[Reblog] Are you a victim of patient profiling?

Very controversial, this posting has 113 comments as of Feb 4, 2014.
Two (or more! ) sides to this.
On a personal level, my medical record very boldly on the first page states two conditions
— Anxiety/Depression (have not needed medication for these conditions in 5 years)
— High Cholesterol ( have disputed the doctor on this, based on how I have read the scientific literature)

So, yes…I feel profiled!

Yet, the doctor is doing the best he can. He can only see patients for 15 minutes. His electronic records are
basically, well, dictated by the group he is in.

On another note, just as I am not defined by my job or resume…
I am also not defined by my medical record!

From the 4 February 2014 Kevin MD article by Pamela Wible, MD

Ever felt misjudged by a doctor? Or treated unfairly by a clinic or hospital? You may be a victim of patient profiling.

Patient profiling is the practice of regarding particular patients as more likely to have certain behaviors or illnesses based on their appearance, race, gender, financial status, or other observable characteristics. Profiling disproportionately impacts patients with chronic pain, mental illness, the uninsured, and patients of color. Like racial profiling by police, patient profiling by physicians is more common than you think.

 

We rely on doctors to first do no harm–to safeguard our health–but profiling patients often leads to improper medical care, and distrust of physicians and the health care system, with potential lifelong consequences.

For the first time, people share their stories:

I was once denied pain meds after a fall off a 10-foot porch by the same doc who gave my pretty female friend pain meds after getting two stitches in her finger. I felt like my appearance had something to do with it.” ~ Jay Snider

 

Read the entire article (with 113+ comments) here

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