Value for Money with GP's??

watermark

not a waterford specific topic as such but im from waterford, didnt know where else to post.

do you get value for money when you see your GP? Iv changed doctors in town countless times as they are all too quick to simply give a prescription for every ailment known to man! just curious to see if anybody has come around to my way of thinking which is: are GP's too "general"?? if ya hurt soft tissue, see a physio, if your eyesight aint the best go to an optician, skin issue see a dermatologist etc etc (but do you not need referrals from a doctor to see them for helath insurance purposes?)

i have never heard of any doctors in waterford lets say not prescribing drugs for someone with a cold/flu, but recommending reducing their stress levels or getting more sleep for example?

would like to find a doctor/surgery that look at the whole picture and not just symptoms - cure.

Darkest Horse

You're right there. I think people taking muscular/bone injuries to a doctor is along the lines of calling the coast guard to a house fire. They usually just prescribe an anti-inflam rather than offer a preventative measure that seeks out the original problem. It's simply a lack of training for that particular issue but as a GP, why would they be trained for that kind of thing? I know of one well known GP in Waterford that suggested surgery for a minor knee strain.

decies

Yep have actually thought this way for years, jack of all trades but expert on none , have to say have more respect for dentists than GPs . Dentists have to put the work in, GP,s end up like a job interview they spent half the time on the computer when your with them, they don't like you questioning their dignosis , and for some reason ( maybe its just mine) they seem to employ dogs at the reception desks. Yes doctors differ patients die and it can be stressfull for them but many are not up to the job IMHO .

watermark

i like to use the receptionist analogy for GPs. you see them first, they tell you what they think is wrong (but try to sort it themselves) or refer you to the person they feel is capable of sorting you out!

are they a necessary part of the health system though?

iv only ever used them (since iv been old enough to go on my own!) for certs to get off work!

Minister

My family attend Dr. Cormac O'Nuallain in Rocwood Manor, Johns Hill.

He is very decent and a rock of common sense. He can listen and make suggestions where a tablet is not often necessary. He doesn't sweat the small stuff. For instance my cholesterol is a little bit high......remedy lose weight, exercise and stay away from junky food in moderation and then we will see how it is. So, the onus is on me to look after my lifestyle and not just take a tablet! He also can dispense old fashioned real advice.

Most importantly he knows times are changed and is very decent with his fee especially if its the kids or a repeat visit.

His Practice Partner, Dr. Gray, seems a logical down to earth person also and also dispenses information instead of just a tablet. She is of a quiet and pleasant disposition as well as efficient.

If he were to be measured on value I can honestly say we get real value and decency with it.

Oh, and and staff are all nice people too and not interfering or rude.

watermark

thanks Minister, i guess its objective really as a relative of mine is a patient of his for low back pain (for the last 4/5 years) and not once has he suggested physio/physical therapy.

it was; MRI (inconclusive), Consultant (still waiting)
oh and bucket loads of anti-inflams and pain killers. and bed rest these days is supposed to sort out low back pain.

now im not knocking him as a man (as polite and sensible as he may be) but i think the public need to be educated on what a doctor can and cant handle. how many other professionals can charge upwards of €50 for less than 10mins of basic chit chat and a piece of paper to get feckn strepsils like!!

roro1neil0

watermark wrote: »

do you get value for money when you see your GP?

Yes I do.

Iv changed doctors in town countless times as they are all too quick to simply give a prescription for every ailment known to man!

iv only ever used them (since iv been old enough to go on my own!) for certs to get off work!

This doesn't add up. You've used loads of doctors but only go to get certs? But you already said they are too quick to give our prescriptions? I'm not sure what your actual point is, are you saying to don't want treatment from a doctor despite attending a doctor?

just curious to see if anybody has come around to my way of thinking which is: are GP's too "general"??

You do know that the G for GP stands for General? You do know that they are probably the best place to go with an immediate but not emergency ailment? You do know they're very good at contraception and contraceptive advice, respiratory infection diagnosis and other commonly presenting things.

if ya hurt soft tissue, see a physio,

If you have a mild soft tissue injury it's debatable if you need to see anyone at all. If you have a significant soft tissue injury like a ruptured ligament or bad tendon strain, it's important that that diagnosis is made, and referral, if necessary for physio or x-ray is done.

if your eyesight aint the best go to an optician,

Well this just highlights more of your ignorance. High street opticians are trained in correction of visual accuity and similar vision problems. Optometrists (usually same person as optician) are concerned with diagnosis of other conditions as well, glaucoma, cataracts, colour blindness. However, any medical condition under lining these problems (hypertension, diabetes, MS, infection) must be assessed by a GP for referral to ophthalmologists or neurologist or other specialist.

skin issue see a dermatologist etc etc (but do you not need referrals from a doctor to see them for helath insurance purposes?)

