"There are no sex objects at work": A gynecologist about his profession
Any doctor visit can be a stressful situation. and in the gynecologist's office, the woman feels defenseless at all: you need to bare yourself in front of a stranger, answer intimate questions and possibly experience discomfort during the examination. Fear and embarrassment to the doctor of this specialty may increase if the specialist is a man. We talked with the gynecologist and fertility specialist Dmitry Kholodov about how to look for the approach to the patient and what to do for those who are experiencing before the reception.
Gynecology is a thrill
- Class from the eighth, I knew that I wanted to be a doctor. At the institute, of all the professions, gynecology turned out to be the most interesting, because it is not one and only narrow specialization. Here we need the skills of a therapist and a surgeon, we have to study endocrinology and even something from pediatrics. So gynecology is a thrill. This determined my choice, but I did not pay attention to the prejudices about male gynecologists - I only recognize common sense. High-quality humor helps to live, for greasy jokes or stereotypical "ridiculous" cliches I react, as it should be to react to silly jokes - in any way.
It so happens that most of my colleagues are women. I am always in favor of maintaining friendly and partner relations with my colleagues, we have a lot of joint patients; There are places where competition among doctors takes ugly forms, but we don’t have one. I am a supporter of compliance with ethical standards - they are in the communication of doctors among themselves, and in communication with patients.
Polyclinic teaches to communicate
Of course, all young doctors want to work in the hospital - there are emergency interventions, complex cases, experienced mentor colleagues. I thought so too. But I started work in the clinic - and that was what helped me learn a lot.
First, there is more patient flow in the clinic, which means more cases can be studied. Secondly, the clinic teaches quickly understand patients, look for an approach to them and correctly diagnose. Thirdly, in the hospital it is impossible to follow the patient after discharge: give a phone number, ask about how things are going, talk at the next reception. Namely, such an observation helps to build confidence, and this I learned in the clinic.
Young doctors often have free working hours: they know little and little is written to them. Then it makes sense to ask for someone from senior colleagues and offer to take on part of the burden - for example, look after patients who have been discharged from the hospital. This helps to learn and develop your patient base faster.
How to build trust
Honesty and professionalism solve all issues of trust. A sense of tact and the ability to listen are very important skills, but first you need to speak with the patient and speak her language. For this, I read non-fiction - the same "Viva la Vagina" or a book like "Charming intestines". They are useful to all, and, in my opinion, they should be recommended to patients: it is important to know how your own body works, and adult women are unlikely to study it with anatomy textbooks. And for doctors, such books are good, because they teach in an understandable form to convey complex terms.
There is a category of patients who cares what gender a doctor is. However, unfortunately, more often it happens that it is important not for the woman herself, but for her partner, and this is sad: women are still in a vulnerable and subordinate position. But if a woman visits me, and a partner is against me, this is his own business; she is my patient and individual, and it is important for me to help her.
A person chooses a doctor who is more suitable for him by the method of conducting a conversation. Someone loves more "affection" and "sussy-pusi", someone prefers only formal communication. In order to establish trust between the patient and the doctor, the doctor must explain what is happening to her. Not to dig into papers, but to show that you are interested in the condition of a woman. After all, a person doesn’t care about knowledge in my head - a person needs to stop being ill or bothered. Sometimes it is necessary to honestly say that you do not know something and should consult with a colleague, look for an answer to a question, and not “shine with scholarship”.
For this, I show and explain how and how I can help, on the basis of what I make decisions. Sometimes I demonstrate it on a dummy, pictures, records, because everyone perceives information differently. I always speak with patients, especially during the examination, I explain what is happening. For example, with the same vaginal examination, if you keep quiet, the patient will come up with something terrible or decide that the doctor does not care about the results. Talking about anything - disrespect for the patient. I prefer to explain and bring the information in full, and although sometimes you need to act quickly, it is still important to give time to make decisions. After all, only the patient signs consent to any manipulation, and it must be deliberate and deliberate.
Sometimes in order for the patient to make a decision (for example, to begin hormone therapy for menopause), I suggest to visit a psychologist - there is such an opportunity in our clinic. In general, our country has a poorly developed culture of monitoring mental health; Unfortunately, it is almost impossible to find a good specialist who could help determine the situation related to gynecology.
Sex and profession do not overlap
Despite the fact that I have seen many intimate places and female genital organs, it did not affect my personal life and attitude towards sex. Female genitals in the doctor's office, I do not perceive as a sexual object. It's like a work-personal toggle switch that switches at work and beyond. It is clear that not everyone has such a toggle switch, and for the safety of the patients, we have a video of the reception (not in that part of the room where the chair is) and audio recording. Plus there is always an assistant - it reduces the risks for the patient.
Gynecological myths
In gynecology, of course, the mass of myths, all sorts of rumors and "popular theories" are programming sex, the danger of HPV vaccines, tests for all sorts of hormones before choosing a contraceptive or fear of hormone therapy. I immediately say that I am for evidence-based medicine and that it is useless to talk about homeopathy with me - I am not an expert in it. I rely on international standards and guidelines. I always try to offer arguments and the latest scientific data in an accessible form, to explain everything.
Percent ninety patients can make an independent decision or form their opinion on the mythological question already on the basis of facts. Another ten percent will not falter in their faith and will continue not to dye their hair and not to raise their hands up while pregnant - this is their choice, and he is also worthy of respect. True, those patients who love to be treated with something "natural" are the most permanent. Without fulfilling half the appointments, they always return.
I know that some gynecologists advise giving birth as a cure for all illnesses, but in my environment there are no such advisers among my colleagues — men and women. Yes, we can advise as soon as possible to consider planning a pregnancy or preserving reproductive potential, we can inform about possible problems with reproduction in a particular disease. But to treat something with pregnancy is not.
How to prepare for the reception
To ensure that everything goes without unnecessary stress and problems, the most important thing is not to be afraid of anything and be ready for an honest conversation. It is best to think through all the important questions and make a list of them so as not to forget anything. A gynecologist is primarily a professional male; his task is to help a woman, and not to offend her, not to laugh and not embarrass her. It is better to be biased towards finding information on the Internet and to understand which sources are trustworthy: there are a lot of women’s communities, but they are rarely moderated by professionals, therefore there is a lot of unverified information.
Photo:Africa Studio - stock.adobe.com (1, 2)
