A nurse, Mrs Chinenye Ifegwu, of Owen Clinic, Benin, has urged patients to provide complete and truthful health information to healthcare providers, warning that withholding vital details could affect diagnosis and treatment.
Ifegwu gave the advice in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Tuesday in Benin.
She said information provided by patients played a critical role in helping doctors understand health conditions, determine necessary investigations and provide appropriate treatment.
“A doctor is not a spirit to detect what is wrong with a patient. It is what the patient tells the doctor that helps in making the right diagnosis,” she said.
According to her, while patients’ descriptions of symptoms are important, laboratory investigations remain necessary because different illnesses can present similar signs and symptoms.
She said that patients who concealed symptoms, previous diagnoses or medications they had received could undergo unnecessary tests, incur higher treatment costs and still fail to receive appropriate care.
The nurse also expressed concern that some patients provided incorrect information about their age, stressing that age was important in clinical assessment, drug dosage and treatment decisions.
She added that some patients failed to disclose previous hospital visits or earlier diagnoses, making it difficult for healthcare providers to build on existing medical findings.
According to Ifegwu, fear of stigma, embarrassment and lack of privacy during consultations often discourage some patients from disclosing sensitive health information.
She said some patients were particularly reluctant to discuss conditions such as HIV, sexually transmitted infections and fertility-related challenges because of fear of discrimination.
The nurse advised healthcare workers to protect patients’ privacy and create a confidential environment that encouraged open communication during consultations.
She urged patients to trust healthcare providers with their personal health information, noting that nurses also provided counselling and guidance on health-related concerns.
Ifegwu encouraged patients to provide accurate information about their symptoms, previous treatment and medical history to support proper diagnosis and effective care.
“Doctors can only work with the information patients provide. Help your doctor to help you by being truthful about your symptoms, previous treatment and medical history,” she said.(NAN).
