Why doesn't someone tell the GP's?

Andrea B.

A rant. Maybe I am missing the obvious?

You need a perscription for antibiotics.
Doctors prescribe them based on their educated judgement and symptoms displayed.

Then why is the HSE driving an ad campaing to tell the rest of us not to take antibiotics for cold and flu?

See link.

Could they not, ..............perhaps, just tell the doctors?

spurious

Doctors know everything, they got 600 points in their Leaving and became doctors to help people.
No way would any of them be writing prescriptions for unnecessary antibiotics just to screw 50 quid out of a punter.

stupidusername

I actually wondered the same thing myself the other day, when I saw a poster up in the doctors waiting room. I'm stumped.

biko

I wonder will someone in this thread tell the doctors?

partyatmygaff

spurious wrote: »

Doctors know everything, they got 600 points in their Leaving and became doctors to help people.
No way would any of them be writing prescriptions for unnecessary antibiotics just to screw 50 quid out of a punter.

Don't they still get paid regardless of whether or not they prescribe anything?

mardybumbum

spurious wrote: »

Doctors know everything, they got 600 points in their Leaving and became doctors to help people.
No way would any of them be writing prescriptions for unnecessary antibiotics just to screw 50 quid out of a punter.

Do GP's make more money if they prescribe a medication?

Cicero

Is there a doctor in the house?

Andrea B.

I wonder will someone in this thread tell the doctors?

They cringe enough when I go in with a diagnosis-by-Google. Heaven forbid if I question theur choice of medicine!

WindSock

People feel screwed when they walk away from the docs with no prescription. It's probably for placebos or something.

uberwolf

Most patients perceive that they need antibiotics. The doctor is wrong or negligent if they don't prescribe. They will change doctors to one more likely to give them what they think they need

number10a

mardybumbum wrote: »

Do GP's make more money if they prescribe a medication?

No. But people would no doubt feel hard done by if they handed over fifty quid only to be told rest, drink tea, keep warm and drink loads of orange juice or something similar. Doctor hands over prescription to ensure that the patient feels like they're getting value for money so that they will be back again next year.

Logical Fallacy

OP, a lot of people don't finish out their courses of anti-biotics. They take them until they start to feel better and then stop, thinking they are on the mend.

Then when another ailment pops up they think "ah sure, i'll take some of those tablets i have lying about the place".

Mainly because people are stupid.

robinph

number10a wrote: »

No. But people would no doubt feel hard done by if they handed over fifty quid only to be told rest, drink tea, keep warm and drink loads of orange juice or something similar. Doctor hands over prescription to ensure that the patient feels like they're getting value for money so that they will be back again next year.

Which is a good reason for making GP visits free.

If it no longer feels like you are buying a service from them then people will be less likely to feel as if they have been scammed after handing over their fifty notes and getting nothing in return. Healthcare should be free at the point of provision, money should never directly be changing hands.

ejmaztec

It's probably to stop people asking their GP for antibiotics, so that the GP doesn't have to tell them to fuck off if they do. Some GPs give in to these requests because some of the patients won't take no for an answer.

From my professional medical knowledge, picked up from old wives and people in pubs, people are getting too many antibiotics and these are becoming less and less effective in curing people, because the bugs are becoming immune to them. They also cost the HSE a lot of money.

mardybumbum

number10a wrote: »

No. But people would no doubt feel hard done by if they handed over fifty quid only to be told rest, drink tea, keep warm and drink loads of orange juice or something similar. Doctor hands over prescription to ensure that the patient feels like they're getting value for money so that they will be back again next year.

That may have been what Spurious was getting at then.

I heard the advert myself on the way back from Belfast last week and found it very strange. I guess it's an attempt to let people know the reasons why their GP might not prescribe them an antibiotic when they are feeling ill.
I think it would be far more effective if the GP's themselves took the time to explain to each patient individually why an antibiotic is not indicated.
I'm not saying that all GP's hand out antibiotics like smarties but clearly a lot do.

WoollyRedHat

spurious wrote: »

Doctors know everything, they got 600 points in their Leaving and became doctors to help people.
No way would any of them be writing prescriptions for unnecessary antibiotics just to screw 50 quid out of a punter.

lol good one

kelle

Andrea B. wrote: »

A rant. Maybe I am missing the obvious?

You need a perscription for antibiotics.
Doctors prescribe them based on their educated judgement and symptoms displayed.

Then why is the HSE driving an ad campaing to tell the rest of us not to take antibiotics for cold and flu?

See link.

Could they not, ..............perhaps, just tell the doctors?

Excellent OP, in the same way I get irritated by reports on food products in magazines telling us why children shouldn't eat them - I shake my head and wonder why they can't say it to the bloody manufacturers, after all we don't make the stuff!

When my children are sick, I don't bring them to the doctor solely with the intention of getting antibiotics - when suggested I ask if there's an alternative and if not I trust the doctor's judgement.

