Doctor Abuse

I have been saving this post for when I got around to it. But then an article about a local doctor popped up on my radar. And I am now really appalled.

What I am talking about is not abuse of doctors by patients but sexual abuse by doctors on patients. Its under reported and under penalized.

A recent study came out showing that sexual abuse of patients by doctors is wide spread. I had no idea.I find it appalling.You trust your doctor and then they violate the trust. Who are you supposed to report it to? The nurse who works for them? The hospital where they work? The medical board? You don't really know. And you are ashamed.

You trust your doctors because you hire them to make you feel better. And it is expected that they will touch you. And you are willing to take your clothes off for them. If you think about it, when would you meet a strange person and go into a small room with them and then take off your clothes? In any other context that would just be really weird and asking for trouble.

So you can see this could easily lead to impropriety. But we trust our doctors and assume they will do the right thing and not be inappropriate. Most doctors I am sure are professional and not going to do anything inappropriate. But unfortunately there are always those rotten apples.

So as a patient, what can you do? If you feel something is inappropriate, speak up, question it, and report it. Who should you report it to? Start with the hospital where you are a patient, the medical board, and the police if you really feel violated. Do not hold back.

And find a new doctor. There is no reason to stay with a doctor who is inappropriate or makes you feel uncomfortable.