Informal consultations: a case report of a young doctor as a patient

Abstract

Introduction: Informal consultations are medical acts characterized by the individual's self-referral to a doctor, without clinical record or adequate follow-up. Despite controversy, this practice is an integral part of medical culture. This case report highlights the importance of understanding the consequences of informal consultations and the desirability of a preventive attitude towards one’s own health. Case description: A 28-year-old female health professional requests an informal consultation due to low-back pain after two months of evolution where a tentative diagnosis and treatment plan were brainstormed. Symptom aggravation led her to a formal ortho-traumatology consultation, whereupon she was definitively diagnosed with a herniated lumbar disc, and a treatment plan was discussed and implemented, with good outcomes. Commentary: This case reveals the complexity of clinical communication and psychosocial context involving informal consultations. Healthcare professionals are particularly susceptible to belittling signs and symptoms, using informal consultations to tackle the clinical situation quickly and be able to work, but without really addressing the underlying problem.