Discussion: I feel reluctant whenever I come in with questions and suggestions to my attending physician! When he got upset, my attending physician sent me once, suggesting I care for myself online. Is this a familiar phenomenon?

In the modern age, medical information is available to everyone. However, sometimes, the materials are difficult for the average patient to understand, with the intention that the information will be available mainly to doctors. In the last decade, when almost everyone has a smartphone, many patients have contacted their doctors with legitimate questions and suggestions. In many cultures, the doctor is perceived as knowing everything. Therefore, some doctors perceive the questions asked by their patients as disrespectful to their professional authority and sometimes express them in impatient comments. In my estimation, the scope of the phenomenon will only get worse. Excellent and confident doctors should not feel threatened but try to think of other thought directions while analyzing alternatives to those they know.