Most Patients Don’t Want to See Me

By Dena Rifkin, MD

I’m the only person in my immediate family who works in the medical profession. And when I visited with my extended family last weekend, I was reminded of how much they dislike even thinking about medicine.

My older relatives have reached their 70s with relatively few health problems and only see doctors when absolutely necessary. To them, doctors take up valuable time, poke and prod them in uncomfortable ways, and (worst of all) have the potential to deliver bad news. My relatives don’t understand why I would want to do those sorts of things all day long. Read More