Dear MIRIAM: BAD CALL BY DOC.

Byline: Dr MIRIAM STOPPARD

Dear Miriam

DO you think doctors can sometimes go wrong? My dad who, I admit, sometimes looks like an old tramp, felt fluey recently and took himself to the local accident and emergency department.

The young doctor on duty said he was drunk and told him to sleep it off. When I saw dad that evening he clearly wasn't drunk and was worse.

My husband and I took him to A&E again and a different doctor diagnosed diabetes. I think the first doctor jumped to conclusions because of my dad's appearance.

YES, doctors can be led astray by stereotypes and miss symptoms or make the wrong diagnosis.

Doctors are also affected by what's going around. So if they've seen 10 patients with flu that morning and another patient turns up with flu symptoms, only an alert doctor wouldn't miss something more serious like meningitis.

And doctors feel pressured to do something even when they're uncertain of the diagnosis. Sometimes it may be better to do nothing.

And, of course, doctors have likes and dislikes. If you sense your doctor is irritated by you, it's time to find another.