Figuring Out What the Physician Is Doing
It is not always easy for members of the health professions to understand what is happening to them when they are ill. What must it be like for the average per- son who has little or no knowledge of health care routines and practices?
Pretend that you are a layperson who has just been relieved of all your clothes and given a paper dress to put on. You are lying on a table with strange eyes peering down at you. A sheet is thrown over you, and you are given terse directions—“breathe,” “cough,” “don’t breathe,” “turn,” “lift your legs.” You may feel without warning a cold disk on your chest or a cold hand on your back. As the physical examination process continues, you may feel a few taps on the ribs, see a bright light shining in your eye, feel a cold tube in your ear, and gag on a stick probing the inside of your mouth. What is going on? The jargon you hear is unfamiliar. You are being poked, pushed, prodded, peered at and into, and jabbed, and you do not know why. If you are female and going for your first pelvic examination, you may have no idea what to expect. Perhaps you have heard only hushed whisperings, and your level of fear and discomfort is high. Insult is added to injury when you experience the penetration of a cold, unyielding speculum: “What is the doctor doing now and why?”