Can I ask a question??

I've been browsing through some of the posts on here this afternoon in an attempt to waste some time at work (lol) and when I read the medical advice please post, I noticed a lot of people said that they hate doctors.

It's obviously not the first time I've heard this - it's a common fear/dislike etc, but I really wonder why?

Working in a hospital and being in training to be a doctor, I think I get a different viewpoint obviously than most people, but I'm still very curious.

What is it about doctors that people `hate'? Bad experience, general fear etc? I really would like people to share what they feel here - out of both personal and professional curiosity!

For me it's..

1. Worried what their going to tell you

2. Catching other peoples coughs and sneezes

3. Any form of examination

I've had approximately 3 years of bad experience of doctors and am in the hospital a lot!

My GPs misdiagnosed my knee problem, so I carried on for about a month in agony, then I changed GP and was referred quickly. But, then I had a Consultant who offered very little care, explanation and operated on a knee he said that he wouldn't have to - due to the 'problem' that he diagnosed.
I have been shipped from bad doctor to bad doctor through these years and have only now found an EXCELLENT one.

I think that I have lost trust in them. You trust a doctor or surgeon to diagnose the problem and fix it with the best of their ability, giving you full information and explanation along the way.

I think when these elements are overlooked - when we are supposed to be wholey trusting someone - it causes fear and dislike.

The only fear I have is wrong diagnose/diagnosis? Not that I've experienced it but I hear a lot from people specially the elderly. It's like the doctors don't pay much attention to patients 70 years old or above.

I have an incredible respect for the profession, Sarah. Sure, Drs. make mistakes, but so does everyone. The results are just much more profound when it's a Dr. If I had the funds, I would have gone to medical school, would still like to do so, infact, but instead chose nursing. I really don't know where I developed my fear. I can work with Drs. all day without a problem, but as soon as I am the patient, I start having an anxiety attack. For this reason, I avoid it at all costs.
Perhaps you could be my Dr. one day!

I can't say I'm worried about doctors at all... I've never really had any sort of fear. You'd have thought that being told I had cancer as a teenager would have changed that, but at the time I pretty much just shrugged and said "So what? You took it away, if it comes back I'll deal with it. Until then, I'm not going to worry." I saw my specialist twice a month for two years, once a month for a further two, then once every two months for a year, then a couple of times six months apart. I know I'd had my son by the time I had my last visit.... I never liked my gynaecologist though. He had the rather unfortunate name for his profession too as Dr. Cumming. Not the kind of thing you want to know when you go in for examinations Especially when you're sitting in the waitingroom - I did a double take when the little nurse (foreign but not sure where she came from) announced to me in a heavy accent that I'd "be seeing the Dr. Cumming" - man I think that scarred me for life there.....

I think it's what Susan said.....fear of a bad diagnosis or the vulnerability that people feel while getting an examination of some sort.

I work in a very large teaching hospital as a nurse, so I come in contact with LOTS of doctors every day, and I will say this......there are good ones and there are bad ones.....just like in any profession.

The thing that most people don't realize is that medicine is not an exact science. People come to their doctors looking for a definite answer to their problems and want the doctor to "fix" them. But it's not always that easy. When something goes awry in the body, the doctors will listen to the symptoms the patient is having, order tests that they feel are appropriate, try to exclude things, and by process of elimination, try to come up with a diagnosis. If there is not an absolute sign of something, (for example a tumor or something else that stands out) the diagnosis is actually an educated guess based on years of medical research and literature. Sometimes the diagnosis is right on.....other times....it's wrong because the evidence points to more than one thing. And some doctors are better diagnosticians than others.

I think it's unfair for people to think that doctors should always know, without a doubt, what's going on in the human body because there's still too much that we don't know about how the body works. They can't take a list of symptoms, lab results, and radiology reports, and put them into a computer and have it spit out one answer and one way to treat it. If only it were that easy......but unfortunately...it's not.

I have collaborated with doctors many times about a patient who is puzzling them. We'll look over all the results of all the tests and sometimes an answer still doesn't come. Sometimes, they will treat the patient for several different things in the hopes that something will work.

The best advice that I have for people who hate/fear doctors is to find one that makes you feel as if you are a partner in your healthcare care decisions. A good doctor will listen to you and together you can work toward finding out what the problem is and together you can decide on a course of action.

My problem is the holier that thou attitude of most doctors that I have had contact with. When my parents were sick, their doctors treated us like we were complete morons and could not possibly understand their diagnosis, even though we were the ones that would be caring for them at home, and really needed to understand. Many of them seemed more interested in getting to their golf games that actually caring for their patients.
A good, caring doctor is a wonderful thing! My daughter is pregnant with her first child, and is lucky to have found one of these doctors. She is a lovely woman that has been a practicing ob/gyn for over 40 years, and also teaches at the Medical College of Georgia. She has kept my daughter up to date on all her information and made her a lot less scared. When they took the tests for possible genetic problems, this doc called her every day while they were waiting for the results to ease her mind that they were routine tests, and should not worry until there was something to worry about.
If more doctors were even half as caring as this one, people would not hate them.
I personally do not hate doctors across the board, but I have had some bad experiences.

I htink part of hte problem is that many doctors will not admit to their patients that medicine is not an exact science. I have had a painful wrist and arm for a year now because a) it was set badly when I broke it; b) two different doctors have told me completely opposing things about what to do. Since one option involves surgery I am waiting to make up my mind, but what annoys me is that we are told things with an air of authority and are completely squashed if we question things. Of course all doctors are not hte same, but this is my experience over hte last 3 years or so.

I certainly do not hate doctors. I love my OBGYN, the doc who I've been with for 10 yrs now, the man who delivered my baby daughter 8 yrs ago. He's great and not evil or anything.

