Doctors Are Sharing Things Patients Do That Make Their Lives Harder, And Yeah, Several Points Were Made

    Vague answers, non-compliance, showing up late, and more.

    Ryan Schocket
    by Ryan Schocket

    BuzzFeed Staff

    On Reddit, user u/InternalFarts asked, "Doctors, what do patients do that annoy you?" and doctors gave some spot-on examples of things patients do that are suuuuper annoying.

    a doctor sitting with a patient to go over charts
    Solskin / Getty Images

    Here's what they said:

    1. "This happens all the time. I ask if they have any preexisting conditions. They will reply 'no' and that they're very healthy. But when I ask if they're on any medication, they say, 'Oh yes, I take this for my blood pressure, this for my blood sugar, this for my heart, this for my thyroid.'"

    —u/SaleYvale2

    2. "Non-compliance. They'll say they're not feeling any better after the antibiotics, so they'll stop taking them."

    —u/kawi-bawi-bo

    3. "The 'Doorknob Comment.' Come for a 15-minute appointment, spend 14 minutes talking about a mild cough, then as she goes to leave the room, patient suddenly remembers, 'Oh yeah, and my penis is green and smells strange.''

    —u/Darth_Morty

    4. "When they say, 'You don't understand, I need this cold to go away as quickly as possible, and that's why I really do need antibiotics!' Doesn't work like that."

    —u/ZeGuitarist

    a doctor with his hand on a patient's shoulder in the examine room
    The Good Brigade / Getty Images

    5. When they come in with non-evidence-based, unproven, and sometimes dangerous recommendations, i.e. 'broccoli juice cures cancer.'"

    —u/kamikaze12

    6. "When they bring their family member who has some medical training and that family member orders me around."

    —u/gimmegimme2

    a doctor in a room with a patient and a family member
    Thomas Barwick / Getty Images

    7. "Physical therapist here. When the patient says, 'You made my back pain worse!' So, I ask, 'Which home exercise aggravates your pain?' The patient replies, 'I didn't do them.' I say, 'OK, then what did make your back pain worse?' They say, 'I have no idea.'"

    —u/CarWashRedhead

    patient looking at charts with a doctor
    Thomas Barwick / Getty Images

    8. "Arriving late to your appointment. If you know you're going to be late, call in and let them know!"

    —u/Catan_Settler

    9. "And when patients don't arrive 15 minutes early to fill out paperwork on their first-ever visit."

    —u/Catan_Settler

    10. "When the patient says 'It should be in the chart' for basic screening questions like 'Do you have a family history of cancer?' It's not."

    —u/ronte94

    11. "When they answer vaguely. Like, if I ask how long a problem has been occurring and they say, 'A while.' What is 'a while'?!"

    —u/gin_tonic_kintsugi

    a doctor reviewing charts with a patient in a hospital bed while surrounded by family
    Morsa Images / Getty Images

    12. "If I'm taking your history, don't lie to me about what you're here for. Even if it's embarrassing. You're just wasting the doctor's time when they have to take a completely different history from the one you give me, and I'm inputting your charts anyway so you're not hiding it from me."

    —[deleted]

    13. "When they say, 'I just don't believe in medicine.'"

    —u/ryguy28896

    14. "Coming in with extremely complicated/tight clothing. Please assume that if you are coming in for a knee complaint, you are going to have to take off your trousers, shoes, and socks. Please don't wear knee-high lace-up boots! Wear slip-ons!"

    —u/gin_tonic_kintsugi

    And lastly:

    15. "Don't be a dick. The doctors and nurses are doing their best to help you and deserve respect."

    —u/Catan_Settler

    Any docs here? Let me know in the comments if they missed any examples!