Dr Shields made a great difference in my life with a procedure to end a choking problem. He was very caring, stopping by to check up on me and chat in the recovery room. read more

So happy to meet Dr Shields , he is confident, professional, informative, friendly and helpful. I am absolutely positive he will do a great job and help me get the tests completed to assure me that I am healthy and doing well. The appointment went well and we are ready to go next week!! Yikes!!! read more

Dr Shields might seem fantastic when he is capable of being sued, but he is NOT a caring or thoughtful doctor. In Nov 2015, Dr Shields was the attending physician at the VA Palo Alto Medical Center overseeing a colonoscopy I was having. The need for the procedure was due to a bad nickel allergy, and I spent 10 min before the procedure explaining the allergy to Dr Shields and the Fellow. I woke up with a beneign polyp removed and 3 surgical steel clips (with an average of 7.5% nickel) left in place. My spouse and I begged Dr Shields to remove them, keep me overnight for observation, anything. He refused, said "I've used these for years and no one ever has a problem with them." By the following morning, I was in full anaphylaxis. The clips did not fall out as they were supposed to, but instead obstructed my colon, caused a massive infection, and left my previously manageable allergy an anaphylaxis trigger. As this occured at the VA, i have no financial recourse, and Dr Shields gets to live a nice life. While I spend my days just trying to breathe and not die in front of my 5 year old kid. This is NOT how any patient should be treated EVER, especially veterans. Dr Shields is in my opinion the most arrogant, unthoughtful physician I have ever encountered. I should have that put on my tombstone. read more

Yelp did not work for me this time. My husband had a hemmerhoidectomy two years ago (by another doctor) and has had nothing but pain and misery ever since. We have been trying to find a sympathetic doctor who can help him. I was hoping this Dr could since the reviews were so stellar. On my husband's first visit, he didn't feel listened to, or believed. He felt like the doctor was questioning how much pain he endures every day. Dr Shields prescribed the same meds two other doctors had also prescribed that did not help. He said he would try anyway, with fiber and eating other foods. None of this made any difference. I went with him the second time. The Dr cut my husband off in the middle of his talking about the surgery, saying essentially "I've heard all of this from you before." Sometimes people just feel like they need to be heard and understood. Then I started talking, telling him how horrible it is watching the person you love suffer daily. He said there was "no magic bullet" and that you just have to keep trying different medications combined with other treatments. This might be true, but I did not feel one ounce of empathy from him. We both felt like we were an annoyance and he wanted us to just go away. We have not been back and to my knowledge there was no follow up call from him or anyone from his office. I know many of you really like him and that is wonderful, but he did not seem overly caring to us. A shame. read more

I had a very good experience with Dr Shields and his staff. Completely different from "Paul S." The women running the office, schedules, etc and his nurses were all especially caring and accommodating - to a point where it was quite a surprise. They fit me in at the last minute for an examination and Dr Shields personally altered his schedule for the next day to perform a procedure on me. When it came to billing, the staff actually called my insurance company to work out the cost of a panel of lab tests -all while I was meeting with the doctor. They came back to me with a cost and knocked off 10% of what the insurance company wouldn't cover. Apart from all of this, what matters most obviously is if the doctor is capable. I'm not an expert, but I found Dr Shields to be particularly capable and personable. He was thoughtful, confident and experienced regarding my particular ailment. And the examination was not rushed or matter-of-fact (somewhat surprising because so many doctors these days seem to have little time for us patients). I would recommend Dr Shields to friends and family without reservation. read more

Let me start by saying that I honestly don't know why the reviews here are not all 5 star. Doctor Shields is a gem in the Bay Area and among the best in his field. My experience with him was all positive and my procedure went flawlessly. Let me disclose my credentials by stating that I am an RN in GI/Endoscopy and have an idea of some of the most talented physicians in the Bay Area, which is why myself as well as many of my colleagues find ourselves seeking care from Doctor Shields. His depth of experience allows for him to pick up on subtle things quickly and he takes time to talk to patient and answer their questions. I really appreciated the time I spent with him and would recommend him to anyone wanting a skilled, caring, and competent provider. read more

