Jake,

My reaction to your experience with a poorly informed and unsupportive HCP,
in this case a ped, prompted me to respond. I realize that you made every
effort to inform someone who seems not to have wanted to be informed, how
frustrating!! But I have found that some HCPs just keep giving out bad advice
in an attempt to be helpful, or in response to requests from patients/parents
for advice in areas where their expertise is limited.

A friend of mine who is a very wise physician passed on this analysis, and it
has become an integral part of my communication with HCPs in general, and my
family's HCPs in particular. This is his explanation of why "good", "expert"
pediatricians sometimes say things to parents that just make us shake our
heads in dismay.

A pediatrician offers questionable advice to a new (first time) parent, and
the new parent goes home and tries to follow their doctor's advice. When the
parent "fails" at following through on their HCP's advice, the parent assumes
the fault lies with themselves, and feeling like a failure, does not tell the
HCP that the advice didn't fly, because they do not want to be considered
"bad parents". The same ped gives the same advice to an experienced parent,
who leaves the office thinking "No way would I do that", but doesn't bother
to say that to the HCP, assuming that it would be a waste of time to get into
a discussion with HCP. The ped continues to give out this advice, because
nobody ever gave him/her the reality check that it just didn't work.

Sometimes the most powerful feedback a HCP can get is from the consumer.
Consumers can always "vote with their feet".

Beth Sargent, IBCLC
Needham,MA, USA

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