Can she insist you wear a mask?

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My brother, who works in a doctor's office assisting with eye exams and things like that, sent a text to our family group chat stating that he was attempting to perform an exam on a patient and I guess he wasn't wearing a mask so the patient asked if he could put one on. He refused I guess because their office no longer "requires" office personnel to have to wear a mask. He stated that she got mad because he wouldn't and she left. He is saying that their office is mask optional and the patient can't dictate anybody who comes in contact with her to wear a mask. Then he gave the analogy that if she goes to Walmart she can't make those people around her wear a mask. Is he right? First of all, I think that is a stupid analogy.

On one hand I can side with the office. If they are mask optional then the patient needs to be aware that they have relaxed their policies somewhat. But then on the side of the patient, if you are in that close of a proximity to me to be examining my eyes then I would prefer you put on a mask, for your protection and mine. No, it wouldn't have killed my brother to have reached over and grabbed a mask for the 2 or 3 minutes he would have been in her face and I don't see why he just didn't have one handy anyway. But no, he was just being defiant and not willing to take the patient's feelings into consideration. Again, she's the patient and is paying for a service. She wasn't asking you to wear it all day. She just wanted you to wear one while you were examining her. And then for him to flat out refuse thus causing her to leave is beyo9nd me. Can you imagine what she could possibly say to his boss or one of the office workers there as to his conduct.

Hell, I go to Walmart all the time and a number of their employees are still wearing masks so how is it he, in a doctor's office, feels like he couldn't or shouldn't wear one simply because a patient asked him to? When I go to doctor's visits I've not seen any of them not wearing a mask. I just think that in the medical profession you need to be mindful of your patients and their requests. No, I'm not wearing a mask much these days but when I go to a store like Walmart if someone gets too close to me in line I do tend to move up or even step out of the way or to the side. I may not say anything directly to them but I will let them know they are too close. I'm vaxed and double boosted but I still take precautions. I'm not getting close to total strangers talking right in their face. And I too wouldn't have a problem going to a doctor's visit and asking the person about to examine me if they didn't mind wearing a mask.

This isn't about asking a total stranger on the street about to pass by you or someone in a store asking them to put on a mask. This is a health concern and you work in a medical office. Because your office may have a mask optional policy doesn't mean you shouldn't honor the request of a patient you will only be in contact with for a few minutes before the actual doctor comes in. I guess he's thinking that this woman didn't have the right to ask him to put on a mask since their office is now mask optional. Was there a sign on the door informing the patients of this, I don't know. But would that even make a difference? A patient simply asked you to put on a mask while examining her and you refused.

Is he right? Not in my eyes. What's your take on this?

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@Barry2021,

I'm with your take supporting the patient. It would have been a small thing to make a patient more comfortable and makes sense from a medical point of view. Honestly, if I was your brother's supervisor, I wouldn't have been happy.

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@Barry2021,

As long as your laws are such that masks are optional, then the business can set up policy where they are mask optional.

That means, if a patient wants to wear a mask they can. They are also in every right to ask your brother to wear a mask. Your brother in turn also has every right to deny that request (again assuming that is what the practice has put in place). If the patient feels uncomfortable with that, then the patient has every right to leave, which she did.

So everyone did what was within their rights. My opinion is though your brother was stupid. It was a small thing to make a patient feel comfortable so why not comply? Was it worth losing a patient?

One other thing, it is highly likely due to the actions of your brother, the office may change its policy whereas if a patient requests you to wear a mask, you must comply. To me that seems the most reasonable and caring way to handle it.

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@engineer,

engineer wrote:

I'm with your take supporting the patient. It would have been a small thing to make a patient more comfortable and makes sense from a medical point of view. Honestly, if I was your brother's supervisor, I wouldn't have been happy.

Engine,

My brother just feels that he's right on everything. AS you may remember, he and his grown son are staying at our parent's house now because they got evicted from their apartment. Our mom is only asking him to pay $100 a week from each of them to stay there. Our dad doesn't walk well anymore so a few years ago we have a ramp built on the back of the house so he can get in and out. A few months ago I reinforced the ramp by putting in some additional 4x4s and my brother seems to take offense to when they ask me to do things for them and they never ask him. A month or so ago our mom asked him to buy some post caps to put on the new posts since he feels no one ever asks him to do anything. He's not done it yet. 4 post caps at Lowe's or Home Depot will run at most $10. The other day I was at our parent's house and my dad pulls me to the side saying that he's giving him till the end of Aug to buy the caps and put them on. If he's not done it by then he wants me to do it. However, when Amazon had their Prime Days a few days ago he's bragging and boasting about the 3 or 4 pairs of sneakers he bought. So, you complain that no one ever asks you do do anything but when they do you drop the ball. The minute my parents would have asked me to put post caps on the ramp I would have stopped what I was doing and driven to Lowe's. Again, that was more than a month ago. See, my brother sees things in his own head. He feels that he's right to refuse to put on a mask because a patient requested it because their office now has a "mask optional" policy. I don't care if they no longer required masks at all, if a patient asks you to put on on for their protection just do it. How long do you think that office will keep you around if you keep ticking off patients causing them to walk out of an appointment not even being seen? People take time off work to go to doctor's visits and to have one walk out is not going to fair well to you or your boss.

