Had to share this. On FB today is a photo of a coffee mug on a doctor's desk. Printed on it are the words
"PLEASE DO NOT CONFUSE YOUR GOOGLE SEARCH WITH MY MEDCIAL DEGREE"
Love it!
Bob.
Coffee mug: Had to share this. On FB... - Atrial Fibrillati...
Coffee mug
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40 Replies
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Very funny and so true.
Having said that we old timers spent far to long being told nothing we could understand about our medical condition.
A lot of the time the doctors would tell us the patients very little so the internet used intelligently is a very useful tool.
Pete
Oh dear I shouldn't have read this, I now feel embarrassed having given my GP a short lecture on the Legacy Study and the content of Sanjay Gupta's videos on a visit last Friday .She gave me the kind of look I get from my son when he thinks I am being bossy 
That's different. Expert patients are usualy welcomed by GPs to help further their education.
Maybe the a doc with such a mug would be dismissive rather than welcoming . Maybe the mug on display is meant to dissuade any such educating.
yes-in my experience most of them don't appreciate us reading and researching.when you find 1 that does it can be good,but you still might not get the help you need
I got one for the missus for Christmas which said NURSE - I'm having a brew - please be poorly quietly
As she never ever gets to drink a hot drink at work for more than about 5 minutes a day.
As a retired RN ( in my day SRN ! ) I love the idea of the mug lol
Agreed. We use the internet (sensibly) because often the specialist Doctors do not tell us much, or frankly are not up to speed with the latest research.
Most good doctors I find are happy to talk to an educated patient.
If nothing else, an educated patient is more likely to follow advice and take the medicines on time because they know what these medicines are for.
Dick
'Quote = Specialist Doctors do not tell us much',
Kwenda Some doctors tell us nothing at all....
On receiving a letter from the arrhythmia clinic confirming I had Paroxismal Atrial Fibrillation (which was detected by an ECG ) and suggesting I start medication right away, I went to see the GP (the only one available) to get some information. She asked if I had a computer and when I said yes she told me to go and look it up.
When I went to my GP with a mystery s!in ailment the first think she did was a Google search 😂
Hmm, i just find it a tad arrogant.
Love it! A snotty consultant once asked my younger sister, "Where did you study medicine?" All my sister was trying to tell her was how breathless she was after having part of her lung removed because of a small cancer.
The son of a doctor once told me that his father always said people would be astonished if they realised how little GP's actually know. Unfortunately, they have to be jack of all trades with regards to so many different ailments.
I have read that some complaints, particularly cancers, are so rare that a GP may see only one in his lifetime. So I think they can be forgiven for going for the more common options first. What I don't forgive is a doctor sticking stubbornly, sometimes rudely, to their original diagnosis in spite of evidence from the patient that it might be wrong.
Yes being a bit harsh, a jack of all trades and master of none.
It is the same in the building industry. I have worked in roofing for 51 years and in my semi retirement I still am working freelance as a Technical advisor to the biggest importers of roof tiles into the UK.
I find that Architects are like GPs. It is good when they do ask a specialist but all to often they cannot and do not communicate because I believe they are frightened to admit that they don’t know it all after all.
Pete
The very reason we do our own research and thank goodness for the internet. There are extremely reliable resources out there like the BHF for example and many others.
Yes, we are hobby doctors, because as you say, they don’t know everything and our own research can often be of benefit to them or for our own diagnosis and curiosity and sometimes peace of mind.
A lot of Doctors do have the I’m better than you vibe which is the wrong attitude to have in that profession when it becomes a matter of life or death decision making.
Sad to say, I don't completely trust doctors (understatement) after being witness to several serious mistakes. Part of the problem I am sure is that doctors are not properly trained in how to question a patient and listen effectively. So I think it is up to patients to educate themselves about how best to report symptoms to a doctor and a little practice on the internet plus being well informed about your condition is good insurance. Not surprisingly it has recently been shown that AI in various forms can be better at diagnosis than a person.
