August 19th, 2010

Responding to the Nay-Saying Patient

We (both faculty and fellows) have all had patients request that fellows or residents not be involved in their care, as Dr. Wes Fisher so nicely describes in his recent post

But how can we respond to the patient’s request? And, how far do we take it? Should the patient have the prerogative to insist on this — but only for surgeries or other invasive procedures? What about an in-office evaluation? Or reading an echocardiogram? What parameters are appropriate and what approaches have you found to be successful — or not — in communicating with the patient who is reluctant to allow the involvement of a fellow?

We are interested in hearing from both fellows and attendings about this issue. Respond at the end of Wes’s post.

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