Dr. David S. Shields has been my gastroenterologist for 30 years. I was exposed to the herbicide Agent Orange while in the US Army in Vietnam in the early 1970's which resulted in a liver disease that eventually required a liver transplant. In addition, I developed ulcerative colitis (Crones Disease?). As a result of the exposure to Agent Orange, my liver began to fail in the late 1990's and my bio ducts began to close and I would have died except that Dr. Shields continued to perform ERCPs on me to open up the bio ducts. In 2001 I got very weak and green and Dr. Shields was instrumental in getting me on a liver transplant list just in time and I was blessed to get a liver. Without the partnership of my wife, Dr. Shields, Dr. Keefee and Dr. Ahmed, I would not be alive to write this. As a post liver transplant patient, I have a compromised immune system (because I take anti-rejection medication) and I am more susceptible to colon cancer than the average person and I had to be checked annually for many years and now every two years and I have had scores of colonoscopies performed by Dr. Shields. He is the most skillful, trustworthy compassionate doctor in performing this procedure with the very least amount of discomfort--I would trust only him to do this procedure! Dr. Shields is a gifted/skillful doctor with deep human compassion. He is like part of our family and I would be proud to recommend him to anyone! read more

I've been seeing Dr. Shields for more than a decade, mostly for routine procedures like my regular colonoscopy but other issues as well. I have always found him to be caring and thorough. He has never rushed me and he has gone out of his way to make sure all my questions have been answered. He has a good "bed side manner" and based on one episode he helped me with, he did his homework, doing the research that was needed and sharing the results with me. read more

I credit Dr. Shields with saving my life. I was having severe abdominal pain and my regular doctor threw up his hands. My ob-gyn recommended Dr. Shields, who saw me right away. He found a duodenum polyp by doing endoscope, biopsied it, and it was very close to cancerous. Since this is very rare, it's almost never found in time. He performed another endoscope to remove it. I found him very caring and listened to me. read more

This is the physician that you want to see when your life depends on it. He is thoughtful, very competent, he follows through with your care, and he finds things that other docs may have missed. Thank you for being there for me Dr Shields! read more

Recently had some terrible severe abdominal pain. Life was pretty uncomfortable. I was recently referred over to Shields and I have to say he was by far the most pleasant physician I have had to encounter. Granted, I have not had to meet with very many specialists in my life, thank God. But Shields was very compassionate, understanding and suprisingly (not all MDs are) HELPFUL. Really appreciated him listening to me before trying to jump ahead and make me do all kinds of unneccessary testing. I have to admit I know doctors are human and not miracle workers, but he sure comes close because I feel great and back to "normal" life!. Have to mention the staff (unfortunately can't remember their names) were very warm and welcoming. Helped me greatly to get through a tangled web of medical records (kaiser sucks!). read more

We have been seeing Dr Shields as a family since 1990 and we only have the highest respect for him as a doctor. He was highly recommended to us by a very respected neurosurgeon after a surgery. Over the years he in turn referred us to an excellent network of physicians that proved to be vitally important. read more

Dr. Shields took me "under his wing" and quickly, painlessly, and kindly consulted with me and took care of me so well to prepare for and undertake a colonoscopy. I had other issues that required special handling and processed during the procedure and he made sure I was well taken care of. And even with the complexities other health issues, I was treated with great respect. I am grateful to have found him. I am also grateful to his office staff, who clearly, respectfully, and calmly answered my questions and gave me a peace of mind. I recommend Dr. Shields!! read more

I was considering doing an upper endoscopy with him earlier this year. I have seen him twice - once last year and again this year. He came off as pretty cold and terse in his replies. I would have appreciated a more engaging and caring doctor. It's not just how good a doctor is in his procedures(no experience on that) that matters but also his/her bedside manners and the ability to express empathy. read more

I think he is a really caring doctor, BUT in all honesty I would not recommend getting a colonoscopy from him. I have had three in his colonoscopy center, and each one was worse than the last. In all three cases, the sedation was not adequate and I woke up as soon as they inserted the instrument. The procedure was terribly painful, and the pain along with minor bleeding continued for three days after the procedure, making it impossible for me to work. Furthermore, he had me fast for four days prior to the procedure, rather than the three days required elsewhere, which caused me to be to weak to work after the second day and too dizzy to drive. I am self employed so this meant nearly a week without pay. Worse, after the second colonoscopy I changed insurance companies, and although Dr, Shields was one of their providers, he did not register his colonoscopy center with them, which I xfound out too late, and I had to pay out of pocket, which was a fortune. My insurance company will not let me go back even if I wanted to. read more

