I'm a GP AMA

[DrBubble]

I'm a GP. Any questions about my job?
(Please refrain from asking for specific medical advice)

Would you choose GP-land over other specialities if you had a do-over?

What do you think of those who chose the locum life ?

@Chillihat
I agree. I love the ease of just sending an email / e consult to the GP and having things sorted. It's interesting that IMO COVID had exposed something many GPs have known for decades - patients don't NEED to see us face to face for most of the work we do. Most things can be an email or a phonecall or a video consult. I am very pro embracing tech to make lives easier. I used to get frustrated at how tech-phobic GP was but thankfully since COVID things have improved at lightening speeds haha

What are the rules about triage? I did an e consultation assuming a doctor would see it. I was horrified to get a call back from an admin person who had clearly read my whole submission.

Do you - and do you think more GPs - can deviate from the usual “prescription for every ill”

For example, taking EFAs as a supplement can help people with mental health problems and the evidence is there but GPs never suggest this. Another example is CoQ10 taken alongside statins to lessen side effects. Or even a probiotic instead of an antidepressant.

Are GPs reading more widely now or so you think there just isn’t enough time to consider a more holistic model?

On a more serious note - and this is a generalized question that I hope doesn't come across as asking for medical advice! - Would you say that there are still Doctors out there who don't fully believe in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and/or Fibromyalgia? Or with all the recent studies are we mostly past that school of thought? Just in your own experience, of course

I've had both (diagnosed separately) since I was 13. My wonderful, truly amazing and understanding GP just retired and I'm apprehension about building up a rapport with a new Doctor.

Have you seen any health trends among your patients over your career? What do you think is causing them?

What's the most common things patients come in for?

*Apprehensive 🤦🏼‍♀️☺️

@Boph

What are the rules about triage? I did an e consultation assuming a doctor would see it. I was horrified to get a call back from an admin person who had clearly read my whole submission.

Admin people can read the entirety of your records. Including e-consult submissions.

They neither judge nor care. Heard it once heard it a zillion times.

@catlovingdoctor
Many reasons.
Family friendly. GPs are more embracing of life outside of medicine. IME GPs were generally a nicer bunch of people with few chips on their shoulders. During my foundation years I looked at my seniors and I would think "Do I want this person's life?" And Im yet to find a female consultant whose life I wanted. But GP was full of women who appeared to have a full life. And now I am one of those women ☺️
Fewer super nerdy people (during my medicine rotation I would have to hide away and eat lunch alone rather than sit with the other SHOs who would talk medicine NON STOP)
Also I have a HUGEEE ego. I love being my own boss, making my own decisions. During my SHO years I remember watching grown men quivering whilst getting barked at by consultants. Could NOT deal with that
I also like that GP is not as hierarchal.
You get to know patients so much better. You can follow them up. You can chose to specialise in pretty much anything. Portfolio working
Sooo many reasons for being teamGP

What percentage of appointments are due to MH issues? Do you feel they are a waste of your time? What do you think of the idea of practices having a separate MH specialist to see people with MH issues?

Thanks for all the questions everyone
I will try and work through them all
I was originally going to post moaning about the stick GPs get but I figured I'd try to dispel some myths instead:)

Mature(ish) FY hating life. Want to have control, should I embrace the locum GP life/stay as an eternal SHO locum? Salary of an FY works out at about 13£ an hour in training.......... it’s soul destroying (context for previous post)

I am constantly trying to persuade my mother in law that having one condition eg followup for a recent heart attack, does not mean that doctors won’t want to see her for another condition eg ingrown toenail.

Can you back me up on this please 🤣 I keep telling her that GPs expect and are okay with the fact that at some point in everyone’s life they will have effectively a glut of issues they need sorting, and no one will expect her to put up with the pain of one thing just because something else has also happened to her. But she will not have it and desperately worries that she’s seen as a time waster/that they will greet every request with “not HER again”.

@Laggartha
Wonderful concept
Massively abused
Lots of inefficiency
Lots of beurocracy
Backfired a lil by creating a dependent society - why bother to take responsibility for your health when the NHS is there to fix it for free?

Sadly my experiences are pushing me to think a semi privatised system would be better
And I'm from a working class background, grew up on a council estate and second person in my family to attend uni

When ever I go to see the doctors they don’t know what’s wrong with me. I understand doctors don’t know everything! But do they go home and research? Such as Mrs smith has got these symptoms, let me get my textbooks or research online what it could be? They tend to ask me what I think the problem is but then roll their eyes when I’ve mentioned looking on google. But they don’t seem to bother with actually getting to the bottom of it. Sorry, I don’t mean to sound rude.

@AfterSchoolWorry Lots of reasons for fatigue. Lots of tests your GP can do and LOTS of treatable causes.
Sometimes very hard to figure out why.
Can have large mental health elements to it too
Can also be physiological as in you have a busy day so you're tired
Hope you feel better. Please speak to your GP about this :)

How difficult was the training, and do you ever google stuff when you're not sure?

Not asking for advice about this, more an insight as I'm curious: in your experience do trainee GPs study sleep disorders much/at all during their training? (I'm referring to circadian rhythm disorders, narcolepsy and that kind of thing, as opposed to more generalised insomnia.)

What kind of patients would you describe as "time wasters" as such?

How you cope with seeing all the icky stuff? Piles, weeping wounds, infected toenails....

(My poor GP has seen my vag & bum far too many times due to a birth injury and I always feel very sorry for her!)

@AntigoneLost
I think I struggle with patients who expect the doctor to cure their decades long problem in 10 mins despite having seen dozens of other doctors before you, including specialists.
Medicine does not know it all and cannot cure everything. There are still many unexplained symptoms. While I sympathise with patients in this unfortunate situation, I find it a struggle to offer solutions they are happy with.

@ReverendRicketyCricket
I'm a big believer in good customer service so haven't had a complaint yet about my bedside manner (Praise the Lord) ☺️

Do you think GPs - and patients - are over burdened with so called preventative things? I realise these orders come from on high but just interested in your opinion.

What single thing do you think would have the greatest impact on reducing obesity?