Skip to content
  • About
  • Contact
  • Contribute
  • Book
  • Careers
  • Podcast
  • Recommended
  • Speaking
  • All
  • Physician
  • Practice
  • Policy
  • Finance
  • Conditions
  • .edu
  • Patient
  • Meds
  • Tech
  • Social
  • Video
    • All
    • Physician
    • Practice
    • Policy
    • Finance
    • Conditions
    • .edu
    • Patient
    • Meds
    • Tech
    • Social
    • Video
    • About
    • Contact
    • Contribute
    • Book
    • Careers
    • Podcast
    • Recommended
    • Speaking

The trust patients place in their doctors

Suneel Dhand, MD
Physician
September 18, 2018
Share
Tweet
Share

When I’m working in a hospital setting as a physician, part of my everyday job duties involves going over consent forms with patients. I am of course a medical physician, rather than a surgeon, so generally don’t have to go over them as often. But I do have to take consent regularly for certain interventions including blood transfusions and minor procedures. The process of getting consent is something everybody is probably familiar with from their own healthcare experiences, or if not, when a family member has needed it. It basically involves the doctor going over the risks and benefits of any treatment or procedure, and then the patient signing a form giving their informed consent. It’s the cornerstone of patient-centered care and any decent healthcare delivery system. Patients must be told all the pros and cons, before allowing any intervention on their body.

I would say that well over 80 percent of the time I go over a consent form with any patient, this is what happens: I explain something which is usually medically necessary, give them the form to sign, and encourage them to just take a minute to read through the typically short 1 or 2 paragraphs that summarize everything, and any risks involved. The patient response as I hand them the pen is something along the lines of: “It’s OK doc; I trust you if it’s what you’re recommending … I’m OK signing it.” They then grab the pen from me and duly sign their names on the dotted line.

It’s OK doc, I trust you. Every time I hear those words, a tingle goes down my spine. It serves to remind me of the trust that’s placed in us as doctors. I’m typically not someone who likes to show overt emotions in public (hey, I think it’s a British thing), but sometimes in life-threatening situations when I’ve heard this said to me, it almost makes my eyes well up.

Think about it for a moment. People who were strangers to you a few hours before, are at this really low and dark point in their lives. They have lost control over their body, and you are giving them the chance to weigh up the risks and benefits of a decision that could even kill them (no medicine or foreign object put into your body, doesn’t have risks, no matter how small). And their reaction after you’ve communicated the information to them, is to look into your eyes and say: “Hey, it’s OK … give me the pen; I trust you!”

This is deeply humbling to me, reminds me of the unique physician-patient bond, and the privilege and honor of being placed on a pedestal like that. It’s a responsibility that I’ll never take lightly, and feel like every minute I should be earning that faith through my actions and the way I interact with my patients. How many other professions are people trusted that much?

The practice of medicine in this modern age, with all the problems we face in America, is really stripped bare during moments like that. I may have just seen a really annoying administrative or bureaucratic email half an hour before, heard about yet another medical practice regulatory roadblock, or seen the latest statistic online about physician burnout — but it’s everyday occasions like this, which keep bringing me back to what’s important and what our patients really want from us when they’re sick. It’s why I went to medical school, and why I want to keep doing my best to be a good doctor worthy of that level of trust.

Suneel Dhand is an internal medicine physician and author. He is the founder, DocSpeak Communications and co-founder, DocsDox. He blogs at his self-titled site, Suneel Dhand.

Image credit: Shutterstock.com

Prev

Behold the power of clinical triads

September 18, 2018 Kevin 0
…
Next

Stop the money-shaming in medicine

September 18, 2018 Kevin 1
…

Tagged as: Hospital-Based Medicine, Primary Care

Post navigation

< Previous Post
Behold the power of clinical triads
Next Post >
Stop the money-shaming in medicine

ADVERTISEMENT

More by Suneel Dhand, MD

  • The dream patient that makes a doctor very happy

    Suneel Dhand, MD
  • When the family wants to speak to the doctor

    Suneel Dhand, MD
  • 3 reasons why patients are unhappy

    Suneel Dhand, MD

Related Posts

  • Establishing trust with LGBTQIA+ patients

    Kristin Puhl, MD
  • Here are some things that patients wish doctors knew

    R. Lynn Barnett
  • We are warriors: doctors and patients

    Michele Luckenbaugh
  • Are patients using social media to attack physicians?

