H-Minus I don’t know you and you may be the nicest guy around, I don’t know that either, but your posts in this thread about asking those types of questions to your patients comes across (to me anyway) as presumptuous and pompous.
If you’re treating any patient over the age of 15 and thinking that they’re such dolts that they don’t know about smoke detectors, seat belts or what have you, and that they need you to educate them of these newest life inventions and/or how they handle or secure their firearms at home for their own kids safety, outside of what’s ailing them at the moment and what they’re paying you for specifically, I’d have to say you’re fooling yourself about your own self worth in regards to your patients. That’s all I got. Take it with a grain of salt because I can be an ass too sometimes.
You would be amazed to see what I see on a weekly basis. You're right, most of my patients are normal individuals with all their knives in the drawer. Unfortunately, as there is probably everywhere, I have many patients that lack a great deal of common sense or lack resources to live their lives in a manner in which you or I take for granted.
This is particularly true with a lot of seniors, individuals with major mental illnesses, or young, impoverished patients with kids.
Its pretty typical on this forum that we see lots of threads talking about the latest dumbass doing something dumb with a firearm and we all comment "WTF was this person thinking". Now imagine you have 50 people like this that come to you on a regular basis for everything under the sun.
A 20 yo young mom with a toddler at home that hears voices and refuses to take her psyche meds who just hooked up with a guy that got released from a three year vacation to the state prison on assault charges and wants you to refill her oxy prescription because she has "back pain". She tells you this in tears on a busy thursday when you have 15 patients your scheduled to see. If she doesn't get her oxy she wont be able to make it through her shift at the local dunkin donuts. You better believe I'm going to ask her every question imaginable. I don't do this to run and take the info to CPS. I do this to line her up with resources to keep her and her kid safe and healthy to the best of my ability.
Obviously If I'm seeing a 55 yo financial adviser wearing a rolex who comes in for a refill on his gout medications and a quick physical, I'm not going to be asking about smoke detectors, guns, water safety and child proofing cabinets and drawers. I'm going to be focused on family medical history, cardiovascular health and ask about smoking and drinking habits.
Everybody is different and I have to tailor my exams to make the most out of the brief snapshot I get of a persons life in 45 minutes or less.
Unfortunately, I have a lot more patients with lives similar to the former than the latter example. Its not drink water, change your socks and take this 800mg motrin anymore, though many days I wish it was.