There are several studies now showing that symptoms reported by overweight patients are taken less seriously by medical professionals, it’s not just a matter of people “being nice”. It’s actually providing a lower standard of care.
I should clarify that my doctor explicitly lied to me (found out by requesting my medical file after moving) to shock me on purpose because of his own fifth grade understanding of psychology.
Whether patients make good choices is completely independent from whether doctors provide everyone with equal quality of care.
Specifically, doctors are less likely to investigate issues that can be explained by obesity than they are in non-fat people.
For example, if you have high blood pressure and you are a normal weight your doctor will probably look into underlying conditions that can cause high blood pressure. Being overweight is an independent risk factor for high blood pressure but it doesn’t reduce the likelihood of the other risk factors. Doctors are less likely to look into an underlying cause for high blood pressure if you are overweight.
There are several studies now showing that symptoms reported by overweight patients are taken less seriously by medical professionals, it’s not just a matter of people “being nice”. It’s actually providing a lower standard of care.
There are several studies now showing that recommendations like "losing weight" are taken less seriously by overweight patients.
I should clarify that my doctor explicitly lied to me (found out by requesting my medical file after moving) to shock me on purpose because of his own fifth grade understanding of psychology.
Whether patients make good choices is completely independent from whether doctors provide everyone with equal quality of care.
Specifically, doctors are less likely to investigate issues that can be explained by obesity than they are in non-fat people.
For example, if you have high blood pressure and you are a normal weight your doctor will probably look into underlying conditions that can cause high blood pressure. Being overweight is an independent risk factor for high blood pressure but it doesn’t reduce the likelihood of the other risk factors. Doctors are less likely to look into an underlying cause for high blood pressure if you are overweight.
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