Don't judge me

I have to go back to my  doctor's this week and I suspect that neither of us are looking forward to the experience all that much. We hear a lot about how important it is for health care professionals (HCPs)  to be non-judgmental in their dealing with patients but very little about what happens to the HCP/patient relationship when the patient is doing the judging.

Although I haven't visited my GP very much (not at all in the last 30 years) we have settled into a nice mutually judgmental relationship. He finds me irritating and demanding because I understand health care, know what treatment I need and ask for it repeatedly. I find him patronizing  and unhelpful because he insists on doing tests to find out what is wrong with me rather than just giving me the treatment I want. Neither of us are wrong  - we just understand each others position, disagree with it and try to work round it. This attitude does not necessarily  have a negative effect our relationship, rather it places it upon an equal footing which is often lacking in other HCP/patient interactions.

How informed is informed?

I recently fell into the hands of organized health-care which necessitated a visit to the ultrasound department of my local hospital. In the spirit of ensuring I was informed about my forthcoming visit they sent me a helpful leaflet about drinking water an hour beforehand, how long the investigation would take, what to expect (gel on tummy) etc. NO MENTION AT ALL of the invasive part of the procedure!!!!!
Is this because they think that's the most fun part (*hint* it really really isn't) and want it to be a nice surprise or is it because they think if women know about that bit they won't turn up? Either way my consent was only semi-informed at best, the information I was given seconds before the procedure began was inaccurate ("this won't hurt much") and I am not a happy patient.