Doctor Reprimanded for Calling Patient Fat

I am confused---what would you "call" him on---the fact that he cared enough about this patient's well being to point out how very grave her situation was (that's why, after all, it's called MORBID obesity----you can DIE from it, if you don't take some very serious action, and fast. That's why many morbidly obese patients have one last chance to save their lives, and that's in the form of gastric bypass--not a surgery to take lightly, but necessary, and rife with complications that can also kill you (the surgery was a success---but the patient died---sort of complications, such as DVT and pulmonary emboli.

Some of these patients are in such denial that they need a good swift kick in the a** to hear and finally accept the truth--sort of a "Toughlove" approach. I think the anesthesiologist of whom you speak does these patients a favor, if he shocks them into opening their eyes and making some radical lifestyle changes.

I'd rather someone saved my life than coddled me because he was afraid of being politically incorrect in his terminology.

Exactly. Are MDs or other health care providers supposed to ignore other conditions as well so that they do not offend a pt's feelings. I can see the the attorneys now. Why Dr. did you ignore the huge black mole on the pts face that had irregular borders and was changing in appearance and then the MDs response, Yes, I noticed the changes but I did not want to insult the pts appearance.
Ridiculous, yes but were is the line drawn. I have argued many times with MDs that performed gastric bypasses because I felt that they were only addressing a symptom and not the underlying issues causing the obesity and have been told you cannot assume pts have some form of psychologocal problem because they are morbidly obese, it will get you sued. I refuse to believe that you can get up tp 500lbs without some psych issue.

I agree. Being a bit chunky myself, I wouldn't want my doc to sugar coat anything. He didn't do that when I was quitting smoking; he reminded me exactly how bad that was for me. Why should it be different about my weight?

I saw Dr. Bennett on CNN yesterday. He is very blunt, and dry. I am sure his bluntness and lack of tact is what got him in trouble plus commenting on her private life didn't help. He did have an obese patient on the show that was diagnosed with cancer a few years ago and he told her she needed to lose weight and take care of herself. She said he was hard on her but she appreciated his bluntness. It motivated her do help herself.

melissa

I agree. That's why I'm looking for a new PCP. Mine wasn't willing to be blunt and tell me the truth, instead he sent me to a specialist to tell me what was wrong. I wouldn't even know this if I had gotten a copy of my medical records.

I wonder if this woman would have been as offended if the MD told her to stop smoking?