Your family doctor's office has its flaws too

Because of the reused needle scandal at an Abbotsford acupuncture clinic, I thought I would share some of the things I have noticed about family doctor offices. I am a 3rd year medical resident at UBC.

1. A number of BC doctors have been found to be re-using syringes (not needles) for injections between patients which is a huge no because it can transmit blood-borne diseases.

2. Multi-dose vials are meant to be used for multiple patients but have been shown to be contaminated with blood because of shitty technique. There have been many outbreaks linked to this, including one in Toronto with Hepatitis C. Multi-dose vials are used commonly for vaccines, medications and anesthesia.

3. Doctors and office staff like to make fun of patients. It's exactly like working tech support or customer service. Patient confidentiality is sometimes broken despite our professional ethical guidelines.

4. Doctors are terrible at washing their hands between patients. There are exceptions but at least half are sloppy. Some doctors that I've worked have gone the entire day without washing their hands once even after doing rectal exams and pap smears.

5. Offices lose track of things all the time but rarely own up to it. The worst is when they blame patients for their mistakes. Referrals don't get sent, specialist appointments times don't reach the patient, important results get lost. Thankfully electronic medical records (EMRs) are becoming the standard which helps.

6. The downside of EMRs is that doctors tend to be computer-challenged. Literally Internet Explorer 6 with 10 toolbars. Malware on a system with thousands of private medical records makes me nervous.

7. Vaccine storage and handling are terrible. Some clinics pre-fill hundreds of vaccines for flu season which they're not supposed to do. I've seen vaccines sit at room temperature for hours when they should be in the fridge. When they are in the fridge, sometimes they are kept out of the box which means the vials can freeze and then thaw rendering the vaccine ineffective. Doctors aren't taught how to maintain the cold chain. Inventory management is shitty so expired vaccines end up being used accidentally. Some clinics don't even record LOT #s after a vaccine is administered.

8. Many doctors are not up to date and will recommend treatments that are not evidence based. Some of these treatments are harmful. Continuing Medical Education (CME) is a joke. I've seen doctors sign into CME events, eat their complimentary lunch and then leave immediately, no fucks given.

9. Drug companies know how to manipulative doctors with free cruises and lunches. A lot of medicine is marketing rather than cold hard science.