About Mara Gordon, MD
Maybe 25 times a day, I write the words “Chief Complaint,” or “CC” if I’m in a rush. The chief complaint is the main thing that brings the patient in to see the doctor. Often, it’s one of several. In my world as a primary care doctor, my patients’ chief complaints range from “abdominal pain” to “problem with my toenail” to grief, stress, or loneliness.
As I work with my patients, I often find that the chief complaint doesn’t match up with what we end up discussing. “Abdominal pain” will turn into a talk about body shame and fatphobia.