Having had GI issues since I was a teen, I have been to more than one GI Doc in my years. I came to Doctor Shields initially because of his association with the providers of the CRH O'Regan system. (google it) I was extremely satisified with Doctor Shields from my initial consultation and through both of my procedures. He is the consumate professional and although I never look forward to a doctors office, I am confident that he will make my final procedure as pleasant an experience as I have had thus far. read more

Dr. Shields was as good as it gets. When my wife was very sick with chronic diarrhea for several months he got her in the office promptly and didn't stop until he found the cause of her sickness. He let us know what to expect before procedures and always followed up after. He called, even in the evening making sure my wife was ok and let us know the results of tests as soon as they arrived. He is the best most thoughtful doctor we have had and may have saved my wife's life by aggressively looking until he found the cause of her sickness. read more

Dr Shields is a great physician who takes his time for talking and examining his patients. Unlike most physicians in this area he doesn't cut consultations short. I also found his explanations very informative while he answered all of my questions thoroughly. It didn't seem as he was recommending medications or procedures unnecessarily. I greatly recommend him and would go see him again anytime. read more

Dr. Shields listened to my story about my medical condition. I had not met him before today. He was extremely informative and i felt so relieved that he is taking over my care. He has the most experience i have seen with this issue. I would highly recommend him. he asked questions, listened, was patient and explained many options to me. I am so thankful that i reached out to him for a second opinion on this very difficult medical situation. read more

Fantastically caring and competent doctor. I was worried about pain during or after my colonoscopy. There was none! It was a 5-star procedure, beginning to end. read more

Dr. Shields runs the most incompetent office I have ever encountered. For multiple weeks I had requested a copy of a procedure that he performed. His office told me that it was mailed to me. I need this report to for another doctor. It never arrived in the mail. I called his office and was told the test was printed out and I should drive to pick it up. I drove to his office the next morning and was told that nothing was left for me and I should come back in the afternoon. I finally got the test results. Additionally, I requested a short letter on his letterhead. I requested this two months ago and despite calls to the office about the letter, I never received it. read more

Dr. Shields is a phenomenal physician who is compassionate and caring. As most first visits come with the jitters, Dr. Shields and his staff put me to ease. I feel like I was well taken care of and would recommend Dr. Shields to any individuals suffering from gastrointestinal issues. read more

Just had my third colonoscopy here. Each time, Dr. Shields and his staff have been very competent and professional from start to finish. Highly recommended. read more

This man (I would not call him a doctor by any means) is known throughout the gastroenterlogical community in the area as well as among other physicians as having the worst bedside manner imaginable. I discovered this after seeing him and having a procedure with him. Saying he is inconsiderate, insensitive and downright disinterested with an angry demeanor would be understatements. He obviously was not cut out for showing compassion or a caring attitude whatsoever and should have been a lawyer or the like as opposed to providing kind medical care for those who need medical attention. He sincerely appears to hate what he is doing and it is quite obvious as well as appalling. His technical abilities are average at best which probably allows him to stay in practice. I would highly recommend that anyone considering using this man as a doctor should consider an alternative practitioner/clinician. read more

I saw Dr. Shields on the recommendation of a previous doctor of mine (whose medical prudence I now question). I went with a digestion problem, a problem about which he neither asked any questions, nor was concerned. He asked me no questions about my diet, my day to day lifestyle, nor about my stress level. After questioning me about my family's disease history, and spending some time typing it all onto his laptop, he told me that I should have been in for one of his procedures years ago. I should, as a result, schedule a procedure with him soon. I could not believe how disinterested/not interested he was in the reason for which I was there in the first place. When I reminded him of the reason for my visit, he just looked up at me absentmindedly and cluelessly, with no real deliberate attempt at discovering the source or explanation of my discomforting problem. It became very clear to me that this is the way in which this man makes his money!!! I.e. through getting people scheduled on the books for this procedure! P.S. Another bothersome and unprofessional observation: The secretary there was on the phone speaking very loudly about the ramifications of her very tedious divorce! Not exactly calming conversation to be forced to listen to when one is in discomfort and nervous about seeing a new doctor! Imagine my shock and disgust when I got the bill for $450.00! read more