Leaving Dr.'s office and got nailed with gun questions-Whats going on here?

Keep in mind how anti-rights organizations work...your kid shows up at the ER with a broken arm from football...your medical "records" show you have guns in the home...someday an AMA reports comes out that claims "research shows that a gun in the home increases the risk to children".......

"Who are you collecting data for and why?"

Woody

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There you go. Don't be afraid to ask your doctor questions like this. Not just about weird surveys but about treatment, plans and what they're scribbling down. You're a consumer!

I get that barrage of crap every time I take my daughter to the pediatrician. The first time her doc asked I got a little defensive (not rude, just wanted to know what the hell difference it made). We've been going to her since my girl was born and she has never been anything but down to earth and friendly, and she gladly answered my questions.

She said she's required to ask and that she thinks it's ridiculous. She apologized and conceded that it was out of line on the hospital's part.

paul said:

When I discuss firearms with my patients, it is generally in regard to when we shoot, at what we are shooting, and how we can keep the .gov mitts off of 'em.

I often suggest suppressors for hearing protection.

I would not use a physician for my personal health care that shows an interest in firearms that does not mirror my own.

p

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Can I get a script for a silencer? My ears hurt when I go shooting.

DustyVermonter said:

Went to the Doctor for routine check-up and before I left he pulls out a file with all kinds of Gun questions on a checklist-Are there guns in the home,where do you keep them,do you keep ammunition in the home,where do you keep that,are they locked away,do you keep them together or do you keep them seperate,do you keep any of them loaded,Etc....Caught me off guard,what's that all about?Any ideas? Sounds kinda fishy, don't really know what to make of that. Ummmmm hmmm well.... Pretty much don't like it

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"Hey doc ... why the questions about guns? I came for a prostate exam!

It's logical, then, that physicians take an interest in this area because ultimately they have to clean up the damage caused by irresponsible owners (and criminals) and statistical data can help them formulate health policy.

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Shockwave:

How does does statistical data about gun ownership help physicians "clean up the damage"?

I presume the damage you are referring to is a gunshot wound. Relevant data would include the efficacy of various treatment protocols. It would NOT include gun ownership data.

The idea that they need to know how many people own what guns and ammo so they can have the requisite resources available is ridiculous. I'm pretty sure that with or without that data they will have plenty of bandages, sutures, and antibiotics on hand.

I can't figure out what health policies you are referring to that would be affected by gun ownership data?

Like others, I suspect the policies that will be affected will be insurance policies. Data on swimming pool ownership, car ownership, what houshold cleaners you use, etc, etc would be more relevant to assessing risk.

I'm not interested in providing ANY information that would help the insurance industry justify raising my rates. And physicians have NO business helping the insurance industry to do so.

It is logical that they might take an interest. They might also have an interest in orchids, motorcycles, cross-country skiing, sadomasochism, and bootleg liquor.

What doesn't follow is that they have any business asking you non-medical questions about these things, because they are curious.

c919

Why is your daughters pediatrician "required" to ask ? By whose directive ?

My family Doc always asks about my guns....

He is a good Doc, gun guy, ex Navy, and in general we agree on many, many subjects, ie politics, God, guns, hunting, fishing and music. He doesn’t/or hasn’t given me a survey questionnaire about guns though, if he did I would challenge him on it and ask why he wanted the info.

Multiple-choice test.


Hint, there is only one right answer, and that answer is B.




A. Transparency
B. Anonymity
C. Pseudonymity

A. Transparency calls for broad disclosure of personal information, promotes equality and generates accountability.

B. Anonymity shields users from the collection of information and allows them to interact and transact freely.

C. Pseudonymity, which permits users to interact through the use of a limited number of pseudonyms, and in that way shield themselves from possible detriments, while allowing collectors to partially benefit from personal information analysis.

hso said:

Did you ask your physician why he was asking the questions?

Did he tell you why he was asking the questions?

Was it for a study and who was the study for?

Keep in mind that the only way we'll every see studies accurately reflect that there's no significant risk associated with firearms possession or storage and handling is if we contribute to those studies.

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Interesting point there, hso.

I've also heard of this happening in the past, and it doesn't strike me as anything that a doctor needs to know, as it has nothing to do with medicine. But, your point may be valid, assuming that they aren't going to twist and tweak the data they obtain until it comes out looking the way they want it to. Statistics are really only as good as the person presenting them, as well all know!

I have a couple of doctors and a couple of pyschologists in my family. One of the doctors (my uncle) is probably the biggest gun guy I know. The psychologists (an aunt and uncle) seem pretty anti-gun, and often talk about the risk factors of having guns in the house (the usual: you are more likely to die by a gun, etc).

In the instance that the OP talks about, I really don't think it is a government conspiracy. However, I do think that an anti-gun agenda might be driving these surveys (there is probably some young researcher out there who is driving this study, and he/she may very well have the goal of "proving" how dangerous guns are in the house). Again, if the data is fairly and accurately interpreted, I see this only helping us. But, that could be a BIG "if".

