Doctors must learn to let others treat them and their families
BMJ 2001; 323 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.323.7303.47 (Published 07 July 2001) Cite this as: BMJ 2001;323:47All rapid responses
Rapid responses are electronic comments to the editor. They enable our users to debate issues raised in articles published on bmj.com. A rapid response is first posted online. If you need the URL (web address) of an individual response, simply click on the response headline and copy the URL from the browser window. A proportion of responses will, after editing, be published online and in the print journal as letters, which are indexed in PubMed. Rapid responses are not indexed in PubMed and they are not journal articles. The BMJ reserves the right to remove responses which are being wilfully misrepresented as published articles or when it is brought to our attention that a response spreads misinformation.
From March 2022, the word limit for rapid responses will be 600 words not including references and author details. We will no longer post responses that exceed this limit.
The word limit for letters selected from posted responses remains 300 words.
In brief, it is wise for someone else to treat our families,except in
an emergency, when other help is not available.Avoid blame or guilt that
can come after.
Competing interests: No competing interests
ITS INDEED REQUIRING A LOT OF FRANKNESS TO ADMIT THAT HARDLY WE TAKE
HELP OF OTHER SPECIALISTS TO HELP OURSELF AND OUR CLOSE FAMILY MEMBERS.
WE SHOULD BE BOLD ENOUGH TO FACE OUR LIMITATIONS IN OUR OWN FIELD LET
APART OTHERS'SPECIALITY.THIS CAN PREVENT INJUSTICE TO SO MANY OF US AND
OURS AND CAN PREVENT PASSING REST OF THE YEARS WITH THE SENSE OF GUILT
Competing interests: No competing interests
Family Dilemmas
The age-old question of when and whom to consult is a particularly
difficult one for doctors to answer.Working in a rural practice with a
cottage hospital base I've come to realize that we as a profession have
huge in-built biases when a family member is "sick".
The first dilemma arises out of our definition of illness (versus that of
the "sick" family member!)The many dilemmas stem one from another down our
illogical cascade of decision-making (far from evidence based)
A wise old colleague once told me that doctor's families get the best
corridor consults and the best intensive care admissions but everything in
between is a disaster.Would that we remember that next time a family
member decides they are "ill".
Competing interests: No competing interests