Frustrated with a medical professional?

[lechepatito]

I ran across this advice on a list I belong to, and thought it would be useful here.? Many of us have run into bad advice (either bad bf advice or bad parenting advice, if not more harmful bad medical advice in general) at some point from a ped, OB, nurse, or other medical professional.? Instead of simply taking our business elsewhere here is a recommendation about a concrete way to make a complaint in a way that will get the attention of the medical professional involved.? I think it is very important for we mothers to speak up when our health professionals let us down - it's only by complaining and demanding better treatment that things will change!?

Important note:? Obviously, because this could have serious career implications for the med professional, this should not be used for personality conflicts or simple differences of opinion, but to address poor/incorrect advice given that is contradicted by current research on a health issue.

(The contact info at the bottom is for the state of Virginia, but it should be easy to google your state to find the right contact info.)
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Frustrated with a medical professional?

Two moms at my last LLL meeting were looking to change pediatricians because their doctors were actively pushing weaning despite the fact both babies were under 12 months. At the meeting before that a mom had changed pediatricians after hers told her breast-feeding was the reason her baby got RSV.

When a medical professional gives inaccurate medical advice they can be held accountable. True, you aren't likely to win any malpractice lawsuits, but you can do a number of other things. The most common is to switch doctors. It is very important that you let the doctor know why you and the income they get from you are leaving their practice. If the person who gave you bad advice was not the practice owner make sure to let the person who is paying the bills know what happened.

But here's the catch - often the attitude may be "good riddance" to you the trouble maker, especially if it was the practice owner who gave bad advice.

Here's what you can do to strike fear into any medical professional.? CONTACT YOUR STATE'S REGULATORY BOARD!!! Any time you feel you have a valid complaint against a medical professional (doctor, nurse, pharmacist, etc...) you have a right to report them to the board. All complaints will be reviewed. Even when a doctor knows they are 100% in the right it is a frightening experience, because there is always the chance the board will find a reason to revoke that practioner's license. And if you are contacting them about a situation where their recommendation or action was not supported by current standards (such as recommending weaning of a baby under 12 months without a valid medical reason) they are much more likely to receive at the least a warning if not fine or requirement to take appropriate continuing education classes.

How to file a report: Before you leave the office, write down their license number and the exact spelling of their name on their license. The license is required to be on display! If it isn't and the staff won't show it to you - make a note of that as well. If you won't be going back to their office - call and request it. Chances are they won't give it out. You can also get the information off the internet, http://www.vipnet.org/dhp/cgi-bin/search_publicdb.cgi

To file a complaint you can call 1-800-533-1560

or write to 6603 West Broad Street, 5th floor, Richmond, VA 23230-1712

or go to http://www.dhp.state.va.us/

I guarantee that if you file a complaint you will make a lasting impression.

[annie_noah]

Instead of simply taking our business elsewhere here is a recommendation about a concrete way to make a complaint in a way that will get the attention of the medical professional involved.? I think it is very important for we mothers to speak up when our health professionals let us down - it's only by complaining and demanding better treatment that things will change!?

I'm sure that we have that option here too in Canada, but unfortunately for many people there is such a huge shortage of family doctors, pediatricians, obstetricians and midwives, that "taking your business elsewhere" isn't even an option. There are waiting lists several years long to get a doctor in some communities. So we would be faced with making a complaint and then having to continue to see that doctor or not have a doctor.

My approach has been to nod and ignore if I think that the advice is encroaching on parenting issues rather than medical issues and if I feel that my doctor is out of line on a medical issue, then I'll ask for more info or share what I've learned. I don't always agree with my doctor, but I have been lucky that she is at least receptive to having a conversation.

[milkmonkeezmom]

Bumping this back up. I wonder if Kelly would want to put a version of this information up on her site.

[lechepatito]

Bumpity bump bump

This information might come in really handy for one of you, so I thought I'd bump it back up and let everyone have a fresh peek at it.

[Jonasmomma]

Very interesting Elizabeth. I never thought about this. It would definately make some docs wake up and maybe educate themselves a little more.

[Zydruna]

That is very interesting. Could we make this a sticky so it will be easier to find if anyone ever needs it?

[Tater]

This topic is interesting to me because I am frequently frustrated with my daughter's pediatrician. He is head and shoulder more medically competent than many other peds in this area, but his bedside manner is HORRIBLE. Prior to him, I had a pediatrician who gave horrible advice re breastfeeding - I even printed out the American Academy of Pediatrics' statement on breastfeeding and highlighted all the items (such as "nurse on cue") that he contradicted ("nurse every 3 hrs and tide baby over with a pacifier until then").

However I must disagree that the first step is "complaining and demanding" - unless the medical professional has done something really egregious.

Really, if this were the workplace and you were colleagues, would you complain and demand to top management first - or try to give your colleague the benefit of the doubt, or at least an opportunity to respond, and address the problem with that person first? I think of my doctor as a colleague in caring for my child.

I think if you have a problem with your medical professional, you should schedule a consultation with that person and try to have a constructive conversation about it. Review the positives about your experience and make that person feel valued before launching into the negatives or problem areas.

If you don't think your relationship is salvageable, then write your medical professional a letter explaining that you are leaving and why. If it's water under the bridge, don't bother explaining. If you think that person could benefit, explain why and don't use angry language. Your goal should be to make that person stop, think, consider - not to feel so defensive that he or she just dismisses you.

I have found many people are open to constructive feedback but it really depends on how you present it. When I think of my pediatrician, I think he has an arrogant and condescending manner, but I also believe he is sincerely committed to being the best doctor he can be, and that he loves his patients. If I tried to bring it up at his office or in the heat of the moment, though, we would never have a constructive conversation about it.

I also think that every medical professional should have some version of a "How am I doing?" sheet for people to fill out on a regular basis. Some companies do a version of this for an exit interview. Wouldn't it be nice to fill one out when you decide to switch doctors? Wouldn't it be even nicer if you provided this feedback to the doctor before you decided to exit, to give him or her the opportunity to improve?

[Tater]

Just to tag on here - of course some people don't change, and there are some doctors who, once they take a position, will rarely waver from it, even if it is outdated.

But a critical component of being a doctor is staying educated. Perhaps if you looked at it as an educational opportunity, it would not have to be so adversarial.