This is where the logical frailties of your argument most unravel. If I told you an appointment to see a dermatologist cost 500 euro and had a 6 month waiting list, would you rather do that for your undiagnosed skin problem or go to a GP within a week and be seen for 50? If the condition requires the specialist training of the dermatologist you will be referred, but surely you'd want to see if the GP can provide adequate service?

i have never heard of any doctors in waterford lets say not prescribing drugs for someone with a cold/flu,

How many people did you survey? How do you know what goes on in a private consultation between a Doctor and a patient? Are you making this up?

but recommending reducing their stress levels or getting more sleep for example?

You have never heard of a doctor encouraging a patient to reduce stress levels?

would like to find a doctor/surgery that look at the whole picture and not just symptoms - cure.

You honestly sound like one of those quacks that constant mention 'holistic' therapy performed by unlicensced alternative medicine practioneers. Are you in fact associated with any such operator?

Overall that post was an extremely ignorant statement. Do you have any education by the way? Are you trained in any profession?

roro1neil0

watermark wrote: »

thanks Minister, i guess its objective really as a relative of mine is a patient of his for low back pain (for the last 4/5 years) and not once has he suggested physio/physical therapy.

again how do you know? Secondly, what would you expect physio/physical therapy to achieve for chronic lower back pain?

it was; MRI (inconclusive), Consultant (still waiting)

So in the first instance you complain about not getting referral to specialists but then in the next complain that specialist diagnostics - MRI was inconclusive and that the consultant was unavailable.

oh and bucket loads of anti-inflams and pain killers.

What exactly is your problem with this course of treatment? If the lower pack pain is muscular and 'soft tissue' in origin, due to an inflammatory response and is causing pain, why would you object to the prescriptions of anti-inflammatories and pain killers? Would you prefer if your relative had more pain?

and bed rest these days is supposed to sort out low back pain.

Are you an expert on treatment of lower back pain? What's your qualification? Can you show me any research which supports this claim? I'm not even disputing it, but I'd probably counter than if you 'pull a muscle in your back' and have back strain, bed rest for one day might be ok, but after that you want to get mobility back and movement and should be doing that instead of lying in bed.

now im not knocking him as a man (as polite and sensible as he may be) but i think the public need to be educated on what a doctor can and cant handle.

I think the public, especially people like you, should realise that medical treatment is extremly complex, and without any training or qualification people like you have no idea what you're talking about.

how many other professionals can charge upwards of €50 for less than 10mins of basic chit chat and a piece of paper to get feckn strepsils like!!

Only medical professionals can prescribe medication, with the exception of dentists who have certain prescriptive powers. However, if wanted a dint in my car corrected it would cost 50 quid for less than 5 mins work. If I wanted a massage it would cost 50 quid for a session. If i wanted a plumber to have a look at a leak in my house, it would be hard to get someone out to even have a look without 50 quid on offer.

You do not have a clue what you're talking about.

Darkest Horse

roro1neil0 wrote: »

watermark wrote: »

thanks Minister, i guess its objective really as a relative of mine is a patient of his for low back pain (for the last 4/5 years) and not once has he suggested physio/physical therapy.

again how do you know? Secondly, what would you expect physio/physical therapy to achieve for chronic lower back pain?

it was; MRI (inconclusive), Consultant (still waiting)

So in the first instance you complain about not getting referral to specialists but then in the next complain that specialist diagnostics - MRI was inconclusive and that the consultant was unavailable.

oh and bucket loads of anti-inflams and pain killers.

What exactly is your problem with this course of treatment? If the lower pack pain is muscular and 'soft tissue' in origin, due to an inflammatory response and is causing pain, why would you object to the prescriptions of anti-inflammatories and pain killers? Would you prefer if your relative had more pain?

and bed rest these days is supposed to sort out low back pain.

Are you an expert on treatment of lower back pain? What's your qualification? Can you show me any research which supports this claim? I'm not even disputing it, but I'd probably counter than if you 'pull a muscle in your back' and have back strain, bed rest for one day might be ok, but after that you want to get mobility back and movement and should be doing that instead of lying in bed.

now im not knocking him as a man (as polite and sensible as he may be) but i think the public need to be educated on what a doctor can and cant handle.

