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Ahmad Risk wrote > There's been a lot of talk about things like: "pride", > "embarrassment", "reassurance" (whose?) and things like: "honesty", > "rationalisation of shortcuts", "the five-fingered gloved hand", > "the invisible finger".....etc. etc. > I'd just like to ask this: how many of us can *honestly* say that > sticking the finger has *frequently*: > a) produced a meaningful finding > b) significantly altered one's first impressions > c) prevented you from referring a ? appx > d) made decide that this lump or that prostate is definitely this > or difinitely that or the other??? > There are things in medicine that *need* a work up. There are other > things that do not. > I refer the former and try and manage the latter. > Big deal if Mr Cuttem or Mr Choppem said what a clever little GP I > am. > Quite honestly, I don't give a finger(!). Hospitals will deal with > what they know and I will deal with what I know and I am not after > citations or brownie points down at the club. No thanks! I would like to ask where the patient fits into all this? It's all very well to send the patient with suspected appendicitis into hospital immediately for the full works but doesn't the prostatic patient have the right to some information about the nature of his problem and what *you* make of it. Is he supposed to wait 3 months for his appointment to get a competent medical opinion? Doug Jenkinson Keyworth Health Centre, Nottingham. [log in to unmask] %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%