A patient who I know quite well and with whom I have(had) a very good
rapport with, _walked_ into my surgery recently and asked me to
complete a form which would entitle her to a new E.U. disability parking
disc which needs the signature of a doc and a cop.
She does indeed suffer from chronic debilitating back pain but the
criteria asked if she was "wholly or almost wholly without the use of
one leg and ditto the other"(paraphrase)
I looked at her and the form and refused to sign. She took it quite
well when I explained my rationale but as she left I knew our 4 year D/P
relationship which was good was badly damaged by this one exchange.
(a) Why do I feel bad? Well I can work this out all right but what I
can't is....
(b)Why did she ask me to sign it ? More generally why do patients
,sometimes casually ,ask you to collude in a venture which if you
participate they will almost certainly have less respect for you. Would
anyone just sign the form for an easy life and " preserve " the
relationship? I know in the past I have done this. It must be she got
me on a rectidude day.
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