Feature Article January 16, 2002
LAND O'LAKES NewsWeb HomeContact Us
The war on the family physicianby Janis LantzIf you haven't seen a doctor lately, count yourself among the blessed. If you don't have a family physician at the moment, good luck finding one who will take you. Their rosters are full, and everyday they receive pleading letters from people who are desperate. These requests are coupled by a flood of offers to go south. The Americans, no longer patient enough to solicit family physicians by luring them with free homes, private school for the kids, and a job for the wife, are now soliciting the best and brightest as they go through our medical schools.
The family physician is on the front lines in a war on health care, and there have been many casualties. Like the pecking of a flock of ducks on the physician, governments have de-listed medications and services to the point where every meeting with a patient is a tactical negotiation, as the physician must diagnose the problem, find a way to get treatment for the patient, and to do it in the 5-7 minutes they're allotted for the average patient. If there is paperwork involved - and there always is these days - the physician doesn't get paid for that. Is it any wonder that the backbone of the medical system, the family physician, feels like Bambi in headlights? And, is it any wonder when the Americans come calling, there are many takers? On a purely financial basis, the offers can be double or triple what they're making now. Add to that planned vacations, the lack of hassle from the governments ever-changing policies, and you have the recipe for the biggest brain drain in Canadian history.
As a patient, if you have ongoing health problems, you have to be as helpful to doctors as you can. Instead of arguing with the doctor over the flu shot, let them give it to you and possibly save a calI to them in the middle of an emergency. Thank them when they have spent the time to get a medication or a procedure approved for you by the government. And, above all, don't blame them if they haven't had the time to read up on the latest therapy for your particular ailment. They don't have the luxury to cruise the internet on the latest "alternative" remedy that you can pick up in any health food store without consultation. If you do take an over-the-counter medication, a nutritional supplement, or herbal remedy, at least inform your family physician that you're doing so, so they won't prescribe some "legitimate" medication that is counter-indicated to the stuff you're taking on your own.
The family physician is an endangered species in Canada. Try to be kind to them if you can. If you've got a new problem, write it down so you don't forget some important symptom when you get into the doctor's office, and which could change the initial diagnosis. Make a list of your concerns and ask them about the most important one. Think of the 5-7 minute appointment as a surgical strike - this is not the time to bring up some of those things that may or may not be something. Save those for the annual physical. That's when they have the time to get a comprehensive view of who you are and what your various health concerns are. (This, of course, assumes that you have an annual physical so the doctor can remember who you are; if they can't pick you out of a police line, maybe you should invest the time for a physical so they can. The doctor could catch something early before you have symptoms and save you a lot of bad health down the road.)
And, finally, don't get mad at the doctor if they misdiagnose something - we all make mistakes, and a lot of conditions look like a lot of other ones and the doctor needs to sort these out. Be thankful you have a doctor.
For people like the elderly and the disabled who have to access the system regularly, a good family physician is the person who can determine their quality of life. For a critical illness like cancer or heart failure, they, literally, could be the difference between life and death. Family physicians are the "gatekeepers" of the healthcare system and the ticket to see a specialist.
In Sharbot Lake we are so blessed to have a Medical Center and a helicopter pad for the real emergencies. You can access a resident, a nurse practitioner, or a family physician there. Most rural areas like ours can't attract doctors because the needs are so great, a family physician could work 24/7 and not reach the end of the need.
