The News Bulletin’s most talked about story last week was a mother’s guest column about being discharged by a Crestview pediatrician’s office.
The reason?
Andrea Thomas believes it’s because she asked for a second opinion about her 2-year-old son's health care – or, perhaps, because she asked for it as a Medicaid recipient.
Most of the feedback we received —whether on Facebook, at crestviewbulletin.com or in my inbox—supported Thomas’ right to receive a second opinion.
Granted, a few people cast doubt on the account, or questioned whether there’s more to the story. They’re welcome to their opinions, but there’s no reason to believe the account was missing much. After all:
•We did not publish the pediatrician or clinic’s name, so this isn’t about the mother of three settling a score
•A number of people came forward praising Thomas and her character after the column published
•But above all, most of the comments were Crestview moms’ accounts of something very similar happening to them.
That last item proves corroboration, and it shows this is an issue in our area.
That said, the discussion could have used more balance. I wanted a doctor to join the debate, but that didn't happen. Surely there must be something we’re missing, right?
Then I read Bvoter Jones’ Facebook comment: “The Hippocratic Oath contains this phrase: ‘I will not be ashamed to say ‘I know not,’ nor will I fail to call in my colleagues when the skills of another are needed for a patient’s recovery.”
So does this tenet apply only when the doctor acknowledges his or her shortcomings and chooses to call in colleagues — that seems risky — or could it also apply when the patient, especially a parent, just wants peace of mind that comes from getting a second opinion?
Think of it this way: A woman who takes a home pregnancy test and receives a positive result wouldn’t just announce to the world that she’s pregnant; at least, I hope she wouldn’t. False positives and false negatives are rare, but they happen. So a woman should see an OB/Gyn and get a blood test to confirm the result.
That’s the point of the second opinion: peace of mind. One result to compare to another result. And when you are a parent, that should be your right. Because on some level, only you know what’s best for your child.
But I digress.
Back to the Hippocratic Oath. The point seems moot because, for some doctors, it’s “little more than a pro-forma ritual with little value beyond that of upholding tradition,” according to PBS’s “Nova.” And fewer than half of the oath’s modern versions insist on accountability for taking the pledge.
Well, that’s not very reassuring, is it?
It’s good that being discharged was the only result of Thomas’ inquiry. Child Protective Services in Sacramento sent police to remove a 5-month-old child from his mother’s arms for getting a second opinion.
Why did Anna Nikolayev and her husband, Alex, temporarily lose Baby Sammy?
Because the child presented flu-like symptoms, the couple were concerned about Sutter Memorial Hospital’s quality of care after learning a nurse administered antibiotics and allegedly didn’t know why, and doctors wanted to perform heart surgery.
Faced with questionable circumstances and a serious procedure, the couple took the child from the hospital, without proper discharge, and tried Kaiser Permanente, which gave reassuring test results.
Baby Sammy wasn't actually dying in his mother's arms, like Sutter thought, Kaiser’s results showed, and he was clinically safe to go home, according to ABC News. But that didn’t stop police from slamming the father against the wall of his home later on, swiping his keys, entering the couple’s home and telling the mother they were going to take her child away from her.
This is not about what’s legal or appropriate in a doctor’s office or hospital room. This is about freedom.
No one should be able to tell a parent what they can or cannot do for their child. Not if it’s in the child’s best interest or (as in the Sacramento couple's case, later is proven to be in the child's best interest). Not if they’re not harming the child.
This isn't about making enemies of our doctors; most of them are ethical in their care and try their best to treat us and make us feel better.
But we must listen to stories about abuse of power like Thomas’, grow incensed by those like the Nikolayev incident and realize that just because "the system" is why something like this happens, that doesn't make "the system" right.
Then let's take it to our elected officials and not just ask, but demand change.
What's your view? Write a letter to the editor or tweet News Bulletin Editor Thomas Boni.
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: EDITOR'S DESK: Getting a second opinion is a parental right