In a world of political correctness it seems silly to remind patients to be honest with their doctor. But, since we are talking about truth and reality is many patients do not realize the importance of telling the truth to their physician. A recent article in the Huffington Post highlighted the reasons why omitting the truth, or lying is hurtful to the patient. According to the article You and your physician are a team working together to keep you healthy, says Wellness Advisor Beth Reconti T M.D. Always bring up drinking, just like any other lifestyle habit, including cigarettes and exercise. Dr. Kim explains to his patients that collecting medical information and health history helps him to better assess if the patient is a good candidate surgery. This information not only includes lifestyle and family history of illness, but also previous surgeries. Unfortunately, it is not uncommon for patients to omit previous surgeries including liposuction and rhinoplasty. Sometimes they are embarrassed and do not want to let the plastic surgeon know that they have had previous surgery in that area. Without this information the doctor is inclined to believe that the patient is having surgery for the first time. Unfortunately when the surgeon performs the surgery that is when they realize that there is an abundance of scar tissue from previous surgery. This can not only affect the results of the surgery but also can add additional surgery time and possible cost to the patient. Dr. Kim is committed to providing a comfortable environment so that patients can freely share information in confidence.
