Clash over doctors asking patients about firearms

[sandorski]

Fail thread.

New Parents can be clueless. Doctors will provide tips to them. Big whoop.

 

[gingermeggs]

WTF? I'd never even heard of this before.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2011-05-13-nra-doctors-guns_n.htm

I disagree with the laws banning doctors from asking about firearms or anything else for that matter. We don't need more government regulation of what consenting adults can or can't talk about, but I can't think of any logical reason why any doctor would need to ask about firearms in the home.

Why does my doctor need to talk to me about safety? Does my mechanic talk about my lawn? Does my financial adviser talk about my cable modem? The doctor is there to provide medical advice/service/expertise, not as a "safety" consultant.

If my doctor asked me if I had firearms in my home I'd tell him that it's none of his business and to STFU.

He(Dr) might say-
"it's not good that your guns smokes, this will wear the bore unduely, what kind of powder do you reload with?"

 

[alkemyst]

I would beg to differ, since one of the two is a constitutionally-protected liberty...

how soon the people forget...

 

[alkemyst]

Fail thread.

New Parents can be clueless. Doctors will provide tips to them. Big whoop.

except in this case the Dr is refusing to take them as a new patient.

 

[sandorski]

except in this case the Dr is refusing to take them as a new patient.

...not because they have a Gun.

 

[alkemyst]

...not because they have a Gun.

That article isn't the whole story, the NRA and some other grassroots type organizations are covering it in depth.

Pediatricans are refusing to take on new patients that answer they own firearms at home. No one would care if they were just asking for demographics really. They are flat out turning away gun-owning parent's children.

 

[sandorski]

That article isn't the whole story, the NRA and some other grassroots type organizations are covering it in depth.

Pediatricans are refusing to take on new patients that answer they own firearms at home. No one would care if they were just asking for demographics really. They are flat out turning away gun-owning parent's children.

She threatened to sue him for asking. That's why he refused her.

 

[sao123]

I don't like the free speech restriction aspect, and I don't like the government meddling in the patient / doctor relationship aspect, and from the NRA perspective, you'd think there are more pressing threats to gun rights than doctors asking stupid questions.

well that depends... how long until insurance premiums go up for gun owners based on doctors recommendations??

this is why they dont want questioned.

 

[alkemyst]

She threatened to sue him for asking. That's why he refused her.

like I mentioned, this is one instance.

This is a national level issue.

 

[Acanthus]

It's high time those pediatricians got theirs!!

-Bill Maher

 

[OutHouse]

I completely disagree. The doctor has an interest in the well being of the child, something that having a loose gun in the house is directly related to.

its NONE of the docs fucking business period. im paying the doctor to provide medical care period. if my family doc ever asked me such a question she would never see me or any of my family members again.

 

[OutHouse]

There are two reasons we ask about guns in the house:

Suicide Risk (people who are depressed who own guns are more likely to successfully completely suicide than depressed people who don't own guns. statistically speaking)

and

Child Safety and Well-being. From about ages 2 through adulthood, the leading cause of death is Accidents.


I bet that same questionnaire had Q's about seatbelts in cars, helmets on bikes, drugs out of reach, and smoking in the house.

Doc probably refused to take them on as patients because they refused to be honest about simple questions.



You learn pretty early on as a Doctor that people are fucking stupid. Really fucking stupid.

You'd be amazed at the things people just don't seem to know. We have to ask some questions like this.

you sound like a pompous ass to me.

 

[PokerGuy]

Fail thread.

New Parents can be clueless. Doctors will provide tips to them. Big whoop.

Not fail thread, fail comprehension by you. Try and read the thread again, perhaps this time you can try to understand the words and see how your post is completely stupid.

 

[PokerGuy]

Child Safety and Well-being. From about ages 2 through adulthood, the leading cause of death is Accidents.

"Accidents"? That's a pretty broad category don't you think? Firearms related accidents don't account for even a fraction of a percent of deaths. Do you ask people if they own a snake? After all, the snake could harm the child. Do you ask about leaky windows? Mold could grow and cause harm to the child. Do you ask if they own a dog, if it's properly trained and what breed it is? The dog could harm the child.

This line of reasoning is idiotic. It's not the doctors job nor his business to ask about any of this stuff. Stick to what you are paid to do, and, perhaps even more importantly, stick to something you actually are qualified to discuss intelligently.

You learn pretty early on as a Doctor that people are f**king stupid. Really f**king stupid.

Apparently there are a lot of doctors who are in the same boat.......

 

[Fear No Evil]

"Accidents"? That's a pretty broad category don't you think? Firearms related accidents don't account for even a fraction of a percent of deaths. Do you ask people if they own a snake? After all, the snake could harm the child. Do you ask about leaky windows? Mold could grow and cause harm to the child. Do you ask if they own a dog, if it's properly trained and what breed it is? The dog could harm the child.

This line of reasoning is idiotic. It's not the doctors job nor his business to ask about any of this stuff. Stick to what you are paid to do, and, perhaps even more importantly, stick to something you actually are qualified to discuss intelligently.



Apparently there are a lot of doctors who are in the same boat.......

Of course, if providing education were their primary objective in asking the question, wouldn't it just make sense to give the tips even if the person refuses to answer? "I understand your right to privacy on this matter, if you do own guns, here's what I suggest... "

Of course its still absurd.

 

[PokerGuy]

Of course, if providing education were their primary objective in asking the question, wouldn't it just make sense to give the tips even if the person refuses to answer? "I understand your right to privacy on this matter, if you do own guns, here's what I suggest... "

Of course its still absurd.

Yep. There are little information flyers on all sorts of subjects in a doctors office, from proper antibiotic use to covering your mouth when coughing. I've never seen a flyer about guns in the house, but I have seen them about child safety seats and other safety concerns.

It's pretty obvious it's a question based on a political platform, not based on any care about the welfare of the child.

 

[JeffreyLebowski]

This Saturday night instead of going out to the movies instead go camp out in a major hospital ER waiting room. It should then become apparent to even the most adamant gun nut what a huge health problem guns are in the USA. The US has over 30,000 gunshot fatalities each year (admittedly about half that is suicides) and over 200,000 gunshot nonfatal injuries. The associated health care expenses are enormous.

Interesting to me that the NRA is trying to interfere with health professionals' first amendment free speech rights and to interfere in the doctor patient relationship, and no one seems to be even the slightest bit phased by that.

A discussion about gun safety is certainly within the purview of health care practice. Health care practice is not, however, within the purview of the NRA.

Want to be more honest about the issue. The issue isn't guns, it's people. How about you go to the ER and see the gun shot cases that comes in and you'll seea startling correlation.
Most of them are gang related. The "kids" the media likes to mention when stating gun violence "facts", can be gang members from the age of 16-21, which also coincidentally is typically the largest portion of gun violence victims.

It's a huge issue that liberals don't want to adress because it will point out the unconvenient truth that inner city minorities, mostly Blacks and Hispanics, are the cause of most gun violence in America.