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Dr Shanker Vijayadeva
2018-09-03
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Written by a patient
Written by a patient 3rd September 2018
Dr Vijay did listen to what I had to say about my ear pain and checked my good ear and then the bad ear. I feel he was racing against the clock and at times when I was explaining he didn’t make eye contact.
I felt at this point he could have stopped reading my notes and listened to what I had to say. Although he was not rude or abrupt I felt he only stopped to make eye contact when he wanted to say that I should not use cotton bud without being hypocritical he said which I totally agree!
However I still felt his suggestion that the antibiotic should be taken if the pain was still lingering even after using the nasal spray (which was to help unblock my nasal blocks at night and also help rid off fluid in the ear) did not resolve the throbbing pain and the severity of it. May be a ear drop would have helped resolve the throbbing head and ear pain I’m enduring right now.
It’s about the patients needs and comfortabiliy in the interim Dr Vijay should concentrate and not just his views only. Kind regards Mrs Selvajothy
9th September 2018
Response from Dr Shanker Vijayadeva
I agree about the lack of eye contact, which is a weaknesses of my consultation style. I tend to frantically multi-task by reading/checking the patient's notes at the same time as listening as I want to maximise the opportunity to check for any other health issues that we should be considering - e.g. has there been a recent Blood Pressure check? Recent screening blood tests? Any outstanding issues from previous contact etc? Any medication that needs reviewing? I also need to use the screen to enter notes, issue prescriptions and request investigations etc. Unfortunately this means I tend to be staring the screen, but I do try to listen as much as possible even if I am not making eye contact. I will aim to improve this although the main solution would be longer appointment lengths. Most ear infections can resolve on their own without antibiotics. However sometimes we use oral antibiotics for inner ear ("behind the ear drum") infections and topical antibiotics (e.g. drops) for outer ear ("ear canal") infections. Usually topical antibiotics do not tend to work well for inner ear infections and likewise, oral antibiotics do not tend to be best option for outer ear infections. I did describe what I found on examination and my suggested treatment plan, but I am sorry if my explanation was not clear enough. If your symptoms are not improving, please follow my previous advice to contact the surgery to seek a review. Wishing you a speedy recovery.