There's not a doctor on this planet who hasn't given out free medical advice to family, friends and even total strangers. It's happened to me twice just as I'd arrived in a foreign country. The first time, after a passport control officer asked me what my job was and I'd responded, “I'm a physician,” he launched into a query about his arthritic hip. The second time, a uniformed young man suspended his passport stamp in midair, asking: “Oh, you're a doctor? If a pregnancy test is negative, how long do you have to wait to be absolutely sure there's no baby?”
Usually, doctors are happy to help out in such situations. But that's not always the whole story. Here's what's actually going on in the doctor's mind when people ask for informal advice. Mary Kiehl, an internist at Washington University in St. Louis, says that giving casual consultations is part of her social obligation. In a way, she says, it's payback for the privilege of being a doctor. “I am so grateful to have received a wonderful public education in the state of California — thanks to the taxpayers of my home state. As trainees, we're the recipients of tremendous time, effort and resources. I think that privilege brings with it an obligation to be generous. If someone wants me to listen to their medical problem, I'm almost always happy to do it.”
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