2023-04-30 11:39:40
Los problems derivatives of the apparatus male genital and urinary are pathologies little visible among some patients who, on many occasions, show themselves ashamed because of their condition and may feel “out of place” in the consultations if they discover that it is a urologist womanto the person in charge of explore them.
To avoid this situation, the coordinator of the Group of Residents and Young Urologists of the Spanish Association of Urology (AEU), Elena Followhas affected an interview with Medical Writing on importance of feminizing medicine to break gender barriers between doctors and patients.
Beyond this initial ‘shock’ of the patients when they see that a young woman has to attend to them and the “fear” of having the tests carried out, Segui has affirmed that, “normally”, no man has caused her trouble to efficiently do your job.
“When they come and see that you are the health professional and what you have to do to them, many of the patients refuse at first. Everyone feels ashamed, and we are there to try to convey a comfortable, confident and secure feeling, explaining to them that it is one more test and that’s it ”, she has transferred.
Out of shame, patients do not explain what is happening to them
In addition, he also comes across cases that, due to a feeling of shame Due to their pathologies, the patients themselves do not explain what is happening to them. “These are issues that they do not talk regarding, sometimes I do not find out that they have a problem when it comes to going to the bathroom until I spend a long time with them joking and hesitating for a while,” he lamented.
Even so, Segui has insisted that the number of patients who refuse to do a routine exam is “minimal”. “In the end, no one has refused to have a check-up, but they have refused to have a prostate biopsy”, she stated.
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Importance of attending consultations for early diagnosis |
On the other hand, the lack of visibility of this type of diseases causes “many” patients to hide them. for fear of being considered “less men” for having them. In this way, a bad habit is created that, on occasions, prevents physicians from diagnosing them on time or from doing the relevant tests for not going to hospitals.
“It is very normal for patients to go to the gynecologist to have their check-ups, but this does not happen with the urologist. People do not know when they have to come for a consultation ”, she underlined.
Las main diseases that cause this feeling of fragile masculinity in the patient are those related to the prostate, such as the iurinary continenceor with the male reproductive system, such as the erectile dysfunctionamong other.
In this way, Segui has highlighted the importance of attend consultations when it’s timebecause not doing so supposes that the facultative ones unable to make an early diagnosis regarding a pathology, or that when they do, it is too late how to find one solution on time.
To exemplify this situation, the urologist has reported the case of a 90 year old patient who attended his consultation with a very advanced penile cancer, and that he had not gone before out of shame.” “I also had a case of prostate cancer in a very young person. Well, this person refused to be treated ”, he lamented.
“You are left with the feeling of not doing things well”
In these cases, the specialist has stated that she feels “a certain impotence” by not being able to “do anything” if the patient refuses to attend reviews. “You can’t force anyone. As a professional you are left with the feeling of not doing things well or not doing enough ”, she underlined.
One of the possible consequences of these refusals is the psychological factor which takes an essential role in this type of patients, who even go so far as to state to their doctors that they are “no longer worth anything” because of their urinary and genital problems.
For this reason, Segui believes that along with the work of specialists in the detection and treatment of urological problems, a psychological exercise “of which they are not very accustomed” has been added to help these patients.
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More office space for patients to “feel safe” to talk |
The reason for this ‘lack’ within Urology consultations it is, in the words of the specialist, due to a “lack of visibility in the non-medical part” between the physicians and their patients. For this reason, she has stressed that it is necessary for there is a dialogue between the two parties regarding the possible psychological consequences of having some type of pathology that affects the male reproductive system.
“It is possible that we are not making these types of problems visible enough, as is the case, for example, with breast cancer. I believe that Urology and man’s problems have to be made much more visible, and that does not mean that we are questioning a person’s masculinity, quite the contrary”, he has had an impact.
Therefore, and doing self-criticism to the work of urologists, Segui has advocated giving more space in queries so that the patient “feels safe” and can speak “with confidence” regarding what his situation is causing him on a psychological level. “It is necessary that they also talk regarding their feelings and emotions, because a man also has them, like every human being”, he has affirmed.
Although it may contain statements, data or notes from health institutions or professionals, the information contained in Redacción Médica is edited and prepared by journalists. We recommend to the reader that any health-related questions be consulted with a health professional.
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