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You're blaming the wrong person. That wasn't the CNA's checklist; the doctor made it. She was just an employee trying to do her job.
When the CNA asked you if everything was correct, you should have answered, "Yes, except one medication is missing," and then told her about the Methotrexate. You were the one that caused the confusion, not the CNA.
I think it's pretty common these days to have a nurse or whatever do the initial evaluation. At least in my experience it is. This frees the doctor up for tasks that require more training
It seems to be the new normal. I didn't get all the questions you did, but I have been asked about my sexual orientation, whether or not I use street drugs, and what way do I learn best. (Huh?) My guess is that doctors have started asking these questions because sometimes important concerns get overlooked when people are embarrassed or afraid to bring some things up, but I do agree with you that they feel strange and intrusive. Personally, I'd rather they not ask questions like that.
The questions are often in Epic or other electronic medical records. Usually a medical assistant or nurse will do a lot of the charting to keep the doctor from spending most of his/her visit clicking on the computer. If you only have 15 minutes with the physician, you want them spending the whole time in that?
Questions often include domestic violence, drug use, emergency contacts, learning style, medication/surgical history, etc. For learning style, they often have handouts they can give in addition to the verbal explanation if you need it.
That’s bizarre. It seems once you turn 65 they get very intrusive.
Very true. Not only do the questions become more intrusive but they become more suspicious. A couple yrs ago, my obnoxious horse sent me flying. I drove myself home from the barn but a couple hours later couldnt move/walk on the leg I landed on. Called an ambulance. The emts and police came, I explained what happened, and then the questions started, did your husband push you down the stairs? Etc etc etc. finally I lost it and said No! The F.... horse threw me! Then the ER starts the same crap! They stereotype so badly! So badly! Lucky nothing was broken, just the kind of bruising you see in an auto accident. But they didnt want to give me crutches, only a walker. I said Why? Their answer: we dont give crutches to the elderly! I lost it again. Told them to give me the d... crutches! They did and I left!
They look at your birthday first before they look or listen to the patient.
A lot of people can slip through the cracks. We are trying as a society to come up with ways to keep that from happening, if possible. How many threads have we had here where someone dies alone or is old or disabled struggling alone, and the replies are always "this is terrible, why did no one know about this?" Well, this is medical professionals attempting to screen so they can help people. You can't do much for someone's health if they can't afford their medication, don't get enough to eat, won't make their appointment if they can't find a ride, don't understand what you're telling them, etc.
Getting angry because someone is trying to help is unproductive. OP, I'm glad you have enough money and a home and a good support system. Tell them so when they ask and then allow them to continue to attempt to help people who aren't as fortunate as you are, and be grateful you don't need any of the help they are offering... because some people do.
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Originally Posted by Parnassia
This. Or, another person who wasn't in the house fire or the car accident. I've always been asked for at least one alternative. IMHO its a reasonable question, not a violation of privacy.
Or, someone who is also not older, frankly-- sometimes these lists don't get updated for years (it doesn't occur to people) and ten years later they find out the spouse now has dementia or has died, or the contact has moved to Vietnam, or the list is in some other way not current.
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Originally Posted by Angry-Koala
I think it's pretty common these days to have a nurse or whatever do the initial evaluation. At least in my experience it is. This frees the doctor up for tasks that require more training
Precisely. Why does someone who went to med school have to be the one to show you a list and ask you if it's correct? An intern who just started that day could do that. That would be like walking into an office and being annoyed that the CEO has someone else making the coffee rather than doing it personally.
OP, for some reason you really seem to have it in for this nurse, with your accusations and condescending descriptions. It's a little strange. Do you have some sort of history with this person that gave you such animosity toward her? Did she do anything to you besides asking questions you didn't like?
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Originally Posted by Roselvr
It also drives me nuts when they don't read the paperwork you filled out.
Or, they do, but they also bring it up so they can talk with you about it in person, find out if you have any questions or anything you/they want to clarify, etc. Some people don't put everything on the paperwork. Some people remember things later that they forgot to put down. Some people get the courage to bring up things they didn't write down previously (or, didn't want to commit it to writing). Some people will be all huffy that "they didn't even talk to me about my health, just told me to fill out some form and then didn't even ask about it!" It's in your best interest that your healthcare provider make sure they are very clear in everything, yes? Mistakes are made when clarification doesn't happen. You'd hate for them to assume they knew about you and then find out they were basing their care of you off the wrong person's paperwork...
I joined Kaiser last year and there was a simple yes/no questionnaire in the room that I was asked to fill out. Its sole purpose was to let me alert staff if I needed help, was I afraid of or being hurt by someone, or required social services. To me it was very odd but this is the world we live in today.
I think a written questionnaire would be far less invasive and wouldn't take up as much (expensive) time for the staff. Some of the questions are legitimate; if you live alone they need to know that they can't send you home after surgery, for example, and assume someone will be there to prepare meals, make sure you get your meds and help you to the bathroom. You may need a professional driver for a procedure such as a colonoscopy where you need sedation. (I did.) I get a lot of detailed questions about fall risks (I'm 67) but we had a mega-lawsuit in this area in which a very rich older guy fell off an exam table and was paralyzed for the rest of his life. It's a good place to ask about domestic violence because it's just you and a medical professional.
