I flew out of state to attend an appointment (with my mother in law) to see Dr. Sandhu. Never in my life have I seen a doctor speak down to an elderly patient and be as dismissive as Dr. Sandhu was with her. My MIL warned me that she was afraid to meet with her again because of how she's treated her in the past. She begged me to fly down to advocate due to her declining health in hopes that she could be referred to a specialist for a suspected auto-immune disease causing her to be hospitalized.
During the appointment, Dr. Sandhu would cut her off, interrupt, and speak down to her as she responded. I let her say what she needed to say with my mother and then looked her straight in the eye and told her......"Respectfully, the way you are speaking to her is not ok. You are cutting her off and your tone is incredibly rude. She has multiple symptoms of this disease and clinically we should rule out this disease before stopping her treatment." She just stared and did not apologize or change her tone. Just continued speaking to us like we were complete idiots. She continued to be dismissive and said that she "has a lot of other problems" that could be causing this. She continued pointed the blame on other chronic issues she's had for years and would not accept that these symptoms were completely new to her. We insisted she get referred to another neuro specialist to rule out this condition and when asked to potentially get her in sooner, she snapped back and said, "As I've stated MULTIPLE times, I'll be entering the notes." I told her that entering notes doesn't sound like expediting a referral to be seen sooner and she rolled her eyes halfway at me with a look of disgust.
This doctor displays ZERO empathy for patients and her bedside manner is terrible. The way she talks to patients when a family member is even present is concerning. How does she treat patients WITHOUT a third-party present? She is extremely argumentative, dismissive, and will not let you finish a sentence with her. Nor does she acknowledge her tone while speaking to you. She does not like to be called out and will not engage with any complaints about her behavior. Dr. Sandhu behaves as though she is the gatekeeper of Neurology and with Honor Health allowing her to continuing treating patients like this, she truly is. Her reviews online speak for themselves. A formal investigation needs to be initiated and her conversations with patients should be either recorded or a third-party present to ensure proper care is given. Her "About" section listed on her Honor Health profile states that "Dr. Sandhu enjoys learning through personal development and is passionate about helping others. She prioritizes time to develop a relationship with each of her patients, providing exceptional long-term care." These statements are FALSE and couldn't be further from the truth. The only relationships she develops with patients is that of fear. Fear of losing a prescription that's been given which is helping. Fear that this is the only doctor who can get them the care they desperately need. Fear that if they speak up, that negative consequences can happen resulting in a decline in the care provided.
6 days later after being referred to a specialist within Honor Health she was officially diagnosed with the disease. I feel strongly that if I was not present with her that day, she would have stopped her medication prescribed at the hospital and a referral would have never been submitted in an expedited manner.
My mother deserves better treatment and Dr. Sandhu's behavior needs a massive adjustment. I fear other patients are experiencing the same type of treatment and it's unethical and unacceptable. She truly should have been an attorney with how argumentative she is, lacking the skills to connect with patients on a professional and personal level. If you can't listen with empathy, you shouldn't be a doctor. I've submitted a formal complaint with Honor health detailing our experience. If you have an appointment with her, record your conversation or bring a third party with you. read more