I think the public, especially people like you, should realise that medical treatment is extremly complex, and without any training or qualification people like you have no idea what you're talking about.

how many other professionals can charge upwards of €50 for less than 10mins of basic chit chat and a piece of paper to get feckn strepsils like!!

Only medical professionals can prescribe medication, with the exception of dentists who have certain prescriptive powers. However, if wanted a dint in my car corrected it would cost 50 quid for less than 5 mins work. If I wanted a massage it would cost 50 quid for a session. If i wanted a plumber to have a look at a leak in my house, it would be hard to get someone out to even have a look without 50 quid on offer.

You do not have a clue what you're talking about.

Neither do you, at least when it comes to low back treatment.

roro1neil0

can you at least attempt to substantiate that accusation?

watermark

again how do you know? Secondly, what would you expect physio/physical therapy to achieve for chronic lower back pain?

i know because its my mother and chronic back pain can come from many things such as poor posture/muscle imbalances/ergonomics in work etc

So in the first instance you complain about not getting referral to specialists but then in the next complain that specialist diagnostics - MRI was inconclusive and that the consultant was unavailable.

where did i complain about not getting a referral?

What exactly is your problem with this course of treatment? If the lower pack pain is muscular and 'soft tissue' in origin, due to an inflammatory response and is causing pain, why would you object to the prescriptions of anti-inflammatories and pain killers? Would you prefer if your relative had more pain?

my problem with this is that it is not "treatment" as it is simply masking the symptoms of a problem originating from somewhere/something else and does nothing to resolve the problem. inflammation is the first step in the healing process, delaying/preventing it slows the healing process as a whole.

Are you an expert on treatment of lower back pain? What's your qualification? Can you show me any research which supports this claim? I'm not even disputing it, but I'd probably counter than if you 'pull a muscle in your back' and have back strain, bed rest for one day might be ok, but after that you want to get mobility back and movement and should be doing that instead of lying in bed.

i would never be so arrogant to call myself an expert on anything. i am a qualified neuromuscular physical therapist and fitness instructor (amongst others). bed rest for acute low back pain may help but bed rest for a chronic problem may only delay or hide symptoms that will eventually reoccur on resumption of day to day activities. you may refer to: http://www.bodyworkmovementtherapies.com/article/S1360-8592(11)00166-5/fulltext

I think the public, especially people like you, should realise that medical treatment is extremly complex, and without any training or qualification people like you have no idea what you're talking about.

and your qualifications are? so I should not have an opinion unless im an expert? hmmm the art of conversation would be fecked! :rolleyes:

Only medical professionals can prescribe medication, with the exception of dentists who have certain prescriptive powers. However, if wanted a dint in my car corrected it would cost 50 quid for less than 5 mins work. If I wanted a massage it would cost 50 quid for a session. If i wanted a plumber to have a look at a leak in my house, it would be hard to get someone out to even have a look without 50 quid on offer

ah you see if the mechanic just painted over the dent or the plumber just put a bucket under the leak would you be happy. this, in effect is the problem i have when docs give medication to hide the symptoms and not the cause

Yes I do.

I am glad you get value for money when you visit your GP.

This doesn't add up. You've used loads of doctors but only go to get certs? But you already said they are too quick to give our prescriptions? I'm not sure what your actual point is, are you saying to don't want treatment from a doctor despite attending a doctor?

Yes, I have been to numerous doctors since my late teens and they would give me medication etc but this thread isnt about me!

You do know that the G for GP stands for General? You do know that they are probably the best place to go with an immediate but not emergency ailment? You do know they're very good at contraception and contraceptive advice, respiratory infection diagnosis and other commonly presenting things.

Fair play to them, but again what do they do for respiratory infections - medicate! perhaps if the person smokes thats the cause, maybe their immune system is shot due to grief of losing a loved one recently and are ill a lot. AGAIN, too many doctors treat the symptoms of the problem and not the CAUSE. this is still my experience of doctors as I am sure their are tons on competent ones.

Well this just highlights more of your ignorance. High street opticians are trained in correction of visual accuity and similar vision problems. Optometrists (usually same person as optician) are concerned with diagnosis of other conditions as well, glaucoma, cataracts, colour blindness. However, any medical condition under lining these problems (hypertension, diabetes, MS, infection) must be assessed by a GP for referral to ophthalmologists or neurologist or other specialist.

