Well, as a nurse for over 25 years.....many of them working in Case Management, I know first hand about non-compliant patients, and the frustration of beating your head against a wall....but that is NOT an excuse for not giving your patient the best care you can provide for them!

My niece was "dismissed" from one doc because of non-compliance. It can and is done. But most docs don't do it, they just keep urging their patients to do what they have to do. Having the patient ignore them....or even worse having a history of patients that ignore them....is part of the job, not a reason to stop giving advice or expecting poorer results.

As for patients not being obsessed with their disease? Well for many years that is exactly how diabetes was treated. People were told to question everything they put in their mouths. They also checked their urine and/or blood several times a day, on insulin or not. I cannot understand the rationale on how patients are treated now! Studies prove that better control means less complications. So why the heck are they not looking for tighter control!?!?!?!?

Frustration! When first diagnosed, you might have called my sister non-compliant....but now, since she's read up on it and knows the potential complications, she follows her MD's orders as carefully as possible. AND even if she was, telling her that her numbers are acceptable, when they're in fact too high is WRONG!

She understands what I was telling her about insulin resistance, diabetes, LC diets, etc.....but she also trusts her doc over me.....I may be her sister, but I'm also "just a nurse"! AAAARRRRGGGGGHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!