This article discusses how a doctor caught the daughter of a patient recording their conversation with an iPhone. The doctor was giving post-surgery options to the patient and discussing his various concerns. So what was the problem? The doctor was discussing important issues with the mother right after she had surgery. Having had surgery myself, I’m sure she wasn’t able to fully comprehend everything that was being discussed and her daughter was probably just trying to help. In fact, I think all doctor appointments should be recorded. While many blame my future profession on the high cost of health care, no one denies that health care is expensive. The patients are paying that high price for the doctor’s advice, why shouldn’t they record it for future reference? When my daughter had surgery, we had numerous visits with the doctor both before and after the surgery. Many times after leaving his office, there were disagreements about what exactly was said. While I am sure that my version of the events was the correct one (because, well, I’m me and have yet to find a way to be wrong), I had no way to prove it. And this was concerning vital information about my daughter’s health.
But the doctors don’t want patients to be able to do this. The advice the doctor in the article received: fire the patient. Really? I know that doctors, much like teachers, are supposedly perfect and above reproach- at least until they sleep with their students or amputate the wrong leg. But they provide a service just like any other worker and they need their clients to pay the bills. They should embrace the technology that helps their clients. Doctors record their version of events after the visit, why shouldn’t patients? What really scares me the most from this whole story is that doctors are apparently giving out advice that constitutes medical malpractice all the time and the only way to keep them from doing so is to record them. The doctors would much rather fire patients that hold them accountable than just, oh i don’t know, NOT say things that constitute malpractice. If this was any other profession, there would be outrage. Image if a lawyer was upset that his client recorded the conversation he payed $250 an hour for. That lawyer would get no sympathy and neither should the doctors.
Stephen Burch
