h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

"How to get a doctor's attention"? I think lots of people behave in the ways described here. Unfortunately the vast majority of times when patients or parents insist they KNOW something serious is wrong, they are incorrect. If your take-home message is "be awkward", you may find yourself being "de-listed" by your GP, who may not take kindly to your dim view of his capabilities.

Hiya,

Glad you found it interesting!

I didn't say be awkward though - did I? - I suggested that being *very* polite, efficient, accurate, precise, etc are all really important factors in being taken seriously.

Its largely a matter of commonsense. As I say, the feeling that something's not right is not a good diagnostic indicator. All sorts of benign-sounding symptoms have very serious causes and conversely severe symptoms often have non-serious causes - irritable bowel syndrome is a classic example.