Why do doctors need to know marital stat

iVillage Member
Registered: 04-29-2003
Why do doctors need to know marital stat
33
Mon, 06-04-2007 - 4:40pm

Just wondered this, I was already wondering it upon visiting both a dermatologist and an eye doctor within the last 6 months. I can understand if a gynecologist needs to know, if the woman is pregnant or discovered to have a STD. But why, with all doctors, when you go for the first visit and have to fill out the new patient forms, is there always a section for you to disclose your marital status?

I was already wondering this, but thought I would ask other peoples' opinions after reading a review of Bella De Paulo's book "Singled Out" I either read it in the reviews of this book in Amazon dot com today, or it was in the Internet in something I read about singles discrimination, but someone said "yes, doctors want to know why you are single so they can tell you that if you were married, your problem would go away, or that if you have the problem and are single, it is because you are single and have the time to imagine more medical problems." (I am paraphrasing, but I hope the gist gets through) I would hope that this person's opinion of why doctors ask marital status isn't the case, but you never know.

Personally, what I have thought to do with such a question on such a new patient form, one time I just put "N/A" down, the doctor didn't say anything. Then there was the time at a temp agency where I was filling out the I-9 form, (in my state, employers can't legally ask marital status) however, there was a space on the I-9 form for me to put my "maiden name" So I filled it in and put my last name, and figured I would let them wonder if I was married but chose to keep my original last name.

So what is anyone else's take on why doctor's (and others) ask this, to me, irrelevant question on their forms for one to fill out?

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Avatar for cl_shywon
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-20-2003
Thu, 06-07-2007 - 1:14pm

What if they just poke at you?

iVillage Member
Registered: 11-01-2005
Thu, 06-07-2007 - 4:41pm

>>What if they just poke at you? Do you like that?
I always have a poker in my class. I've started poking back. <<

Ha ha. Thankfully, I don't work with kids. (Although, with the way my coworkers have been acting lately, maybe I should take that back...)

I think I'd react to poking the way I've been taught by the dog trainer to react to my puppy barking at me to get attention -- turn around and look the other way and ignore her until she gives me what's called in puppy class "a polite greeting." :)

Maybe I'll write a book: "How Training Your Kid is Like Training Your Puppy. Subtitle: No is Not a Bad Word."

AJ, enjoying life with C.

iVillage Member
Registered: 12-03-2006
Fri, 06-08-2007 - 4:42pm

Standard patient history includes demographics such as age, race, ethnicity, gender, marital status. Marital status seem least relevant except in specialties such ob/gyn, family practice/internal med or psychiatry. But that's the standard. I suppose any one patient can be expected to go to different doctors and having this information handy and standardized make it easier for a new dr who's reading a patient's history. Also in epidemiology studies marital status is relevant.

However, like someone else said, it's not just medical info but it seems every where else you go, they require marital status info. Why would you need to know marital status when applying to schools, jobs, or a number of things. But like most things, being inclusive doesn't hurt. However, if you want to decline, you can still do so.

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