How to Find a Good Doctor

Nowadays, in order to be profitable, doctors’ offices have to see many patients. Often doctors rush through the examination and barely listen to a patient’s symptoms. Some patients are treated with disrespect as if they are wasting the doctor’s time with their little ailments. But a good patient-doctor relationship is paramount for a successful diagnosis and treatment. It is important for a patient to find a doctor he/she can trust, who will listen, explain things, and not rush through the process as if only the doctor’s word counts. Finding such a good doctor can be problematic. Besides board certification and specializations, what should a patient look for in a good doctor and good doctor’s office? Here is a checklist:

1. Does the doctor listen?

A good doctor first and foremost listens to the patient. There should not be interruptions such as phone calls or nurses asking questions or passing on information relating to other patients. Without being rushed the patient should be able to state symptoms, problems, and fears. The doctor goes through a thorough examination of the patient and asks questions as it relates to the information provided by the patient and inquires how the problem interferes with the patient’s life and work situation. The doctor should show he/she takes the patient’s complaints serious. Even if the doctor feels that a piece of information is unimportant and the patients fears are unwarranted, he should not show this but rather find a way to put the patient at ease. After all, what at first might seem to be an unnecessary piece of information might at the end prove valuable. Only by listening to the patient will a doctor be able to get all the information needed for a proper diagnosis.

2. Does the doctor and doctor’s office treat the patient with respect?

Regardless of age, gender, religion, race, sexual orientation, language capabilities, and financial means, the doctor and his staff should treat every patient with the same respect. If there are delays and a patient has to wait longer in the waiting room, he/she should be provided with a reason and an expected length of the delay. If there are several doctors available in the same office, your decision on which one you would like to consult should be respected without questioning. A considerate doctor also takes any religious considerations into account during the examination of the patient.

3. How well does the doctor explain the diagnosis and treatment options?

After the doctor arrives at a diagnosis, he/she should patiently explain what ails the patient. Simple and understandable terms should be used instead of mostly medical lingo. He/she should explain how the patient’s complaints fit in, how the disease was caused, and what treatment options are available. He/she should explain how the treatment options work and what side effects are to be expected. If the doctor is able to explain the disease and treatment options in understandable terms and can answer questions especially in regard to newest research on the disease, he/she demonstrates knowledge of the matter. The same applies to any necessary diagnostic procedure.

It is also important that the doctor makes sure the patient fully understands the disease and the treatment options. Any brochures and explanatory material should be handed to the patient to study. The patient should be able to take these materials home. The patient should have the option to ask questions, even after he/she left the doctor’s office. If necessary, the doctor should provide addresses of support groups, patient information services, special organizations, and the like. Only an informed patient is able to take ownership in his/her healing process.

A good doctor never forces a treatment on a patient as the only option. This is often done, because the doctor thinks he just knows best, or he/she just got a nice new machine that needs to be used. The patient should at all time have ownership of his/her own treatment. The treatment options should be laid out with their effects, side effects and how successful they are in treating the disease. However, while the doctor can make recommendations, the ultimate choice should be left up to the patient. In the best case scenario the doctor should always work together with the patient to solve the health problem. If so desired by the patient, the doctor should allow a third party to sit in and participate in the discussion such as a spouse, relative, or friend.

The doctor should also be able to inform you of drug interactions and tailor any treatment regimen to your particular needs, physically, emotionally, and even financially. He/she should do anything possible to make sure your insurance covers the treatment or have at least other financing options available. If necessary, the doctor should be aware of and try to get you enrolled in suitable clinical trials.

4. Is the doctor willing to cooperate with other doctors for diagnostic and treatment purposes?

A doctor is not omnipotent. If the doctor is less knowledgeable, he should freely admit to it and either make a referral or acquire the knowledge by the time of the patient’s next visit. If a doctor realizes that he/she cannot make a diagnosis or offer the proper treatment options, he/she should be willing to make a referral, confer and/or cooperate with other doctors/specialists to resolve the patient’s health problem. For this purpose the doctor should be willing to freely share everything he has found out thus far such as lab reports, x-rays, and the patient’s accord of symptoms. The doctor should not be offended, if a patient wants to get a second opinion.

5. Does the doctor follow up with your healing progress?

A widespread problem of the modern health care industry is the lack of follow up with a patient. A diagnosis is made, medicine is prescribed, and the patient is instructed to get back to the doctor, if the problem doesn’t resolve. But how should a patient always know that a problem is indeed resolved? For example, a patient receives antibiotics for a bacterial infection; the symptoms disappear, but not always the infection. The infection might now just be minor and not noticeable by the patient until it flares up again. But how should the patient know that further treatment is necessary? For chronic diseases and long-term drug regiments, doctors often prescribe refills without checking the patient. How would a doctor know that the drugs work the way they should?

Therefore, a good doctor schedules a follow up check-up, to make sure, the disease is gone, the health problem is resolved, and the drugs or other treatment work the way they should. Only the doctor can tell, if the patient is cured. Only a doctor can tell, if a treatment for a chronic problem really works on the patient the way it should or if another approach should be tried.

During the follow-up visit the doctor should be able to recall everything, that has been done to arrive at a diagnosis and what treatment have been tried. A patient should not get the opinion the doctor has to study the case anew.

6. Does the patient upon request have access to his/her patient file?

There are some restrictions on how much of your own file the doctor has to share with the patient, but if a doctor is at all hesitant to hand over excerpts such as lab reports, x-rays, and the like, it should send up a red flag. You should be able to receive copies of such reports, if you express the desire to have them, no matter the reason. If necessary, the doctor should also be willing to provide paperwork such as a letter explaining your disease and treatment, which you might want to take along on a vacation so in case of an emergency you will be treated properly at your vacation destination by the local doctors.

7. Is the patient’s privacy secured?

Patient information should only be obtained when others cannot listen in. Therefore, the receptionist should not allow more than one patient at the counter, when a patient is required to provide personal information.

Separate examination rooms, which are only accessible by the respective patient, the doctor, and any necessary staff, provide privacy during the examination process. It also allows for an undisturbed dialog with the doctor.

In the case that patient data needs to be transferred to another doctor or to a treatment facility such as a hospital, the exchange should be encrypted such as a third party would be unable to obtain the information. Patient data should be exchanged without delay, especially, if needed for immediate treatment.

8. How easy is it to reach the doctor’s office?

Some doctor’s offices have elaborate phone trees in order to direct a patient to the person they want to talk to. These phone trees are not only difficult to navigate but also very impersonal. The patient should be able to talk to a person during office hours without untangling a phone tree and without being on hold for several minutes.

It should be easy for a patient to set an appointment or to get in contact with the doctor. A nurse should be on hand to field calls related to medical problems and to consult with the doctor in a timely manner in order to provide feedback to the patient. A patient should be able to ask questions via phone as well as email.

After all, if it is difficult to reach your doctor, it might have a negative impact on your diagnosis process, treatment regimen, and healing process.

By: Susanne Jones
Published: 05/02/08