In-House Doc: When it's okay to defy your doctor's orders

Whenever you are unwell and unclear about remedial measures, I’ll bet that you tend to visit your doctor. You get assessed and then end up with recommendations for further testing and treatment. In the interest of getting better, it is an accepted norm that you tend to go with what the doctor recommends. But can you defy your doctor’s orders at times?

It can be an agonising decision to defy your doctor’s orders in the face of a disease. But yes, you can decide not to accept anything your doctor recommends depending on specific circumstances. You can decline to be examined, you can decline to undergo some tests and you can also decline to take any proposed medications. There are endless recommendations that your doctor can come up with and equally endless opportunities for you to be defiant.

You can justify your defiance with several reasons. For starters, the doctor could be vague about the recommendations. This might leave you unsure about what to accept. Also, the recommended interventions might be way too expensive, in spite of viable effective alternatives.

In some cases, the proposed treatment might predict unrealistic outcomes, which even a layperson can decipher. The list goes on and on. The right to accept any recommendation rests with you and your doctor cannot enforce any proposal. But a word of caution is warranted. You must desist from defying your doctor’s advice just for the sake of it.

Yes, you could be a know-it-all and may have gotten so far by your own devices. Doctors have a duty to uphold and will strive to do their best for you. You will struggle to find any doctor who is in the habit of playing tricks on you for self-gratification. Whatever they advise will be well reasoned out, with your well-being driving every recommendation.

So, be very clear about your reasons for defying your doctor’s advice. You must be ready to take responsibility for your own decisions. Sometimes doctors will ask you to sign a document absolving them from blame or negligence should you choose to defy their advice.

In many situations which are not immediately life-threatening, disregarding a doctor’s advice may not necessarily leave you any worse.

But if you end up sicker, you cannot make an about-turn and seek redress after deliberately ignoring remedial measures.

We live in a liberal world where we are free to make any choices we wish. In matters of health decision, weigh everything and come up with a reasoned judgment. Engage your doctor in discussions about all options that may be open to your specific circumstances. Only defy them if you have reason to believe they are not acting in your best interest.

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