My ignorance? But you said an optician and an optometrist are usually the same person.......and i prob should have said all eye related issues (my bad!) Lastly, GPs refer. Is there a need for them? Genuinely asking like! Try not to give a 2 page response targeting every spelling mistake and un-politically correct statement.

How many people did you survey? How do you know what goes on in a private consultation between a Doctor and a patient? Are you making this up? You have never heard of a doctor encouraging a patient to reduce stress levels?

Not making it up, im going off what friends and family members have told me over the last 10-15 years. No formal survey. Doctors will medicate stress in my experience (xanex).

You honestly sound like one of those quacks that constant mention 'holistic' therapy performed by unlicensced alternative medicine practioneers. Are you in fact associated with any such operator?

Overall that post was an extremely ignorant statement. Do you have any education by the way? Are you trained in any profession?

No associations. Yes I do. I am.

Thank you for your detailed reply. Kinda went on a bit tho haha

roro1neil0

watermark wrote: »

i know because its my mother and chronic back pain can come from many things such as poor posture/muscle imbalances/ergonomics in work etc

But you weren't present at any of the consultations? So you're relying on what your mother told you. And now you are paraphrasing here.

my problem with this is that it is not "treatment" as it is simply masking the symptoms of a problem originating from somewhere/something else and does nothing to resolve the problem.

It is treatment. All pain killers mask the sensation of pain, that's how they work, that's stated clearly in their instructions, you are under no obligation to take them if you'd prefer to enjoy the pain.

inflammation is the first step in the healing process, delaying/preventing it slows the healing process as a whole.

This is a clinical decision based on weighing up the benefits of a quicker resolution versus managing short term problem. If you have a chronic inflammatory state, e.g. chronic back pain or IBD, the irritant causing the inflammatory state will not resolve soon and therefore it is prudent to prescribe drugs to reduce inflammation and their associated nocipetive upregulators.

i would never be so arrogant to call myself an expert on anythin

good man because you are not.

i am a qualified neuromuscular physical therapist and fitness instructor (amongst others).

See, I knew there was some quackery spin to your rants. I would be sceptical of any qualifications you have. None of them come from a univeristy, none of them come from a professional regulatory body. I could call myself a qualified neuromuscular therapist and a qualified fitness instructor after doing one internet course or one weekend coures. How many patients do you manage? For how long, what's your clinical experience? If you claim to be qualified prove it, your pieces of paper mean nothing in a unlicensed profession.

bed rest for acute low back pain may help but bed rest for a chronic problem may only delay or hide symptoms that will eventually reoccur on resumption of day to day activities. you may refer to:

If you actually read what I wrote I specifically said bedrest isn't useful for treatment of lower back pain.

http://www.bodyworkmovementtherapies.com/article/S1360-8592(11)00166-5/fulltext

Can you quote the relevant text in this article, it requires a subscription to read. BTW, that journal, and those authors, have a extremely low citation index value.

and your qualifications are? so I should not have an opinion unless im an expert? hmmm the art of conversation would be fecked! :rolleyes:

My qualifications are irrelevant. You can have an opinion of course. However, you must accept that your professional opinion on a qualified person isn't particularly relevant without you having any relevant qualification. You are entitled to your opinion, and you are entitled to share personal anecdotes. You are not entitled to make unfounded, unqualified statements on a complete profession.

ah you see if the mechanic just painted over the dent or the plumber just put a bucket under the leak would you be happy. this, in effect is the problem i have when docs give medication to hide the symptoms and not the cause

You attitude is prevalent amongst those with internet qualifications. "holistic approach". You are alleging that all GPs do not explain to patients the importance of diet, stress, posture, working environment when necessary. You have no proof of that. What is a more appropriate analogy is you bring a car with a dent to the garage. The mechanic asks you how you dented your car and you say you were careless and drove it into the gate. he will tell you the important of awareness, concentration, not driving when you're too sleepy, etc. and will fix the paint job. You are making the claim that GPs only give out drugs and don't address underlying cause and I am saying this isn't true.

I am glad you get value for money when you visit your GP.

thank you

Fair play to them, but again what do they do for respiratory infections - medicate! perhaps if the person smokes thats the cause, maybe their immune system is shot due to grief of losing a loved one recently and are ill a lot.

