Linda,
I agree!!! My biggest source of personal and professional frustration is
colleagues that don't know something they think they know, or are supposed
to know about, like, say breastfeeding. Within the last week, I've had one
phone call from a new mom of a breastfed 3-week-old whose Pedi had told her
that her baby had "a GI virus, and she should give Pedialyte and pump"
because he was having 2-3 "good" poops and 10 or so stains every day
(acting fine, eating like crazy, thriving). Another Pedi told a mother of
a 2-week-old whose breastfed baby hadn't pooped in 2 days that he was
"constipated, and she should just use a glycerin suppository". And these
are the Pedis who didn't attend our big breastfeeding conference last week
because they're too busy/already know it all. ARRRRGH!
Becky Saenz, MD, IBCLC
At 05:54 PM 04/02/2000 -0400, you wrote:
>Actually diagnosis comes down to distinguishing between normal and abnormal.
>If you are trained in or know the full range of normal, then what's left is
>abnormal. If you're trained in the abnormal, then normal becomes a diagnosis
>of exclusion.
>
>This argument echoes around many health-care arenas, not just maternal-child
>health care. The individual makes the first diagnosis in most situations,
>and elects to go to someone for further help.
>
>Mothers nearly always diagnose illness in themselves or their children or
>families, then hire someone to help them fix the problem. Women now can
>self-diagnose a vaginal yeast infection and go to the local drug store and
>buy an over-the-counter antifungal cream. Before OTC antifungal drugs were
>on the market, the only alternative was to self-diagnose, then go to the
>doctor and pay dozens of dollars for confirmation of the self- diagnosis,
>then pay more money for prescription medicine.
>
>The more people know about their own health, the better - IMHO, of course.
>I'm glad that I can learn about health and illness from many sources
>including my doctor. However, I'm also very glad that my doctor is trained
>to recognize the most awful of conditions and reassure me that I don't have
>one of them, OR treat me with powerful medicines and scary techniques if I
>do. And I like the fact that he/she needs to have confirmation that s/he's
>completed a training program - in the form of a license - to use out the
>powerful stuff. At least a license establishes minimum competencies. I sure
>want more than the minimum, but the minimum is WAY better than what's lower
>than the minimum level of skill or knowledge.
>
>What drives me absolutely insane is when a doctor or other supposedly
>knowledgeable person doesn't know the answer, or doesn't recognize normal,
>and MAKES SOMETHING UP. This I have absolutely NO patience for. If they
>don't know the answer, then they should (to quote Dr. Jay Gordon), "Look it
>up, doc!"
>
>Linda J. Smith, BSE, FACCE, IBCLC
>Bright Future Lactation Resource Centre
>Dayton, OH USA
>http://www.bflrc.com
>
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