Such a campaign makes doctors seem incompetent!

WoollyRedHat

kelle wrote: »

Excellent OP, in the same way I get irritated by reports on food products in magazines telling us why children shouldn't eat them - I shake my head and wonder why they can't say it to the bloody manufacturers, after all we don't make the stuff!

When my children are sick, I don't bring them to the doctor solely with the intention of getting antibiotics - when suggested I ask if there's an alternative and if not I trust the doctor's judgement.

Such a campaign makes doctors seem incompetent!

In fairness, not all doctors are infallible... that's why people get second opinions and all

Sarky

robinph wrote: »

Which is a good reason for making GP visits free.

Surely it's an argument for patients actually having a bit of cop on and not going to see a doctor demanding some magical cure for their sniffles?

My name is URL

I was under the impression that the ad campaign was designed to reduce the numbers of people presenting with cold/flu symptoms. If somebody visits a doctor with a chesty cough it's difficult for the doctor to rule out the possibility of it being an actual bacterial infection as opposed to just a symptom of flu.

InkSlinger67

I learned at an early age not to go to the doctor with bad colds and flu. Regardless of the symptoms he would prescribe the same anti-biotic each time. That was about 13 years ago - haven't gone since, I get a bad cold/flu once a year and get over it fairly quick in comparison as far as I remember it.

Maybe back then I loved popping pills and milking it.

Kevin Duffy

robinph wrote: »

Which is a good reason for making GP visits free.

If it no longer feels like you are buying a service from them then people will be less likely to feel as if they have been scammed after handing over their fifty notes and getting nothing in return. Healthcare should be free at the point of provision, money should never directly be changing hands.

And have the people who actually need to see a doctor stuck behind a queue of hypocondriacs on their twice-daily attention-seeking visits?

sebastianlieken

Becasue alot of doctors are self-Important retards who only come accross as being intelligent because of their well indulged God-complexes. doctors are as human as everyone else; they can be crooked, stupid, negligent, etc.

robinph

Kevin Duffy wrote: »

And have the people who actually need to see a doctor stuck behind a queue of hypocondriacs on their twice-daily attention-seeking visits?

That doesn't actually happen.

Sarky

I'm afraid it does.

Einhard

I imagine they're taking a two pronged approach because a lot of peope find it hard to accept it when, as they are dying from some viral infection, their doctor prescribes them hot water and honey, with plenty of rest. They feel their symptoms "deserve" anti-biotics, and tend to demand them at times. It's as the doctor is denigrating their illness by not prescribing anti-biotics. So the idea (I assume) is to make the public more aware of the liitations of the medication so they won't be so determined to demand them from their GP.

Wertz

Logical Fallacy wrote: »

OP, a lot of people don't finish out their courses of anti-biotics. They take them until they start to feel better and then stop, thinking they are on the mend.

Then when another ailment pops up they think "ah sure, i'll take some of those tablets i have lying about the place".

Mainly because people are stupid.

Your first paragraph is one of the main reasons for the huge drop in efficacy of antibiotic meds... the bacteria that survive the early onslaught of the meds are the strongest and by process of genetics then go on to breed a more tolerant generation of themselves. Next time around it takes a longer course to wipe them all out and at some point they will be resistant.

That process alongside the liberal use of antib's in animal farming and an over reliance on them in a hospital setting means that most of our current generation of antib meds will be next to useless in the coming decades...and due to the huge development and production prices V sales returns for the pharma industry, there aren't many new ones coming on the market.

Aiming these ads at the general public is necessary to increase awareness of the problem...doctors are aware of it already and all but the most unscrupulous would be heeding guidelines on their prescribing habits.... doesn't stop the less well informed expecting a card of augmentin everytime they show up with a headcold.

robinph

Sarky wrote: »

I'm afraid it does.

Never have to queue behind hypochondriacs to see my current GP who I don't have to pay any cash to. Can get an appointment for the same day if needed, something less urgent like general checkups, just make an appointment for a week or so later. Walk into the surgery, check in on their computer, about 5-10 minutes later get called in and seen.

No money changes hands.

Kevin Duffy

robinph wrote: »

That doesn't actually happen.

What? Hypocondriacs with medical cards don't see the doctor just for attention? Eh, maybe in your world. When you arrive on Earth I'll introduce you to several I know. The one with full-blown Munchausen's is quite fun, but not in the good way.

Sarky

robinph wrote: »

Never have to queue behind hypochondriacs to see my current GP who I don't have to pay any cash to. Can get an appointment for the same day if needed, something less urgent like general checkups, just make an appointment for a week or so later. Walk into the surgery, check in on their computer, about 5-10 minutes later get called in and seen.

No money changes hands.

You probably have a GP that tells hypochondriacs to GTFO then.

CreepingDeath

Easy solution to this... the doctors should prescribe placebos for those they think don't need anti-biotics.