I get silly questions from medical and quasi-medical people but sometimes they just have to CYA. Every time I go to the blood bank they ask me if I identify as male or female (no, it hasn't changed). Every time I set up mammograms they ask me if my "condition" (even though it's just screening) is due to Black Lung Disease or an auto or work accident. Medicare requires it; they want to make sure any condition where another entity is on the hook for it pays their share.
My husband got some of these questions when he last went to his PCP whom he has been going to for years. I think it either has something to do with a prescribed set of questions for Medicare or there is some new protocol for "over 65" patients. I know it sounds obtrusive but I wouldn't take it personally. It would be very helpful if they would preface it by telling you these questions are required for patients 65 and older and not make you feel like some random target of an over zealous doctor. Welcome to the new world of healthcare.
These kinds of questions are aimed at treating the whole person and not just throwing a pill at an issue in a vacuum. You should take this as a good sign that they might actually care about the people they are treating.
Very true. Not only do the questions become more intrusive but they become more suspicious. A couple yrs ago, my obnoxious horse sent me flying. I drove myself home from the barn but a couple hours later couldnt move/walk on the leg I landed on. Called an ambulance. The emts and police came, I explained what happened, and then the questions started, did your husband push you down the stairs? Etc etc etc. finally I lost it and said No! The F.... horse threw me! Then the ER starts the same crap! They stereotype so badly! So badly! Lucky nothing was broken, just the kind of bruising you see in an auto accident. But they didnt want to give me crutches, only a walker. I said Why? Their answer: we dont give crutches to the elderly! I lost it again. Told them to give me the d... crutches! They did and I left!
They look at your birthday first before they look or listen to the patient.
Because a lot of women do get injured when their husband/partner pushes them down the stairs, and are afraid to tell the truth!
Well, it seemed ok at first. A little gal pretending to be a "nurse" (her tag clearly stated CNA),
If her tag said CNA, what makes you think she was pretending to be a nurse?
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came in and started asking the usual, routine questions, like allergies, past surgeries, etc, etc, although I had filled out an extensive, online questionnaire addressing those exact same issues and sent it in several days in advance. Whatever.....
Oh, come on. The questions she asked are neither bizarre nor out of line. If you felt the way she asked the questions wasn't professional, you should have filed a complaint afterward with the office manager. And if you already answered the questions online you should have asked the office manager afterward why you were being asked them again - that's a problem with their admissions process, not a personal slight.
It frankly sounds like you saw CNA on her name tag and were upset a nurse wasn't taking your information. And if you projected an attitude because you felt she was only a "little play nurse", it's not surprising she projected an attitude back.
These kinds of questions are aimed at treating the whole person and not just throwing a pill at an issue in a vacuum. You should take this as a good sign that they might actually care about the people they are treating.
More than likely they have some sort of relationship with some social services agency and get some sort of kickback or backscratching from screening patients for referrals.
Most of the questions they were asking they can't do anything about, anyways. Say I am homeless, what are they going to do, buy me a house? Yes, I know, she said they would refer me to an agency that could help. All agencies do is refer you to other agencies, put you on wait lists, etc. If a solution was so readily available, there wouldn't be so many homeless to begin with
I felt they were doing a background check--
give us the names of three emergency contacts -- translation, we might do a background check on you and who you associate with
Who do you live with -- translation, we would also like to do a background check on your family
I also do not wish to give out family member names. A simple Google search of my adult daughter reveals she was charged with possession of marijuana. I can't help what she does, but that wouldn't bode well for me, would it?
Oh, and here's the real kicker--
They asked me if I had difficulty paying my medical bills. Well, not really, not with two insurances, I rarely pay much OOP. However they could stop referring me to collection for bills that have been PAID, in a timely manner. I'm going round right now with a collection agency for a bill that was PAID in FULL several years ago. Between my insurance and Medicare I didn't owe anything, which they agreed about 4 years ago. Now they want me to pay the difference that the insurances didn't' about $700
Questions like they were asking lead to nowhere, at least no good purpose. All they do is make the patient feel awkward. Well, ok perhaps some patients do feel a warm fuzzy, oh, look, this doctor cares so much about me! Meanwhile, they were going nowhere on my health issues. I felt I had to re-direct them to my physical problems, which was why I was there to begin with!
Because a lot of women do get injured when their husband/partner pushes them down the stairs, and are afraid to tell the truth!
Try taking an injured child to the doctor. My daughter fell on the playground at school and broke her wrist. School called me and I took her to the ER. They called CPS! After I had explained what happened--it happened at school! You would think it would be a simple matter to dismiss, but we got stuck with CPS in our face for weeks
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Medicare requires it; they want to make sure any condition where another entity is on the hook for it pays their share.
Whatever.....