Personally, I'd throw a few questions in the doctor's direction before becoming involved in such a survey. I'd do the same thing if they started to ask questions about my driving habits, etc.

I have three priorities when I'm paying for medical services:

1. Me
2. Myself
3. I

Note that, while making sure that I am healthy is not all about me -- I owe it to my wife, for example -- the actual service is. I don't see ANYTHING on the list of priorities about participating in any surveys. Most "studies" serve little real purpose, are driven by predetermined agendas, and are paid for by entities, private or governmental, with agendas.

Want me to participate in a "study"? Fess up, and pay up -- or go to hell.

My time is valuable to me. You may not approve of how I spend it, but I still own it.

...there is only one right answer...

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Uhh...what's the question?

The only legitimate reason for a Doctor to ask you about anything gun related to my way of thinking would be if you were Ill and he/she suspected Lead poisoning due to breathing it while shooting or handling Lead Bullets while reloading .

Other than that "Sharing guns" isn't like drug addicts sharing needles and you can't get all kinds of things from it and Going into a Gunshop isn't like traveling into another country where you can pick up something like Malaria .

Since all the above even if they were possible health risks could all be handled by your Doctor with a few simple verbal questions and not a Questioneer from them I would hand them back the form and not bother writing anything on it .

I would tell them they should be more worried if I bothered to wash my hands after using the rest room and or before eating/touching food rather than what I own .

As others have pointed out - and it's worth repeating - any legitimate research study requires informed consent before enrolling subjects.

Was the OP asked if he wanted to participate in a research study and given adequate information to make that descision? It doesn't sound like it.


I suspect that the OP's disclosure of his history of depression is the real reason these questions were asked.

When Packing.org was still active someone suggested asking the doctor what sexual positions his wife prefers.

When he tells you that it's none of your business respond, "There ya go."

I'd have asked "what kind of car do you drive doc? what's the licsense plate number? where's it parked? is it home when youre not?".....................then walked out

+1 Rainbowbob

Maelstrom, what do you do if he tells you, and hints they are into swinging?

It's impossible to hide firearms ownership when I have to list my emplyer, but to any specific gun related questions on a written questionaire I would use the N/A, specifically because it is "not applicable" to my health care. Same answer in a verbal interview, followed with that excellent advice a page back from Woody, "Who are you collecting data for and why?" The thing is, the answer would be meaningless except personal enlightenment, as I would still not release irrelevant information to a non qualified person.

How does does statistical data about gun ownership help physicians "clean up the damage"?

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It doesn't. The doctors do.

No dog in this fight on my part. The OP wanted to know why the doctor was asking, I linked to an article showing the kinds of data physicians are collecting, and offered some reasons why they might want to do that. If you disagree, take it up with them, not me.

What is kind of interesting here, though, is that this discussion does give us a moment to reflect on the other half of the equation. Most people here are fixated on several specific actions:

1. Identification of threat
2. Reaction to threat
3. Bringing weapon into play
4. Target acquisition
5. Deployment of weapon

And that's usually where it stops. Those who think a bit deeper on these matters give some thought to legal ramifications, lawsuits, lawyer fees, etc. Going a little further, we also have the problem of the person who has been shot (could be you, too). Somebody has to patch that person up, oversee their rehab, provide wound care, medication, possibly prosthetics and reconstructive surgery. This is rarely discussed.

But if we had any ER surgeons here who could weigh in, particularly those from an urban area, they'd probably tell us about Friday and Saturday nights when the gunshot wound victims turn up and how much trouble that is. We'd hear more about domestic shootings and self-inflicted wounds and so forth. Somebody has to pay for that care, and it's a burden on the healthcare industry. So you can kind of understand how they might want to get some understanding of the causes of these things and how the incidence of them might be reduced.

The key point here is that all of this is their business. It is reasonable that they would have concerns about this from an epidemiological perspective, just as they do with things like drug and alcohol and tobacco use.

I've always bristled at what I consider NOYB questions from pretty much anybody. In the past I've been known to include an F in the phrase.

We've got a Stop 'N' Rob here that asked for my DOB in order to ring up a sale of cigarettes. I stopped being PO'd and now enjoy seeing how young or old a DOB I can give without getting so much as a glance from the clerk.

I seem to have mellowed a bit in my responses and can usually have a little fun with the asker. I'd probably say something like, "You know, i used to have a lot of guns but I kind of outgrew them, I'm just much more into explosives these days."

netav8tor:

No, seriously, what is the question for which you provided the multiple choice answers?

netav8tor:

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i can beat that- up,up,down,down left, right, left, right, A, B, A, B, SELECT START

You are under NO obligation to answer any questions a Doctor asks. If he says you are, you are under no obligation to tell the truth.....