This morning, I went to the ER to get an antiobiotic for a sinus infection - I have chronic sinus problems, and end up with an infection three of four times a year. Usually I go to see my doctor, but this time they couldn't give me an appointment for the rest of this week - so I would have had to wait until Monday, and by then it would be soooo much worse and would take a lot longer to clear up, having had longer to 'set in' (not to mention it would hurt a lot in the meantime), so I went up to the ER.
Well, as soon as I got in with the doctor and he found out what I wanted, he started scolding me in the rudest way, basically yelling at me, saying that this isn't what the ER is for, that I'm wasting everyone's time, and that I should feel bad for making people with real emergencies wait (which is crazy because there's a sign posted right up in the waiting room that says that people are seen in order of the seriousness of their problem, not 'first come, first serve', so nobody who was more seriously sick than me would have had to wait until after me). I explained the situation to him about not being able to get a doctor's appointment, and he still wouldn't shut up about it, he kept lecturing me the WHOLE time he was seeing me - finally I had enough and said 'I heard you the first time, and I already explained the situation to you' and he finally stopped. I mean, I realise that the emergency room is meant for emergencies, but I don't see what other choice I had in this case, besides suffer for almost a week before I could see my doctor, and I've had to do this once before, and that doctor didn't give me a hard time at all. At any rate, saying it ONCE, politely, would have sufficed.
So then he refuses to give me an antibiotic (I think mostly just because he was mad at me for coming there), saying that it's not necessary, and when I tried to explain that I've tried to go without one before (I really don't WANT to be taking antibiotics three times a year!), and that it wouldn't clear up on its own that time (because I didn't think he realised I had a history of problems with my sinuses), he started scolding me AGAIN, saying things like, I'm the doctor, I make the decisions, you don't know better than me, that's why you came here and took up our time, isn't it, to get a doctor's opinion? Finally I told him he was being very rude, and at that, he started writing me up a prescription (why he changed his mind, I don't know) - I told him that they usually give me a certain antiobiotic, and he told me that that one was no good for this kind of thing (even though it's always worked before
) , and that he was giving me a different one. I didn't feel like dealing with him anymore, so I didn't argue.
So I get to the pharmacy and give them my prescription, and then after a few minutes they call me and want me to clarify that I'm allergic to sulfa drugs - I told them I was, and they told me that they'd have to call the doctor, then, and have him give me something else, because the antibiotic that he prescribed me was a sulfa drug! I told them when they were checking me in at the hospital that I was allergic to these, and it was written right on my chart! And he prescribed it anyway! I was already so shaken after being told off by him (I really, really hate confrontations like that), but that totally blew me away - I mean, if the pharmacy had not caught that - I don't even know how they knew I was allergic to sulfa, I guess it must have been in my file from another time when I was there - I would be really sick right now from taking that drug! I think Dr. Jerk needs to spend more time actually looking at his patients' charts and less lecturing them, and maybe he then he wouldn't screw up like that!
Anyway, my question is, does anyone know where/to who I would report this? I'm not even going to bother complaining about the way he treated me, because there's a doctor shortage, and so they really can't afford to be picky about things like whether a doctor has any kind of people skills or manners or treats the patients nicely, so I know they wouldn't do anything about that part, but I am so livid about him prescribing me that drug - IMO, it's totally negligent and irresponsible for him to prescribe me something that it says right on my chart I'm allergic to - and I want to report him for it. Anyone know to who (in the province of Ontario)?
Sorry, this got really, really long, I didn't mean for it to be, I'm just so upset about this right now. Thanks for letting me vent.
Well, as soon as I got in with the doctor and he found out what I wanted, he started scolding me in the rudest way, basically yelling at me, saying that this isn't what the ER is for, that I'm wasting everyone's time, and that I should feel bad for making people with real emergencies wait (which is crazy because there's a sign posted right up in the waiting room that says that people are seen in order of the seriousness of their problem, not 'first come, first serve', so nobody who was more seriously sick than me would have had to wait until after me). I explained the situation to him about not being able to get a doctor's appointment, and he still wouldn't shut up about it, he kept lecturing me the WHOLE time he was seeing me - finally I had enough and said 'I heard you the first time, and I already explained the situation to you' and he finally stopped. I mean, I realise that the emergency room is meant for emergencies, but I don't see what other choice I had in this case, besides suffer for almost a week before I could see my doctor, and I've had to do this once before, and that doctor didn't give me a hard time at all. At any rate, saying it ONCE, politely, would have sufficed.
So then he refuses to give me an antibiotic (I think mostly just because he was mad at me for coming there), saying that it's not necessary, and when I tried to explain that I've tried to go without one before (I really don't WANT to be taking antibiotics three times a year!), and that it wouldn't clear up on its own that time (because I didn't think he realised I had a history of problems with my sinuses), he started scolding me AGAIN, saying things like, I'm the doctor, I make the decisions, you don't know better than me, that's why you came here and took up our time, isn't it, to get a doctor's opinion? Finally I told him he was being very rude, and at that, he started writing me up a prescription (why he changed his mind, I don't know) - I told him that they usually give me a certain antiobiotic, and he told me that that one was no good for this kind of thing (even though it's always worked before
So I get to the pharmacy and give them my prescription, and then after a few minutes they call me and want me to clarify that I'm allergic to sulfa drugs - I told them I was, and they told me that they'd have to call the doctor, then, and have him give me something else, because the antibiotic that he prescribed me was a sulfa drug! I told them when they were checking me in at the hospital that I was allergic to these, and it was written right on my chart! And he prescribed it anyway! I was already so shaken after being told off by him (I really, really hate confrontations like that), but that totally blew me away - I mean, if the pharmacy had not caught that - I don't even know how they knew I was allergic to sulfa, I guess it must have been in my file from another time when I was there - I would be really sick right now from taking that drug! I think Dr. Jerk needs to spend more time actually looking at his patients' charts and less lecturing them, and maybe he then he wouldn't screw up like that!
Anyway, my question is, does anyone know where/to who I would report this? I'm not even going to bother complaining about the way he treated me, because there's a doctor shortage, and so they really can't afford to be picky about things like whether a doctor has any kind of people skills or manners or treats the patients nicely, so I know they wouldn't do anything about that part, but I am so livid about him prescribing me that drug - IMO, it's totally negligent and irresponsible for him to prescribe me something that it says right on my chart I'm allergic to - and I want to report him for it. Anyone know to who (in the province of Ontario)?
Sorry, this got really, really long, I didn't mean for it to be, I'm just so upset about this right now. Thanks for letting me vent.
