Doctors Asking Parents about gun ownership

[Grayskies]

I like to tell my kid's DR about my assault rifles... you know Brown Bess, 1858 Enfield, Kentucky rifle .... guns used in military conflicts ... assault rifles ....

1858 a reproduction? Does it shoot well?

I was being a smart A** .... I don't really have 1858 repro....

Sorry, I missed that.

Something like them are on my want list.

[crbutler]

To be honest, in my medical practice, I don't have the time to waste with asking a lot of the BS social history questions.

Most docs don't put it in the med record because its really not pertinent to what you came to see us for and we don't have the time to play clerk/typist. My keyboarding skills are in the better half of docs, and they suck.

Most folks haven't spent the money to get a scanning program in, either for those check off sheets.

Having said that, I did have a partner in the old days who ate this garbage up, brought in to the whole social sciences public health nonsense. I did answer her questions honestly one time I had to get something renewed. She started in on me, and I said I know the research as well as you. Sorry, but my bedside gun is loaded and will stay that way, not in a safe. I will take the chance that my Lab might shoot me with it... She then said that if someone else was in my house they might get shot...I said that is the general idea.... End of discussion.

Now days with EMR's, I would just look at her and say "no gun" She would know better, but as long as my answers are all they can report, its better.

There are laws on the books that are supposed to protect this information, but as others have noted, the HIPPA releases are incredibly broad and if you don't sign them, they won't pay the claim. Honestly, while the docs have better things to do than play with all this stuff, all EMR is is a giant data mine for big business and .gov, and since they have both the docs and the patients by the short ones with this stuff, the less you offer the better off you will be from a privacy standpoint, but it may reduce the effectiveness of your preventative care some miniscule amount.

[Jackpine Savage]

In our clinic it is the nurses that ask all the questions before the Doc comes in. The first time I told her I thought they had no business asking that question the nurse spent 5 minutes apologizing. Now I just say no.

[20mm]

Heh. Because "the news" always gets it right.

"The news" can't get it wrong in this case. They're directly reporting what the government has authored in an officially published plan. Next you'll say the government is so messed up, and confused that they made a mistake and that's actually not what they're planning to do. A secretary pushed the wrong button and upload the wrong file some consultant had come up with.

OMG. You fell for the trap. That magazine was electronically connected to "The Government" and your interest in it was recorded and transmitted to that Black Helicopter that was circling overhead. No, no...not a Black Helicopter...a drone. Yeah, a drone.

Either that or the CIA operatives with telepathic powers.

Nothing to be concerned about, it's just fools and paranoid people It's a big joke.

[BigBlue]

"Whoop de do"

[cobb]

In our clinic it is the nurses that ask all the questions before the Doc comes in. The first time I told her I thought they had no business asking that question the nurse spent 5 minutes apologizing. Now I just say no.

Actually pretty close to what happened the one time I was asked by a nurse quite a few years ago. She had her check list and started asking questions that I responded "Not Applicable". Now she had not asked a firearm related question yet, but I figured it was going to get there. So after the first question or two that she asked and I responded "N/A", she asked what I meant. I responded with something to the effect that I was not here for a sexually transmitted disease, a mental issue, no I do not smoke and my eating habits suck. I am here because my shoulder hurts, the other questions are not related, so if you have no questions about my shoulder, can I see the doctor now. The nurse quit asking the survey questions, did the blood pressure and asked a couple related questions and then I got to see the doctor. No other non related questions as to why I was there and I didn't even have to lie about the "Firearms in the home" question.

[Stylin750]

My response would be nope. Flat out lie to their faces. Then would be what difference would it make my 5th amendment guarantees me the right to not incriminate myself.

[Hmac]

My response would be nope. Flat out lie to their faces. Then would be what difference would it make my 5th amendment guarantees me the right to not incriminate myself.

Are you under the impression that there's some law that compels you to answer your doctor truthfully?

[Citiot]

I say no to the question and have instructed my family to do the same. I am a liar. But it is a "good" lie.

A bad lie to a doctor would be to fake some pain to get a script for narcotics. This would be a crime.

Doctors have great power. They can lock you up in a mental ward for 3 days if they want.

I had a friend in college who answered a routine question about suicidal thoughts to a doctor. He answered something along the lines of, "haven't we all?" He had just taken a philosophy class where they discussed things like that. He chatted with the doctor about it.

He got locked up in a mental ward for 3 days.

My thoughts are to not play with fire. If you "take a stand" with a radical and vindictive anti-gun doctor and start dancing around the question, you'll could find yourself labelled a "mental defective."

So, am I a loony, tin foil hat wearing, vapor trail tracking, anti-HARP, anti United Nations, area 51 watching conspiracy theorist?

[Grayskies]

We all should listen to Nancy Reagan and "Just Say No".

So ahead of her time!

[BigBlue]

I had a friend in college who answered a routine question about suicidal thoughts to a doctor. He answered something along the lines of, "haven't we all?" He had just taken a philosophy class where they discussed things like that. He chatted with the doctor about it.

He got locked up in a mental ward for 3 days.

The whole concept of a doctor or counselor asking "have you ever thought about suicide?" is just a ridiculous question. I was once speaking with someone who had asked that question to another and gotten an answer of 'yes' and was concerned. I told then that was of no more value than asking someone if they had "ever thought of robbing a bank" and assuming that meant they were about to become a criminal. I'm pretty sure there is nobody around who has never thought about something like that in passing. Any time you walk in a bank and notice the cameras you probably think about it. A better way to ask the question would be: "are you preoccupied with thoughts of suicide?" Or "have you ever seriously contemplated suicide?"