My brother in law is a GP and his way of dealing with unwanted consults is to pretend that he is not a very good doctor. You’ll often hear him saying things like, “Hmmm, not sure what that could be. I never did well in that part of the course.”

This same thing happens to lawyers and computer savy people (probably other professions as well). I once heard that a doctor complained to one of his lawyer friends about this very thing. The lawyer said, “The way I deal with it is I give the advice and then send the person a bill the next day.” The doctor thanked his friend for the advice and decided he would try it. A few days later though, he received a bill in the mail from his lawyer friend.

Hi K,

The term “curbside consult” is familiar, in fact, I have read an article pretty similar in nature yours just a couple of years back. And during my stint at the Emergency Dept during a training module to do with legal aspects of medicine we did cover this as well. In short, don’t do it.

But (you know this is coming), I think there is another aspect about curbside consult that is not mentioned in the article. It is practically based on trust by both parties. The asker trusts the askee has the knowledge to give an opinion based on his expertise, while the askee trusts the asker will exercise his own judgement on when to seek more professional help and not to sue should anything untoward happens. It’s a given that curbside consult is an AOR (At Own Risk) endeavour. Or at least it is, among my circle of friends and acquintances. For added measure, I always remind them as well.

And yes, I do ask my lawyer, accountant, financial manager and software engineer friends for “curbside consults” too!

Just curious, won’t you give advice to your own mother or sister, should they ask for a medical opinion?

Therapists are tapped for quick opinions also. I demur from many-a cocktail consultations by being a pediatric therapist. I consistently have told whoever asks that I can refer them to the best people I know for adult and orthopedic diagnoses.

Then there’s the people who love to tell how much PT hurt and the PT was a saddist. To which I ask, does your [body part] now work? Conversation ends.

Curbside…I had a doctor do that after I discovered that my parathyroid measurement was 171 at the age of 53. 20 years earlier they discovered that I had osteoporosis. This morons, I now am forced to go to, having NEVER seen him before in a curbside consult said that my parathyroid problem was secondary. It was primary, I had to leave my town to have that discovered. Arrogant demi gods. I writhed in pain and this lazy, sociopath,(who trains the resident doctors) cares more about his ego than a tortured, in pain mother of 5, who is deathly ill. Curbside fits thier treatment of me!!!! Isn’t that where you put your garbage? Curbside? I detest the unconscienable medical practice of the U.S. I am sitting here now with less than 29% total function of my kidneys, certain I have another kidney infection, knowing that when I go in, which I have to, that, the labs will either be incorrect or they will put me on the 4th medication this year, that will be toxic to my kidneys..ABSOLUTELY hoping to have me dead!!! Who is a murderer? I know!