The other day in doctor land, I was having a conversation with a fellow physician and was talking about the cardiovascular findings I found. They kind of snickered at me and said, “What? You still use your stethoscope? Mine is sitting in the corner collecting dust.” I was appalled and shocked at this answer. Yes I still use my stethoscope. Yes, I do have a vested interest in knowing if their heart and lungs are ok before I have them go under anesthesia. Umm, if I don’t think they could survive the surgery I shouldn’t do it correct? Isn’t that part of the whole picture? Aren’t I responsible for the whole person? You know what? I don’t even need an answer. I already know it’s the right thing to do.

I get it, for those of you out there that hate the physical exam. Sure, it’s invasive, especially the part that involves my specialty. Who wants to have to get naked for their doctor? I know it’s not a thrill for me either. But, without it, we can actually cause harm without realizing we are doing it. We can have the best intentions in the world and proceed accordingly and still fuck it up and hurt the person in the end. I am willing to bet that that person who did not want a physical exam would have no hesitation to come back and sue you if they got hurt. Let’s think about that just for a second from the cover your ass perspective. Does that convince you yet that we should do them? Or, how about, liability aspects aside, we should care enough that the whole person is in good shape with some certainty before we start making recommendations. Hmm. Sounds like a no brainer to me. I am going to forge ahead and keep doing complete exams with the option of a chaperone to be available if they want. Have a great day everybody!

Dr. Katz