TOP 10 LIES PATIENTS TELL.
Do Patients tell lies in the Clinic?
1. SEXUAL HISTORY
“I saw my menses last month, my husband is not even in the country.”
There are patients who do not want to admit the possibility that they may be pregnant or even worse that they may be pregnant for someone other than their spouse.
2. ALCOHOL HISTORY
“I take only a little drink on occasions.”
Some patients see doctors as moralists and are afraid to reveal their true weaknesses. A patient that finishes half a carton of beer at a party will tell you he drinks only when he is invited to occasions.
3. DRUG HISTORY
“I don’t miss out on my medications, I take them as prescribed.”
A clinic appointment could be a daunting time for a patient especially when he or she feels the doctor expects them to have improved but havent, so they resort to lying that they take their medication religiously when in fact they dont.
4. SMOKING HISTORY
“I stopped smoking twenty years ago.”
officially they stopped twenty years ago, but they have a puff now and then when the tension is high. That shouldn’t count, should it?
5. FAMILY HISTORY
“Nobody is sick in my family.”
One’s family’s secrets should be protected at all costs, even when a relative is having similar symptoms that could reveal how you contracted the disease.
6. APPOINTMENTS
“I came to the hospital, but I couldn’t see the doctor.”
Sometimes, patients become weary of coming to the hospital for appointments, They may skip one, two or three appointments.
7. NUTRITION HISTORY
” I don’t eat anything that contains sugar.”
But did you read the label of the fruit juice pack you just consumed?
8. EXAGGERATED SYMPTOMS
“I haven’t used the toilet at all in one week.”
That little bowel movement you had earlier doesn’t matter.
9. IMAGINARY DOCTOR
” My personal physician comes to check on me.”
Yes, doctor Google.
10. STILL SICK
“I can’t return to work, I’m still feeling sick.”
Patients like telling doctors they can’t return to work even though all their clinical parameters are excellent.
Addenda: Can we get this list to 20?
image courtesy
It is rumoured that docs multiply admitted alcohol and tobacco use by two as it is presumed the patient is not quite telling the truth – ergo that all patients lie.
Do all patients lie (?) – I would say not – although some of course do.
Perhaps this presumption builds a barrier between doctor and patient and interferes with a therapeutic relationship?
Anna :o]
True observation Anna, not all patients lie, for some reason or the other, they could be embarrassed with such personal questions. Whether doctors multiply the patient's alcohol and smoking frequency? Not sure . If i have doubts, i'd rather say "patient claims not to take any alcohol."