I had the flu and I needed to leave and did not need a surgeon. That attending never even walked in to see me and when I asked to talk with him, I was told he refused to see me. Luckily, I am a nurse and I called a doctor I work with. Within a couple of hours, I was seeing a surgeon and in surgery. Yes, I really did have appendicitis. Good thing I did not listen to the arrogant doctor who diagnosed me from another room.
- —Guest Anne L
Arrogance should be expected
- Arrogance is IMHO bred from ignorance. And, in today's hospitals, very sick patients are being treated by hospital doctors who are virtual strangers to the patient and functionally ignorant about the patient's medical dx. In many hospitals, hospitalists take over. These hospitalists flat out refuse to cooperate, communicate or coordinate care with the admitting, treating clinic doc. Hospitalists are there to save the hospital $ (reduce stays & tx) because they look at the admit as a snap-shot as opposed to a motion picture. Dangerous & I believe the first step to universal health care (ie we now accept that we don't know the doc that makes decisions for us in hospitals).
- —Guest Jodigirl1000
An arrogant doc changed my life forever
- I had a c-section in 1997. I showed signs of infection in the hospital, but was sent home after being given a few doses of IV antibiotics. The infection was getting worse - all my joints hurt, I had chills, and knew I was sick. For FIVE WEEKS, I visited that doc, and he talked about everything BUT my obvious symptoms of infection of the uterine lining (endometritus). This was because when performing a c-section, the doctor removes the placenta by hand. He mentioned this several times - that I simply could not have any retained placenta because he had removed it himself. I did have retained placenta, which he finally checked (via ultrasound) exactly 5 weeks after the c-section. They infection had become systemic and I almost died. We finally got an infections disease doc, and I was in the hospital on 4 IV antibiotics for 4 weeks, with an infant. I never really recovered. I developed several new autoimmune diseases including a very serious one which can causes blindness.
- —Guest Claire C Goodman
maybe not arrogant but not believing in
- My doctor was a very caring dr but he told me a long time ago that he does not believe in fibro. He treated my symptoms but for quite awhile now I have felt like the fibro was running my life. I just recently changed drs and as a result find myself much more optimistic about getting a handle on the issues related to my fibro. My other dr is a very caring dr otherwise he was not arrogant.
- —gerriw547
Thank you..
- A few years ago I started to have seizures. I was at work when they began. I lost my drivers lic, eventually my job and was to see a specialist. This person was arrogent, rude and hard for me to understand, she discussed, nor listened to anything. I was told to take medication, and she was gone.I did as told. I could not interact with my 2yr old daughter, I was constantly tired. I spoke to my family doctor, who sent me back to this specialist citing she is suppose the best in her field. What choice did I have? She was again dismissive, curt and just rude. before allowing me to crawl out the room she told me to suck it up, the side effects would wear off. The seizures continued. I saw my family doctor again and once again I was sent to the specialist. She increased my medicine, told me to take it all before bedtime and I was again dismissed. My doctor suggested going on disability. Only I don't feel disabled, just confused and in need of a good doctor to tackle this.Your article helps
- —Guest Christine
Beware Arrogance in a Physician
- Only the very best doctors can stay cognizant of current evidence-based care for their patients. Continuing education for doctors is dangerously flawed. Scientific studies have shown that physician knowledge of valuable new diagnostic or treatment tools lags 15 years behind the publication of the evidence for use of the tool. The most lethal example of this is the finding that it took 25 years from the publication (1982) of the life-saving value of beta-blockers until they were used for nearly all patients with heart failure. Millions of heart patients died early because their doctor did not know enough to prescribe beta blockers. I feel that physicians often cover their inadequate knowledge with arrogance. They are afraid to have their fragile knowledge challenged by a patient or colleague, so they establish a presence that warns all: do not challenge me. An arrogant physician may be more than annoying, he may be a danger to your health.
- —Guest John T. James, Ph.D.
Doctors view
- I went through this discussion and comments.I would like to put the other side of the coin.I am a physician with special interest in diabetes. Nobody wants to become ill or spend money on health.Everyone takes for granted that howsoever he/she misuses the body the body should never give pain and trouble,but illness comes and with it comes the doctor.A good doctor should be a good human being first.If a patient is responsive and asks genuine questions it is always welcomed by majority of doctors.The problem arises when patient or their attendants have a stubborn attitude and do not follow the advice or suggestions given and when things take bad shape put the whole blame on the treating doctor with the excuse that I being the patient did not know the consequences and was acting out of ignorance,BUT you being the doctor should have done the right thing with FORCE.
- —Guest aloke2@rediffmail.com
Well, Maybe
- People can be arrogant for various reasons. My mom had an arrogant cardiologist and I think if she stuck with him instead of going to the braindead touchy-feely guy she might have lived longer. The way I look at it is - I have worked with arrogant people. Sometimes they are brilliant and extraordinarily technical and manage to hold on to knowledge and think creatively, like the tv doctor, House. This is the sort from whom I will put up with arrogance. If I want a doctor for my emotions, I'll get one, but the body, well that's a technical thing and specialists cannot keep up with their fields and how 'their' body part affects and is affected by the others, so I can compromise about the attitude sometimes. I try to ALWAYS do my homework. Most doctors, if you show some knowledge and interest and ask perceptive questions, will start opening up. If a doc is just too busy or seems addicted I don't go back. I am not shy about being arrogant back, if needed.
- —goldengrain
Some aren't what they seem
- Once I had to see the one of the world's top experts on shoulder problems at Massachusetts General Hospital. At our first meeting, he seemed very arrogant. However, when I came back for visit two, he had time to kill and we spent two hours after my scheduled visit talking about medical history, philosophy, etc. It turned out he was a nice and caring man. I'm glad I did not judge him on the basis of my first visit.
- —Packingpadre
Interview doctors before you see them
- If you interview a doctor before you even go for your first visit, asking questions such as how they would approach a problem etc you should be able to tell. If they pass the interview go for a visit. If in the visit they are arrogant and egomaniacs politely tell them they are not helpful, you won't be paying for the service and if they try to bill you, wou'll take them to court. Then LEAVE. There are plenty of doctors out there. BTW It took about 10 years for me to figure this out and another couple to actually do it but it works. I know have wonderful caring doctors.
- —Guest Jaffa420
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