Do play patients complain about real signs or symptoms?

PATIENTS:

do you as play patients ever complained to your playdoctor about real physical signs, synptoms or real conditions you know you have like for instance, abdominal or breast pains, breeast cysts or inoccent lumps (or fybrocidtic breasts), ashma or heart murmurs or gynecological signs such as a vaginal disharge?

DOCTORS:

did any of your play patients ever complained about real physical signs, synptoms or real conditions you know you have like for instance, abdominal or breast pains, breast cysts or inoccent lumps (or fybrocistic breasts), whezzes lungs or heart murmurs or gynecological signs such as a vaginal disharge?

I tend to agree with heartfuninmaine. I have had play patients tell me about certain conditions, but only in the context of discussion.

I like to take a bit of a history on my female patients focusing especially on the lungs and heart. With one woman, this elicited reports of her heart occasionally skipping beats and doing preventricular contractions, while another reported a heart murmur and a history of childhood asthma. In both cases, of course, this necessitated a lengthy bare-chest stethoscope exam 😁

Dear Amaral,

I use to ask to my play patients about the same questions tnan to a true patient . So, when she answer about an health problem, I always ask more accurate questions to try to know what exactly is the matter . In fact I think that in play as in real exams patients are ofen a little anxious about what the Dr could find.

During play exams , I, happyly rarely, found unexpected real problems . For example I found an unknown node in the left breast of a 38 years old patient ( so a possible cancer )

tnen play ex stops immediately and becomes true ... Happily, after mammogram and biopsy, the diagnstic was " benign cyst" but this play patient comes back every 6 months because she had seen her GP two weeks before her play exam about a "flu" but he hadn' examined her breasts...

Friendly

No harm in dwelling over a few live issues,playing docters is fun and examining your loved one even better,taking your time to talk as well is good.

Play patients visit play doctors for fun - never for a real health problem. So they can only simulate any problem and their play doctors can only pretend any adequate cure.

If the play doc finds out a health problem during the exam, he/she HAS TO recommend the patient visit a real doctor! A real health problem is not a fun!

If I where the patient to a play female doctor I would tell her that it took me to long to climax and asked if you could remedy the situation?

I think it's more realistic if a patient complains about something even if its not real. Then you have something you can focus on next to the full check up examination.

My patients mostly make up a story about some complaints

In a play exam with a play-doc mentioningg real issues IS a good idea.

My patients and I must have a mutual understanding of WHY we are playing. Our objective is to achieve a play exam as realistic as possible. When I step into my exam room I am in the mindset of a real doctor and that is my sole focus, the same opportunity as a real doctor to put my education and experience to work.

It is imperative that my patients disclose their history accurately. In some cases I may need further education on the medications they take and any conditions they may have. That allows me to prepare myself and also broadens my knowledge in the process, often allowing me to see certain pathologies first hand that I may otherwise only see in textbooks. Every patient I have seen has added to my knowledge base and experience because they provide me a detailed history.

I would have extreme objections to a patient inventing symptoms, but even more so displaying false pain or discomfort. It is agreed in advance that I am going to perform a detailed examination so the patient has no need to fake symptoms "to get me to check further". Likewise, I would never suggest that a patient has any type of problem simply so that we can check further. We know what we are going to check before we start and I am going to do so in the most educated and professional manner possible.

Above all, my patients must agree that I am not qualified to offer any form of medical advice or opinion. On the reverse, I have over 35 years of education and experience behind me. My exams often go places no one has gone before and there is a very real possibility I may discover something unexpected. Although I am not "qualified" to provide any type of diagnosis, neither am I qualified as a firefighter. If I saw your house on fire, I would do everything humanly possible to help you. So my patients must agree that if I do find any reason that they should see a real doctor, they will do so without hesitation after our session.

In the same way as a real doctor, you should be honest and fully disclose anything about your health. You should never create a fake scenario or symptoms, even if it is just for fantasy roleplaying.