Sorry this isn’t going to be a clinical post at all. However, I think it is important and until this recently happened to me, I didn’t even think about it. I just assumed that people knew not to do this.
Here’s what happened. A new patient to our clinic came to her appointment late and brought her cat with her in a little carrier. She was told she could not bring a cat to a medical office and told to reschedule her appointment. She returns on a different day WITH THE CAT. Somehow, she got pass the front office and was being brought to the exam room when the office manager stopped her and told her she could not bring a cat into the office. We don’t do this to be mean. We have to take precautions because many people are allergic. Some have very serious and even life threatening reactions. In any case, the patient took her cat to the car and came back for her appointment. Now it just so happens that she came to see me. I just so happen to have severe allergies to cats (among many other things). And though I was on medication, I was already feeling symptoms just from the exposure in the hallway. Another doctor in the clinic saw the patient for me. It is not uncommon for one doctor to help another doctor out in the clinic because emergencies do arise, people run late, doctors run late, etc. But now the patient is upset. I’m a little upset. And the office is a little upset because the patient was yelling at them. Wouldn’t it be easier to avoid all of this?
Here it is: When you go to a medical office, don’t wear perfumes, don’t bring your pets, wear clean clothes (pet dander/dust etc. can often remain on clothes for hours or days), and ask for a mask if you are sick with cough or fever in order to protect other patients in the waiting room. It’s basic common courtesy.
I’ve even thought about what people should do with guide dogs. And frankly I’m not sure. I’ve had blind patients but they are usually brought to the appointment by a family member or a caretaker or assistant so I guess they leave the guide dog at home on these occasions. I still stand by the rule of leaving animals out of the medical office because other patients and doctors can have serious health complications from this exposure.