You're obviously quite young and are new to this neuromuscular holistic theraphy thing so I'm just presume you'll grow out of this arrogance and ignorance you have. It is standard practice for all GPs to offer support for smoking cessation at every opportunity. If you have a bacterial infection, relying on aromatherapy will not cure you. You could wait it out and hope your immune system responds and you talk the infection yourself over a few weeks. However, if ever person did this many more would lose days off work, would suffer needlessly, would risk dying or getting serious complication. You should research how TB, pneumonia and other infections were managed prior to antibiotics and reconsider the significance you apply to balt salts and foot rubs.

AGAIN, too many doctors treat the symptoms of the problem and not the CAUSE. this is still my experience of doctors as I am sure their are tons on competent ones.

If you doubt the competence of licensed medical doctors you should report them.

My ignorance? But you said an optician and an optometrist are usually the same person.......and i prob should have said all eye related issues (my bad!)

Well you didn't, and your assumption that optician's do what GPs do for the eyes but better is misinformed. Opticians dispense eye ware.

Lastly, GPs refer.

Everybody refers patients to someone with better experience or expertise when prudent. GPs treat the majority of their patients themselves.

Is there a need for them? Genuinely asking like!

This is stupid. Honestly, very stupid and naive. Let's say you get a chest infection tomorrow with Streptococcus. What are you going to do? request a visit to your respiratory medicine unit? Go to a&E? Let's say you find a lump under your armpit. What are you going to do? Go to a and e? get triaged by a nurse? have you thought any of this through at all.

Not making it up, im going off what friends and family members have told me over the last 10-15 years. No formal survey. Doctors will medicate stress in my experience (xanex).

Listen mate, I'm not just disagreeing with you for the sake of sport. I will accept that we over medicalise certain things in modern Ireland. I accept that GPs over prescribe in the in the treatment of infection and certain mental illness. You just don't appreciate the depth the term 'stress' has. If you met someone with a severe anxiety disorder you would better appreciate the role benzos have. Yes, there people over prescribing, patients abusing, and patients becoming unnecessarily reliant on them but these are complex issues.

watermark

roro for my sake and everybody else please take it one point at a time. the fact you think neuromuscular physical therapy is "quackery" has confirmed your own ignorance. we are regulated by the ANMPT and the qualification is internationally recognised so no witch doctors here.

you're relying on what your mother told you

and dont ever even hint at my mother being a liar :mad: your mam ever tell you about the tooth fairy?

also what is your citation index value?

the significance you apply to balt salts and foot rubs

i can only laugh at this statement

watermark

Listen mate, I'm not just disagreeing with you for the sake of sport. I will accept that we over medicalise certain things in modern Ireland. I accept that GPs over prescribe in the in the treatment of infection and certain mental illness. You just don't appreciate the depth the term 'stress' has. If you met someone with a severe anxiety disorder you would better appreciate the role benzos have. Yes, there people over prescribing, patients abusing, and patients becoming unnecessarily reliant on them but these are complex issues.

exactly, and just wanted to know if anybody could recommend a doc in waterford that do not do these things? back on topic......are u a doctor by any chance?:D

p.s. joking about your citation index value? spare the page and a half where you call me immature!

roro1neil0

watermark wrote: »

exactly

don't you worry, you will never had to deal with it, i have never heard of someone becoming addicted to deep tissue massage or other physical therapys.

Accreditation to that body requires you to pay a fee and complete a course that requires One evening per week for fifteen months. Tbh I've spent more time than than that in the bath so it's hardly rocket science course.

anyway, peace out.

abouttobebanned

I went to a doctor about hayfever a few years ago. He opened a medical book, did a bit of reading, prescribed what I was already on, and then charged me 55 bucks.

watermark

abouttobebanned wrote: »

I went to a doctor about hayfever a few years ago. He opened a medical book, did a bit of reading, prescribed what I was already on, and then charged me 55 bucks.

i was in a single car accident 2 years ago, went to caredoc and he checked my pulse, felt my neck, asked me how did i feel (i said pissed off as i wrote off my car!). He laughed and prescribed me a painkiller in case my neck was sore the next day. €70 i think. 5mins max.

watermark

roro1neil0 wrote: »

don't you worry, you will never had to deal with it, i have never heard of someone becoming addicted to deep tissue massage or other physical therapys.