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@RPhalange,

RPhalange wrote:

As long as your laws are such that masks are optional, then the business can set up policy where they are mask optional.

That means, if a patient wants to wear a mask they can. They are also in every right to ask your brother to wear a mask. Your brother in turn also has every right to deny that request (again assuming that is what the practice has put in place). If the patient feels uncomfortable with that, then the patient has every right to leave, which she did.

So everyone did what was within their rights. My opinion is though your brother was stupid. It was a small thing to make a patient feel comfortable so why not comply? Was it worth losing a patient?

One other thing, it is highly likely due to the actions of your brother, the office may change its policy whereas if a patient requests you to wear a mask, you must comply. To me that seems the most reasonable and caring way to handle it.

Everyone may have been within their "rights" but when his boss, the doctor, realize he may be losing business I'm sure they will not take too kindly to this. It doesn't take but one social media post, Yelp review, or even a phone call to the local TV station to say that a medical professional declined to wear a mask when asked. Again, well within rights but he's been wearing a mask for the past 2 years on the job, is 2 more minutes gonna hurt him?

And again, he lives with our elderly parents who both have major health issues. If not for the patient's safety he should have thought about the safety of our parents he goes home to every night. What if that patient had covid and was saying in so many words asking you to put on a mask? Maybe she had covid but didn't want to say it outright for fear he may completely refuse service to her and that was her way of just trying to be careful? Ok, be defiant and not wear a mask because the office now has a mask optional policy. The patient breaths in his face and one of the new variants catches on to him and he possibly takes that home to our parents.

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@Barry2021,

At this current moment many medical facilities even during last year just do not care and believe the scare is over. In my opinion if the patient request this they should do so. In fact I would even go as far having a hidden camera on me while I make this request.

At the moment this would be a lawsuit in which the doctor would refund the time spent to the insurance, and other possible damages caused from not agreeing to that request.

This virus thing is not done yet, it has actually mutated once again and while I just say "If god wants to take my life then so be it" because the while the virus is in "survive mode" rather then "bad infection mode" at this point their is no real absolute vaccine.

..........

Again the patient can sue for damages caused. Go ask a couple of lawyers and see what they say. Again the patient ( at the moment ) has this right. I

...........

I went to the library the other day and the IT-( acting in office ) kept on making the demand to wear a mask "excuse me ___ do you have a mask, it needs to remain on at all times during your time in the library". So honestly the whole request for mask is legitimate.

Businesses still have the right to deny or request access to masks if they want.
Meaning you might go inside a restaurant and while it is not required they still might push people to show vaccination cards and bs like that. Even if it is not a requirement.

Even big events demands vaccination cards and proof of negative results.

.............

We are not out of the woods yet. It has to be

1. Vaccination cards not required to work or be shown.
2. Negative results not required.
3. Masks are optional but can be requested.

Who am I kidding, poor Italy.

1 Reply

@PoliteMight,

PoliteMight wrote:

At this current moment many medical facilities even during last year just do not care and believe the scare is over. In my opinion if the patient request this they should do so. In fact I would even go as far having a hidden camera on me while I make this request.

At the moment this would be a lawsuit in which the doctor would refund the time spent to the insurance, and other possible damages caused from not agreeing to that request.

This virus thing is not done yet, it has actually mutated once again and while I just say "If god wants to take my life then so be it" because the while the virus is in "survive mode" rather then "bad infection mode" at this point their is no real absolute vaccine.

..........

Again the patient can sue for damages caused. Go ask a couple of lawyers and see what they say. Again the patient ( at the moment ) has this right. I

...........

I went to the library the other day and the IT-( acting in office ) kept on making the demand to wear a mask "excuse me ___ do you have a mask, it needs to remain on at all times during your time in the library". So honestly the whole request for mask is legitimate.

Businesses still have the right to deny or request access to masks if they want.
Meaning you might go inside a restaurant and while it is not required they still might push people to show vaccination cards and bs like that. Even if it is not a requirement.

Even big events demands vaccination cards and proof of negative results.

.............

We are not out of the woods yet. It has to be

1. Vaccination cards not required to work or be shown.
2. Negative results not required.
3. Masks are optional but can be requested.

Who am I kidding, poor Italy.

Covid may just be one of those things that will be here forever especially with all the different variants coming out every few months. We'll just have to live with it but we still need to take precautions. Being vaccinated and boosted doesn't mean you still can't transmit it to someone with a weakened immune system. Again, our parents are in their 70s and 80s and they both have health issues. He's not even thinking about them. What if he takes something home to them because he refuses to put on a mask while in a patient's face.

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