Doctors, what do patients do that annoy you?

I don't like when a patient gets a full work up and their lab work and imaging is completely normal and the patient gets enraged.

They don't know what's wrong with me. I'm going to XYZ hospital instead.

When they literally can't understand how they are harming themselves.

For example, my mom once said that a woman who smoked while pregnant couldn't accept that she was harming the baby. The conversation went something like this. The baby is underdeveloped for its age

due to you smoking. So she's sick? In a way, yes. So when will I get some antibiotics for my baby?

It doesn't work that way, ma'am, you're making her sick by smoking. But aside from that,

she's fine, right? And so on and so on. When a patient is admitted on their second day, they say,

Hey, Doc, I feel better now. Can I go home? Yeah. No, you go home when I say you go home,

because feeling better does not mean you are 100% well.

Technically, patients can leave whenever they want, but if you want to be discharged with the minimum

risk of ending right back in the ER, please listen to your doctor. We don't want you to stay

any longer than what's needed. Trust us. So even if you say, can I go home in a joking manner,

the fake laugh and strange smile of the doctor in

response is proof enough that we've heard that so many times before and we'd like you to stop.

As an American, complain about pain.

In the gosh darn awesome US of A, we fix things, everything.

It's this ethos that also permeates into how Americans deal with issues of their health. It is completely unacceptable

to be in pain. At any point in time, placing IVs to deliver medication has to get local anesthetic.

Simple wrist fracture gets diluted IV, one of the most potent IV pain meds available. In addition to

local anesthetic and an oral pain medication. Immediately post-stop from

lumbar spinal fusion, why does my back hurt? After being in a car accident while driving drunk

...