Accreditation to that body requires you to pay a fee and complete a course that requires One evening per week for fifteen months. Tbh I've spent more time than than that in the bath so it's hardly rocket science course.

anyway, peace out.

ye it was tough going trying to do all those case studies, logging hours of practical practice, studying a few hours a night, getting together with other students online and in-person for study groups. one day a week me hole! peace out indeed :P coz only the tough courses are full-time.

and i havent heard of a governing body for any profession that doesnt require a nominal fee.

bradknowell

roro1neil0 wrote: »

You do know they're very good at contraception and contraceptive advice,

hello Chantelle.

roro1neil0

watermark wrote: »

i was in a single car accident 2 years ago, went to caredoc and he checked my pulse, felt my neck, asked me how did i feel (i said pissed off as i wrote off my car!). He laughed and prescribed me a painkiller in case my neck was sore the next day. €70 i think. 5mins max.

Within that 5 minutes (it was probably longer) and for that 70 euro you got a brief but adequate neurological exam, cardiovascular exam, respiratory exam, other vital signs exam. Your speech, language, hearing and vision were assessed. Your mobility and spinal injury was assessed. You were assessed for shock and internal bleeding. You got his medically qualified opinion you were OK. That opinion can be quoted in court, and in the case of a mistake, used as a basis for litigation.

What else do you want? your spare type changed?

roro1neil0

abouttobebanned wrote: »

I went to a doctor about hayfever a few years ago. He opened a medical book, did a bit of reading, prescribed what I was already on, and then charged me 55 bucks.

Well he knew which book to check. That cost you 10 euro. He knew which page to look on. That cost you another 10 euro. He knew which drug class to check. That cost you another 10 euro. He knew which drug was best, that cost you another 10 euro. The rest was for the maintenance of the building and writing you a script.

roro1neil0

bradknowell wrote: »

hello Chantelle.

wtf

watermark

roro1neil0 wrote: »

Within that 5 minutes (it was probably longer)

What else do you want? your spare type changed?

it was 5mins, i went in at exactly 1am and was back in reception paying by 1.05am. i remember because i said to the receptionist "€70 for 5 mins! i should have injured myself on the way to get my monies worth"

and how do you know, you weren't there! did u do a survey of care doc users after car accidents?

no i dont need a doc to change my spare tyre, apart from it being in a field somewhere at that stage its in page 25 of the ford manual. id show ya but id have to charge you a tenner.

abouttobebanned

roro1neil0 wrote: »

Well he knew which book to check. That cost you 10 euro. He knew which page to look on. That cost you another 10 euro. He knew which drug class to check. That cost you another 10 euro. He knew which drug was best, that cost you another 10 euro. The rest was for the maintenance of the building and writing you a script.

He didn't. He hadn't a notion what he was looking at. Stop trying to be a know it all, you're making yourself look ridiculous and you'll probably turn around and charge me €55 now...

deisemum

My gp is very good and will not dole out perscriptions willy nilly. Instead she'll write out a number of things to try first and explain how different things work. Sometimes she'll write a perscription for me to hold onto as a last resort if the other recommendations don't work and only get the medication then or she'll ask me to phone back and she'll phone through a perscription to the chemist next door or leave one in reception for me to collect.

She's open to complimentary therapies and has trained in one or two types. I've never been rushed through an appointment and at each visit she'll check back over previous appointment details to see how things are.

daenerysstormborn3

roro1neil0 wrote: »

Well he knew which book to check. That cost you 10 euro. He knew which page to look on. That cost you another 10 euro. He knew which drug class to check. That cost you another 10 euro. He knew which drug was best, that cost you another 10 euro. The rest was for the maintenance of the building and writing you a script.

That is the most ridiculous thing I've read on here :pac: Thanks for the laugh

While I think the fees doctors charge in this country for the service most provide is absolutely ludicrous, I seem to have landed on my feet with my present G.P.

I had the same G.P. from ages 0-5, my family then moved and I had the same G.P. from 5-18, when I moved out of home I couldn't afford to go to the doctor unless it was an absolute necessity. Between the ages 18 and 24 the only time I went to a doctor (random walk-in doctors around Dublin) was to get prescription medication for my asthma and eczema. I'd say I attended a doctor for an actual consultation maybe 5-10 times in the space of 6 years, mainly chest infections which I am quite prone to. I moved down here about a year and a half ago and was seeing a G.P. near my workplace for 6 months but have recently switched to Rowe Creavin.