    David R. Stukus, MD
  • Doctors and patients should be wary of health care mega-mergers

    Linda Girgis, MD
  • A perk of Medicare for all: More time for doctors and patients

    Rani Marx, PhD, MPH and James G. Kahn, PhD

More in Physician

  • How shared language saved a patient from isolation

    Syed Ahmad Moosa, MD
  • The shocking risk every smart student faces when applying to medical school

    Curtis G. Graham, MD
  • The physician who turned burnout into a mission for change

    Jessie Mahoney, MD
  • Time theft: the unseen harm of abusive oversight

    Kayvan Haddadan, MD
  • Why more doctors are leaving clinical practice and how it helps health care

    Arlen Meyers, MD, MBA
  • Harassment and overreach are driving physicians to quit

    Olumuyiwa Bamgbade, MD
  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • Who gets to be well in America: Immigrant health is on the line

      Joshua Vasquez, MD | Policy
    • Why specialist pain clinics and addiction treatment services require strong primary care

      Olumuyiwa Bamgbade, MD | Conditions
    • Harassment and overreach are driving physicians to quit

      Olumuyiwa Bamgbade, MD | Physician
    • Why peer support can save lives in high-pressure medical careers

      Maire Daugharty, MD | Conditions
    • When a medical office sublease turns into a legal nightmare

      Ralph Messo, DO | Physician
    • Addressing menstrual health inequities in adolescents

      Callia Georgoulis | Conditions
  • Past 6 Months

    • Forced voicemail and diagnosis codes are endangering patient access to medications

      Arthur Lazarus, MD, MBA | Meds
    • How President Biden’s cognitive health shapes political and legal trust

      Muhamad Aly Rifai, MD | Conditions
    • Why are medical students turning away from primary care? [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • The One Big Beautiful Bill and the fragile heart of rural health care

      Holland Haynie, MD | Policy
    • Who gets to be well in America: Immigrant health is on the line

      Joshua Vasquez, MD | Policy
    • Why “do no harm” might be harming modern medicine

      Sabooh S. Mubbashar, MD | Physician
  • Recent Posts

    • How shared language saved a patient from isolation

      Syed Ahmad Moosa, MD | Physician
    • The shocking risk every smart student faces when applying to medical school

      Curtis G. Graham, MD | Physician
    • Clinical ghosts and why they haunt our exam rooms

      Kara Wada, MD | Conditions
    • High blood pressure’s hidden impact on kidney health in older adults

      Edmond Kubi Appiah, MPH | Conditions
    • Deep transcranial magnetic stimulation for depression [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • How declining MMR vaccination rates put future generations at risk

      Ambika Sharma, Onyi Oligbo, and Katrina Green, MD | Conditions

Subscribe to KevinMD and never miss a story!

Get free updates delivered free to your inbox.


Find jobs at
Careers by KevinMD.com

Search thousands of physician, PA, NP, and CRNA jobs now.

Learn more

Leave a Comment

Founded in 2004 by Kevin Pho, MD, KevinMD.com is the web’s leading platform where physicians, advanced practitioners, nurses, medical students, and patients share their insight and tell their stories.

Social

  • Like on Facebook
  • Follow on Twitter
  • Connect on Linkedin
  • Subscribe on Youtube
  • Instagram

ADVERTISEMENT

  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • Who gets to be well in America: Immigrant health is on the line

      Joshua Vasquez, MD | Policy
    • Why specialist pain clinics and addiction treatment services require strong primary care

      Olumuyiwa Bamgbade, MD | Conditions
    • Harassment and overreach are driving physicians to quit

      Olumuyiwa Bamgbade, MD | Physician
    • Why peer support can save lives in high-pressure medical careers

      Maire Daugharty, MD | Conditions
    • When a medical office sublease turns into a legal nightmare

      Ralph Messo, DO | Physician
    • Addressing menstrual health inequities in adolescents

      Callia Georgoulis | Conditions
  • Past 6 Months

    • Forced voicemail and diagnosis codes are endangering patient access to medications

      Arthur Lazarus, MD, MBA | Meds
    • How President Biden’s cognitive health shapes political and legal trust

      Muhamad Aly Rifai, MD | Conditions
    • Why are medical students turning away from primary care? [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • The One Big Beautiful Bill and the fragile heart of rural health care

      Holland Haynie, MD | Policy
    • Who gets to be well in America: Immigrant health is on the line

      Joshua Vasquez, MD | Policy
    • Why “do no harm” might be harming modern medicine

      Sabooh S. Mubbashar, MD | Physician
  • Recent Posts

    • How shared language saved a patient from isolation

      Syed Ahmad Moosa, MD | Physician
    • The shocking risk every smart student faces when applying to medical school

      Curtis G. Graham, MD | Physician
    • Clinical ghosts and why they haunt our exam rooms

      Kara Wada, MD | Conditions
    • High blood pressure’s hidden impact on kidney health in older adults

      Edmond Kubi Appiah, MPH | Conditions
    • Deep transcranial magnetic stimulation for depression [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • How declining MMR vaccination rates put future generations at risk

      Ambika Sharma, Onyi Oligbo, and Katrina Green, MD | Conditions

MedPage Today Professional

An Everyday Health Property Medpage Today
  • Terms of Use | Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • DMCA Policy
All Content © KevinMD, LLC
Site by Outthink Group

Leave a Comment

Comments are moderated before they are published. Please read the comment policy.

Loading Comments...