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Please don’t touch me, doctor

Health
 Photo:Courtesy

In my time as a clinician, I have had to answer several questions and dispel many anxieties raised by patients. Most anxieties are genuine, and so are the myriad of unending questions. But every now and again, something comes up that has no straight answers.

Recently, a young couple asked me why doctors are fond of physically examining patients - seemingly touching and prodding all conceivable places in an attempt to make a diagnosis. Is there no viable alternative? And can patients choose not to be physically touched by doctors? The answer is somewhere in between.

Just talking with patients, without necessarily doing anything else, can give a clear explanation of most symptoms. This in many cases will determine the necessary remedial measures, and the consultation can come to an end.

However, some cases may call for physical exams, which usually are restricted to affected areas. Nobody really needs a full body exam at for one ailment. Some cases may require tests to verify or disprove what a doctor suspects to be the problem with a patient.

In regard to physical exams, doctors are trained to look, touch and feel, and in the process, differentiate what’s normal from what is abnormal. This will enable doctors to deduce problems and prescribe correct treatment. Therefore, doctors still need to be skilled in physical exams.

But the physical exam can only go so far, and  can never be fully conclusive. That’s why doctors resort to a range of equipment and gadgets to supplement physical exams. But are the results from these gadgets sufficient enough to invalidate a doctor’s touch?

It is not unusual nowadays to go to a doctor’s office, have a chat, get some tests done and leave without the doctor laying a hand on you. And if there’s need to prod for something within the body, there are always scans that are even more reliable. If suffering from an externally visible ailment, telemedicine comes in. You can beam real-time images to a specialist miles away.

A thorough analysis of symptoms, in combination with relevant tests will in most cases lead to the right diagnosis. And this, to some extent, supersedes physical exams.

There are varied opinions from doctors about the merits of doing a physical exam. One extreme, mostly the traditionalists, will argue for a physical each and every time.

The other extreme are bent on modern medicine, where you only do the absolutely necessary, and ignore what is seemingly insignificant.  Proponents of minimalist medical approaches will hardly touch you, and are quicker to use medical devices rather than their hands. Others fall in between, with varied combinations of the two approaches.

Your interest as a patient is to get cured. A physical is never mandatory, but can be helpful. If you want a hands-off approach, please say so upfront. Both you and your doctor can always find a middle ground, without either party getting aggrieved.

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