Mark Rowe was my partner's dad's doctor for 12+ years and treated him extremely well. His dad was very ill in the later years of his life before he passed away last October and Dr. Rowe was a pleasure to deal with at all times. After my partner's dad passed away, we received a few telephone calls from Dr. Rowe and a letter from the practice offering their condolences and offering any help.

I have recently moved to this practice and am being seen by Dr. Len (his surname is in fact, de Villiers, but most patients know him as Dr. Len) who is an absolute gent. I was involved in an RTA approximately 3 weeks ago and have seen Dr. Len twice since the accident and he has been very good to me. He doesn't rush me out the door even when I'm clearly just looking for some reassurance over my injuries and takes the time to talk to me and offer guidance. He has offered me advice on medication not just from the perspective of the specific ailment that the medication is treating. He is just a friendly, caring individual, exactly what I think a doctor should be. I definitely feel the consultation cost is justified.

Darkest Horse

Roro, if that is your real name, you seriously need to chill the fcuk out or self-medicate yourself with some of those benzos you've been banging on about. In the process of trying to come across all educated you've just put yourself forward as probably the most biased windbag I've ever come across. Seriously, be seated and drink thyself a cup of tea and realise that anecdotes are all you're going to get here because it's highly unlikely that anyone is capable of getting their GP involved in a peer reviewed study of whether they provide value for money or not. People are detailing their experiences, which to me seem to suggest they want more from their doctors. That's all. It is what it is and I suggest you be prompt in getting over it before you require a subscription of Inderal.

watermark

My gp is very good and will not dole out perscriptions willy nilly. Instead she'll write out a number of things to try first and explain how different things work. Sometimes she'll write a perscription for me to hold onto as a last resort if the other recommendations don't work and only get the medication then or she'll ask me to phone back and she'll phone through a perscription to the chemist next door or leave one in reception for me to collect.

She's open to complimentary therapies and has trained in one or two types. I've never been rushed through an appointment and at each visit she'll check back over previous appointment details to see how things are

sounds like my kind of doctor! i guess more and more younger doctors or older enlightened ones are more open to complimentary therapies to help treat or prevent common illnesses.

Dan133269

roro1neil0 wrote: »

You can have an opinion of course. However, you must accept that your professional opinion on a qualified person isn't particularly relevant without you having any relevant qualification..

That is a ridiculous statement. Think of 2 people who are inspecting a car. Person A says that the car is red in colour, person B says that it is blue in colour. Person A then produces a piece of paper showing that he is a registered, qualified member of some automobile mechanic association, and his analysis therefore automatically trumps that of any "non-qualified person." The car is in actual fact, blue, but according to your reasoning, the qualified mechanic is still correct because of his training. Of course you don't need to be qualified in any particular field to recognise what colour something is, but my analogy is relevant because there are plenty of specialist areas where lay people will be able to understand certain aspects of it.

Qualified people in the medical profession, or anything else for that matter, do unfortunately end up making mistakes and doing things incorrectly from time to time. It happens. It is a good thing for patients not to simply blindly accept everything their doctor gives them or tells them to do without using an ounce of independent thought. Now I'm not for one second saying that people should be skeptical or suspicious of a doctor's diagnosis, but a little bit of common sense goes a long way.

I have, on more than one occasion, gone directly against the medical advice of a doctor. Was I correct in hindsight? Yes, I was. Not because I was qualified myself, but because I saw their reasoning as illogical and badly thought out. So I decided to get a 2nd opinion. According to your reasoning, because I was not a medical professional, I should never have questioned the doctor's opinion in the first place.

deisemum wrote: »

She's open to complimentary therapies and has trained in one or two types. I've never been rushed through an appointment and at each visit she'll check back over previous appointment details to see how things are.

What do you mean by complimentary therapies?

deisemum

She does acupuncture and I think she also does other therapies and doesn't knock other therapies that I've tried elsewhere.

Aquos76

deisemum wrote: »

My gp is very good and will not dole out perscriptions willy nilly. Instead she'll write out a number of things to try first and explain how different things work. Sometimes she'll write a perscription for me to hold onto as a last resort if the other recommendations don't work and only get the medication then or she'll ask me to phone back and she'll phone through a perscription to the chemist next door or leave one in reception for me to collect.

She's open to complimentary therapies and has trained in one or two types. I've never been rushed through an appointment and at each visit she'll check back over previous appointment details to see how things are.

Sound exactly like our GP, Triona Sliney.