Race Roulette

originally posted by: Rodinus

originally posted by: beezzer
a reply to: TrueBrit

I agree to a point. But diagnosis of anything would have to include examination and questioning of the patient. To rely on an entry form to see a doctor just doesn't make sense to me.

Dont forget that your medical records might be passed onto another doc who does not know your case history Beez, so this extra information may be of crucial help to him/her?

Kindest respects

Rod

Any medical professional that performs a diagnosis without seeing the patient, . . . . does this actually occur?

originally posted by: beezzer

originally posted by: Rodinus

originally posted by: beezzer
a reply to: TrueBrit

I agree to a point. But diagnosis of anything would have to include examination and questioning of the patient. To rely on an entry form to see a doctor just doesn't make sense to me.

Dont forget that your medical records might be passed onto another doc who does not know your case history Beez, so this extra information may be of crucial help to him/her?

Kindest respects

Rod

Any medical professional that performs a diagnosis without seeing the patient, . . . . does this actually occur?

What I mean is... suppose your family practioner suddenly leaves town and you are followed by a new doctor...

By all means that person will have to ask you questions and also perform exploratory exams, however, having your medical file with all the data already will also be of a great help to him/her...

I don't know what the case is in your neck of the woods Beez, but over here in France the average allocated time given to a patient by a doctor is 20 minutes... so the more info he/she has the better no?

Kindest respects

Rod

a reply to: beezzer

The sort of data those forms take, is the data set that doctors work from when the patient is not available for comment. Say for instance you contract some sort of sickness, and it knocks you unconscious, or into a coma. Lets also say, that you have filled out your medical forms in the most complete manner you can. If that sickness happens to affect persons with your mixture of genes in a way which marks you out from other people, then the doctor can see from your notes and your input, that he or she ought to factor that in to your treatment plan, and indeed your prognosis.

If that data is not available, and you are not available for comment, then that means that rather than being able to get on with treatment in the most expeditious manner possible, a battery of tests and so on, will have to be run, in addition to those which identify the cause of your symptoms. This is costly in terms of time, and time is normally of the essence in these matters. Also, you may be more prone than persons of a different genetic construction, to one or another illness, and your doctor can advise you more accurately on the specifics of how to prevent those situations arising later in life, and as old as you may feel, you still have a later to look forward to!

If you had an allergy toward a particular drug, and you knew, you would not fail to place that data on the sheet, but what most people do not realise is that ALL data on a medical form is important medically, even when it seems utterly irrelevant.

It is not the same as a census form, or a survey form. These forms and the data they collect are important, and relate to the effectiveness of treatment, both curative and preventative. Now, I know that the sorts of conditions which effect specific gene combinations are rare, and in all probability, if you were going to have them effect you, it would already have happened. But if it were me, I would not take the chance. Life is too short at the best of times for all that!

a reply to: Rodinus

This might be a case where I am wrong, I'll admit.

But how many disease states actually have an ethnic background as a cause? And how common are they?

I will caveat that the more information a doctor has, the better. But on an entry-level form? This wasn't a diagnosis template.

originally posted by: TrueBrit

It is not the same as a census form, or a survey form. These forms and the data they collect are important, and relate to the effectiveness of treatment, both curative and preventative. Now, I know that the sorts of conditions which effect specific gene combinations are rare, and in all probability, if you were going to have them effect you, it would already have happened. But if it were me, I would not take the chance. Life is too short at the best of times for all that!

Perhaps. Maybe I just interpreted the issue wrongly.

You bring up a good point.

I'm just having a hard time reconciling myself to it.

originally posted by: beezzer
a reply to: Rodinus

This might be a case where I am wrong, I'll admit.

But how many disease states actually have an ethnic background as a cause? And how common are they?

I will caveat that the more information a doctor has, the better. But on an entry-level form? This wasn't a diagnosis template.

Its not the ethnic background that is a cause, more like certain ethnical backgrounds are more susceptible to certain ailments... take the Kaposis sarcoma that I wrote about this morning as an example.

Right, back to trying to get the lawnmower working again so that Mrs R can get some work done before cooking my dinner

Kindest respects

Rod