Art of Practicing Medicine

A patient-doctor conversation

Kerry: Am I drinking too much? How do I find if I am addicted? Can I drink daily or a weekend shot can cause more damage to my health?

Doctor: Occasional excessive drinking can certainly damage your liver....

... & so on goes the conversation until the doctor permits Kerry to have his share of drinks. Thus we always expect the doctor to agree with our opinion and in return we do not mind paying him for the same.

Yes, a doctor is considered next to God. A patient approaching a doctor with this faith makes the doctor feel both happy as well as lucky. For such a patient, the doctor doesn't need much effort to actually treat him. Faith would have done more than 50% of his job.

The role of a doctor is indeed more human, he needs to be sensitive while using his medical sense, must do justice to the patient while being just to himself, strive for the perfect diagnosis of the patient just as he would expect for any of his close kins, and most importantly know his limits of treating and earning. Such an effective balance is more crucial especially in difficult cases where the possibility of misdiagnosing is more.

Of course, the confidence, maturity and experience that a doctor gains through years of training gives him the liberty to utilize his precious time intelligently. Eventually, he can jump to diagnosis and treatment within minutes of seeing the patient just to save time. This could even be at the cost of patient satisfaction if he is sure that someone else (an assistant) or the medicines itself would compensate for the lack of his personal attention. A common case like viral fever or common cold definitely doesn't need more than a few calories from the doctor and medications are more than enough to take care of it.

Come to think of it, even psychiatry is an important aspect of practicing medicine. "It's an art to extract money painlessly from an already tormented soul". On a serious note, what makes the doctor's job noble is the very fact that they deal with suffering and help bring back a smile on the patient's face.

Some events put doctors in a real bad situation (in this part of the world) where a financially sound patient fools around with reasons for not paying his fees. So the doctor also has to ensure that he is not denied his dutiful wages, although he has the right to decide whether he wants to exempt people from paying him in some exceptional cases. Here lays the extra skill set required by the doctor that he has to diagnose not only the illness but also the standard of living of the patient, if at all he wishes to decently survive in the society.

A doctor's job can become real challenging at times while dealing with the vast diversity of souls spread across this funny world. Just imagine their eccentric hues when they are at the worst of their ill-health. Thanks to the OTC doctors who add to their misery by dispensing drugs that will further worsen their signs.

Also, some patients can be very high-spirited and they teach you a life's lesson in just a few minutes of visit. They know, understand what you say and don't even expect an additional word of prognostic evidence from you. Some can be equally bothersome and keep repeating over and over the same symptoms and impatiently demand assurance of a lifetime in just one visit. I guess they want you to agree that you can't smile all the time, also prove that you can lose temper easily, and make your proud journey (medical achievements) suddenly look so insignificant.

New doctors need to make an effort initially to learn the tricks of the trade. They need to be calm, dynamic and should always wear a welcome smile (with hidden emotions of happiness on seeing some anguished influxes). A loose word here and there and you lose it all. You need to behave like an Almighty and be ready for the instant quiz being thrown at you. A minute's delay and your certificates can't save you.

A patient who approaches you needs not only medicines or counseling but also the moral support which he wouldn't always get from his family. A doctor's word means a lot to the patient. With the general awareness of health increasing, a little bit of education about the disease has become essential these days.

Of course humor is also an important facet while treating the patient, because the doctor lamenting along with the patient would not create a possible positive impact on his illness. A distance needs to be maintained amongst the two entities to bring out the best out of both. Too much familiarity and too much of involvement on the doctor's part can be harmful to both and mainly the profession.

That's all I have to share now as I hear the fat lady sing. Again, hat's off to the management skills of the doctor and great is the consumer - the patient who compels the doctor to become so versatile.