Patients' lack of compliance, preparation are urologists' top complaints
Urologists acknowledged that they do get frustrated with certain patient behaviors, with noncompliance heading the list.
A recent Consumer Reports (February 2011) survey did just that. The magazine reported that noncompliance with medical advice and treatment recommendations ranks as the number one complaint doctors have about patients.
While the Consumer Reports survey focused on the opinions of primary care physicians, Urology Times turned to urologists to ask about the biggest gripe(s) they have about their patients. This is the first time a "What's Your Experience?" query generated a laugh from every single urologist we interviewed. Urologists quickly acknowledged, however, that they do get frustrated with certain patient behaviors, with noncompliance heading the list.
Dr. Bagg, a practitioner for 16 years, says his group hasn't found an effective way to alleviate that problem.
"In El Paso, we have quite a number of individuals who are not insured. Sometimes they won't follow up because the resources aren't there, but if you don't follow up, then you've got complications," he said.
"What people don't realize is what kind of resources it takes to make things happen, whether it be phone calls or time writing letters. I'm talking about the effort it takes to make sure these letters are written in such a way that their medical situation is clear to patients. It's really difficult trying to keep up with those patients."
