Friday funny from Dr. Rob: Trade Secrets
Don’t miss Dr. Rob’s “Doctor Tricks” at Musing of a Distractible Mind. He answers a patient’s question about why blood pressures are always taken at the beginning of a doctor’s office visit, but goes on to describe (with tongue firmly implanted into cheek) the myriad of tricks doctors have up their sleeves to ensure their job security.
….Anyhow, this raises an interesting fact that most people don’t know about doctors: we have tricks that perpetuate our business and ensure job security.
The checking of blood pressures at the start of a visit is a prime example of this. We purposefully get scales that read approximately 10 lbs higher than normal scales and force a patient to sit in front of this scale while they get their blood pressure taken. If their blood pressure is not already high from the terror of the prospect of being weighed, we weigh the patient (proclaiming the weight loudly), and then their blood pressure is undoubtedly at least 20 points higher than it is normally….. :)
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