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56
QUESTION TIME
While talking to one of my patients, I wanted
more information about her earlier IVF cycle
and said to her: "Did you ask your doctor
why he selected that particular dose of HMG
injection for your super ovulation?"
She seemed puzzled, and responded by
saying: "How can I question my doctor ­
isn't that rude? Won't he get offended if I
ask him questions? I don't want to upset
him by challenging his authority. And, in
any case, what do I understand about any of
these medical terms? Even if he did answer
my question, most of it would go over my
head so there would be very little point in
cross-examining him. And he's the expert,
so I am sure he must know what he`s doing!"
Dr Aniruddha Malpani
is a consultant IVF
specialist and author in
Mumbai, India.
Dr Aniruddha Malpani explores why patients are often scared to question
their doctor and explains how to counter this.