Hope that doc had a sense of humor to go along with the mug? I’ve worked in academic research settings and as a consultant to libraries for 40 years, have done tons of background research for engineers/scientists/medical professionals of all ilks. And have worked with libraries that provide great training programs to staff, students and the public on how best to use the Internet for their own consumer medical research. And while I recognize that I don’t have a medical degree, I’m not a nincompoop, as my mom used to say (miss her!) So i usually have well informed questions for my docs. And still I often get the ‘don’t worry your pretty little head’ attitude. I was so pleased when one doc asked if I was a medical professional and proceeded to treat me like an intelligent being. His care felt like a real partnership, the way things should be. Oh, I’m on a rant aren’t I! 😂😂
Excellent!!!!😀😀
I have seen my GP and a hospital doctor use Google! My husband did have a number of problems, but I was surprised they did it so openly.
I have just ordered one from eBay for my daughter who has just passed her finals and will shortly be “Doctor”
Ha ha bob.....sotrue, docs must be sick of google!!!
Shame it didnt say - I have a degree in thyroid conditions and will treat thyroid patients with the respect they deserve, instead of puttimg them on antidepressants!
JaneCx
There is a world of difference between patients who are genuinely well informed and knowledgeable about their medical condition and those who find some half baked nonsense on the internet that has no credible research or evidence base and think this makes them a Professor of Cardiology.
Trust Me I'm A Doctor - I don't Think So! Keep ownership of your body and condition. Seeing your Doctor is a partnership where you both work together, you are asking for an expert opinion (based on the Doctors knowledge and Experience), that's why in some cases it is wise to seek a second opinion. Doctors are like us they also have their faults and different ways of seeing the world and disease.
Trouble is, Google searches are often the pre-emptive information that prove to be correct. The NHS spend multi-Millions of pounds a year in paying out compensation to patients who have been mis-diagnosed, caused by the often arrogant medical professionals who get things completely wrong; and I know from personal experiences.
Lots of interesting reactions to BobD's post , sadly the general leaning is towards a lack of trust , in all aspects , of our GPs and the system .
I agree, lack of trust. I notice my GP always looks stressed when I see her. She’s a good doctor though, but the pressures their under with more and more patients and less and less funding makes not a good recipie for the doctors to operate in what should be an efficient, trusting and respectful environment.
This gave me a needed laugh, but information is the key to understanding especially when AFib has a myriad of symptoms.
It was my Google search that spared me an even worse poisoning from having been prescrbed a fluoroquinolone antibiotic that was developed to treat plague and anthrax for an unconfirmed UTI . The results of the urine analysis showed no UTI. I was pretty certain despite my GP's diagnosis that I did not have a UTI. If instead of looking up this antibiotic on Google after taking one pill ( due to weird visual symptoms) I had followed the standard advice of those with medical degrees and finished the course, I might well have heen more damaged than I am already. The medical degrees of hundreds of thousands of doctors have not stopped them from prescribing this class of extremely powerful antibiotics for 30 years for banal infections and even as a prophylactic for traveller's diarrhoea, and ruining the lives of hundreds of thousands of patients who have had severe reactions. This has usually been compounded by denial and labelling the patients as suffering from psychsomatic problems. Even now that both the FDA and the EMA have recognised the problems with this class of drugs and put out new guidelines (now that they are all off patent - quelle surprise) doctors are still prescribing them for banal infections as newly damaged patients are still appearing on the support forums. A Google search enabled me to find the scientific evidence about how this class of antibiotics damages our mitochondria and attacks collagen throughout the body ( evidence that has been there for 2 decades) which I was able to present to my GP. Luckily he reads English and on subsequent visits it was obvious he had changed his mind about the usefulness of these drugs - before the new guidelines appeared. But then he is open minded not like the arrogant schmuck with the coffee mug. Unfortunately he cannot help me much as there is no allopathic treatment for FADS - Fluoroquinolone Associated Disability Syndrome . Nor is there going to be one anytime soon as no drug company money is likely to spent on it - that would be an admission they have been poisoning people all these years.
So until the corruptive influence exercised at all levels by the Pharmaceutical companies on the way medicine is practiced can be resolved forgive me if I don't bow down and worship the magical medical degree.
Hi,
I do not expect a GP to know all, and mine is secure enough to be a consultant.
In fact, the Internet lead me to discover the full AF treatment options, and to find the best cardiologist. Once again, I respectfully disagree. Alas, no ill will Bob
J (-:
Love it
Even tho this is true, they can miss things.Plus, many Drs have different opinions.
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