Dear Doctors: I'm puzzled by people whose doctors diagnose a problem but write to you to answer their questions. I believe you publish these questions and your answers to educate your readers. But might there be a way to present them without making those who ask them look foolish for not asking their own doctors first?
Dear Reader: The letters we receive from our readers, both by email and (less and less often these days) through the mail, cover a diverse range of topics that are sometimes quite complex. Virtually all of them, as was the case with your own letter, are longer than the constraints of a published column allow. The result is that both the content and the length of the questions we publish are shaped by those limitations.
You are correct that the mission of the columns is two-fold -- to answer specific questions, and to share information. And yes, the letter writers are doubtless already aware of some of the information we are providing. However, we can’t assume a general audience will be familiar with a specific medical issue someone is asking about. To address that, we always begin with an overview. (Sometimes this even includes historical context, which we have been happy to learn readers find interesting.) We then gradually work our way down to the granular medical detail that prompted the letter.
Readers asking for information about a specific disease or condition often send us a fact-filled narrative. They share information about when they became ill, a description of their symptoms and often details about the process of diagnosis. Some request a big-picture answer, such as how a broken bone heals, or why the flu vaccine changes every year. But many seek highly specific information about just a small piece of their medical puzzle. When that happens, so that the information can be useful to everyone, we set the stage with the big-picture questions that prompted your observation.
The circumstances of our readers play a role as well. Some live in regions with limited medical resources. They describe waiting for months for an appointment with a doctor or a specialist, or driving long distances. Even in larger towns and cities, medical offices are often operating at capacity. We have had readers tell us their doctor explained an issue, but was rushed or unclear, or that they themselves were hesitant or ashamed to admit they didn’t understand. Based on the questions we receive, we have come to learn that the columns are sometimes helping to fill that gap.
When writing a column, we always include as much of each person’s original language as possible. Letters are edited for space, clarity and sometimes privacy. The goal is for the introductory question to serve as a mission statement for the direction of that column. We hope you know it is never our intention to make someone who has taken the time to write to us seem foolish. We are regularly moved by the trust our readers exhibit in asking for our help, and by the kindness they so often show us.
(Send your questions to [email protected], or write: Ask the Doctors, c/o UCLA Health Sciences Media Relations, 10960 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 1955, Los Angeles, CA, 90024. Owing to the volume of mail, personal replies cannot be provided.)