I used to have a problem with finding a nice dentist. It seemed to me that dentists held grudges. Why? I guess they didn't truly like digging around in people's mouths. FINALLY I've found a great dentist who jokes around and is like a big furry teddy bear. Nice guy.

Family doc is great too; so are my daughter's pediatricians.

Veterinarian? Adore her, owe her my life after this morning!!! I'm fixing to send her a giant bouquet of flowers & lord knows what else, after I get my beautiful Snickers back in my arms!!!

So it's not the doctors that are the problem; it's the things that TAKE you to the doctor. Illness, fever, hacking, problems with womanhood, sick pets... you dread going to the doctor because of what ya might be told, the icky meds ya might have to take (or give to your kid or pet), and ... needles. Having blood drawn or getting an IV.

I don't like hospitals and the only way I'll enter one is if 1) I am dying or 2) someone I love is dying or severely ill. But the doctors IN the hospital are just dandy. Nurses, too. There was a nurse working on me every day when I had pneumonia and she and I joked & talked about all kinds of stuff.

Oh one more thing about the fear / hatred of doctors & hospitals: BILLS. Medical bills, stuff your insurance won't pay, hospital bills, ER bills. Right now I owe so much for me, my daughter & my Snickers, I am looking into taking on a second job.

I do not fear doctors at all. I just dislike the uncaring bedside manner seen in so many physicians today. I have had some wonderful, caring doctors, but my current doctors rushes me through and never asks important questions (about family history of illness, any odd changes in weight, etc.)
They're paid so much money, you'd think they could afford to be more cordial and concerned!

I have had more doctor appointments in the last 3 years due to 2 separate car accidents (neither of which I'm at fault) than I've had in the years prior to that. Some doctors have limited time, but I think they try to squeeze in more patients than is realistic. Therefore, they don't have time to sit and listen to their patient's healh concerns. It's absolutely wonderful when you get a doctor who looks into your eyes, listens to your concerns, and gives you feedback in a manner that is in the best interest toward helping the patient's situation. And if a doctor cannot help the patient, it's better to refer them to someone who may be able to help rather than ignoring your symptoms or stating in a very cold manner "According to your MRI, you only have a slight buldge on L5 and S1. It cannot be causing your pain. You are gonna have to live with your pain."

I did get a referral to a pain management doctor and he treated me with such kindness and respect. He did a test and was able to reproduce my pain. I've also been seeing a physical therapist who also has great respect for getting his patient's back into a healthy condition. It's so nice when you find a good doctor with a good bedside manner.

I understand that not EVERYONE who passes their exams is going to be great

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I agree. My dad has always told me "Not everyone got an A+ on their tests. Some may have passed but just barely".

Some doctors are very "text book" knowledgeable but are not very good at putting it into practice in the real world or just simply don't have people skills.

I've recently had the experience of feeling rather like I wasn't there at the doctor's office, as far as how much he actually interacted with me.. My dentist numbed my mouth the wrong way the last time he drilled it, and so I felt the drilling for about 5 minutes while he was too busy telling me "you can't possibly feel that" to realize that my ear went numb, but my tooth didn't. I have to say though, my GP is excellent and my previous gynecologist was excellent, although his nurses were not (he has since left the practice and he's now out of network.. I'm planning on going to him next time though...) I like my doctors to actually talk to me, rather than do just what's neccesary.

I hate getting doctors who apparently didn't listen during lectures on bedside manner! I think some wish their patients were the cadavers who couldn't complain.

Learn to interact with your patient and treat them like the human being they are. (Even if they are an @$$hole at times...)

i think it's a fear of knowing, like how before technology people could fantasize and dream and stuff but never know the real answers to life, it made it more romantic and spontaneous. I don't hate doctors but i hate going to the doctor because then the mystery is gone, then I can't pretend I'm OK or I'm not OK or whatever. Knowing for me is just pointless, I like living in sweet ignorance. I assume that when/if I have a serious problem I would like to get it treated but for now denial is the game. I avoid the doctor at all costs and I can't help it.

Wow - lots of mixed responses there. I do agree with the whole bedside manner thing, it's soooo important and many doctors just do not realise this. The doctor I work with is one of the best in his field in Western Australia, and he just has patients coming out of his ears, but he never fails to treat them with care and respect and empathy and as a result they just worship him. He is a wonderful doctor, and a wonderful person, too.

Stephanie - of course I'll be your doctor one day! Except it'll only be for putting you to sleep cos I'm going to be an anaesthetist!!

Lillekat - that is so funny. Dr Cumming!! My gynaecologist is called Dr Love, though, so that's pretty classic as well! And there's a cardiologist around the traps called Dr Hands. Hahahahaha.

I don't necessarly hate dr's just wish they would take the time to listen im here dr to me. Not just assume they know what is wrong with you when obiously it is something totally different. Make appointments for you to see them and then disappear. Actually one time I called and told the nurses to lock the doors and not let him out, that I was coming in.

Then get the bill knowing that we are not able to pay that amount all at one time. Which is the one thing they want, all of it at once. Most of the time I just make do without those costly drs most especially when it is something I know to do anyway. You know the basics, keep it clean, put a bandage on it and stay of it for a few days and hope it gets better.

Good luck in your pursuit in being a Dr and hopefully you will take the advice of all who posted here to heart and become one of those great Drs everyone loves.

I'm another one that doesn't hate/dislike doctors (or dentists for that matter). I am glad there are people out there with expertise. I tend to be slightly paranoid - hypochondriac-ish I suppose - and I'd rather know if something was wrong with me rather than sticking my head in the sand. I also worked in an oncology center, which gave me a GREAT appreciation for doctors. It's hard to take your own good health for granted every day when you see very ill people around you.