I'm also a little disturbed by the x-ray technician. Are patients really so full of shit that often that it's normal to ignore what the patient says is obviously the wrong foot? I had a similar experience when my work required I have a very thorough medical examination including a Tuberculosis test. I was pumped full of massive amounts of the vaccine as a kid because I grew up in a third-world country, so the skin test would give a false positive. I told the doctor, they asked if I had ever had a positive result, and I said no because they always go straight to the chest x-ray. So they insisted I do a skin test first. My elbow swelled up like crazy, the nurse and the doctor freaked out and sent me to an infectious disease specialist. The freaking specialist still didn't want to see my vaccine records - she said I should have a chest x-ray and start strong antibiotics immediately. Chest x-ray came back clean. "Mysteriously", as the doctor said, I did not in fact have tuberculosis. It was like they were all deaf while I was explaining how many times I had been vaccinated, so OF COURSE it shouldn't have been a surprise that my blood was still loaded with anti-bodies.
Our radiographers always use common sense. If we order the wrong side, they will image the right side or chase up with us. If we order the wrong type of ct they will call us to discuss what we are looking at/reason for test and advise us in the correct test.
Very important to put the full reason a doctor ants the test to assist in this process
I think this is pretty common. I had RSI that, after a bit of reading, was clearly not Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, but it didn't matter; as soon as the doctor I saw heard "wrists" she started talking about getting a carpal tunnel release even though the various field tests she did to "prove" to me I actually did have CTS didn't achieve the expected result.
I mean, I guess I get it because when I did tech support people would constantly tell me obviously wrong stuff and eventually I tuned them out. But what a frustrating experience.
I think you see similar situations in tech with users/support. If you routinely deal with users who have no idea what they're doing you start to discount what they're saying.
Granted someone who's good at troubleshooting should be able to judge the relative understanding of the user just like a good doctor should be able to judge the reliability of information coming from the patient.
> just like a good doctor should be able to judge the reliability of information coming from the patient.
Exactly! A good doctor must be able to read people well; their communication style, presuppositions, personality, and this will help the doctor determine if someone is exaggerating their symptoms, understating their pain, etc. etc.
Unfortunately, medical schools simply do not select for someone with this skillset, and this is not a new problem: "For decades, the medical profession has debated whether pre-med courses and admission tests produce doctors who know their alkyl halides but lack the sense of mission and interpersonal skills to become well-rounded, caring, inquisitive healers." Read more here: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/30/nyregion/30medschools.html
It kind-of makes sense when you think about it. American's get pumped all day with media from pharmaceuticals telling them, "See your doctor if you experience any of these symptoms" and, well, lets face it; we're an anxious bunch these days so we run to the doc saying, "I have Bubonic plague because the TV and Dr. Oz said so!". After awhile the medical professionals probably just get tired of the bullshit and stick to their training. Its also probably quite a bit of them covering their asses.
That said, listening has become a lost art across many disciplines, sadly.
> that it's normal to ignore what the patient says is obviously the wrong foot
Some are, some aren't. I've had that experience with an x-ray technician and insisted they photograph the part I felt had the problem and they listened to me with barely an argument just "it's not listed in the orders" "do it anyway" "ok".
Maybe they are more OK with adding a test vs. changing a test?
Blame the leadership not the x-ray tech. Most likely leadership told the tech to do whatever the doctor says and did not advise on what action to take if the patient disputes the orders. Unlike software rarely are these policies and procedures QA tested.
But there are also a lot of jobsworths who will do exactly what they're told, nothing more, and nothing less, irrespective of how much or how little sense it makes.
These people exist in all jobs, all fields. Some people simply do not have the capacity for lateral thought, and like being told what to do and doing exactly that.
