Three Things...

[talon]

http://pagingdrgupta.blogs.cnn.com/2010/09/16/what-makes-a-good-doctor-can-we-measure-it/?hpt=Sbin In this article about what makes a good doctor, they don't tell us what they think makes a good doctor, but I can tell you three things that will improve a patient's perception of a doctor as a good one:

1. Speak the same language as the patient. I'm not talking speaking English or Spanish or Vietnamese here, I'm speaking about using similar vocabulary. Most patients don't speak medicalese; when they say they have a burning pain, they may mean something completely different from the clinical medical definition of "burning", so immediately, the doctor is treating the patient for something that may not even exist just because one speaks medicalese fluently and the other doesn't speak it at all.

2. Listen to the patient. This goes along with the first one, of speaking the same language. If the doctor only listens for specific keywords, they may miss the real problem. Too many doctors walk into an examining room thinking they already know what the problem is before they've even seen the patient, or they make a snap judgment when they see the patient, and that's all they listen for. It's really frustrating to go in for a strep throat test and only have the doctor discuss weight loss issues, talking over you when you croak that you have a sore throat.

3. Read the medical chart!!! This is especially important if this is not the patient's first visit and they are in for follow up care. It doesn't make doctors look good if the doctor says "I think your blood sugar is too high, we need to change your medication" and the patient doesn't have diabetes and isn't taking medication for it; they're in for a follow up on a knee injury.

There. That wasn't so hard, now was it?

Most doctors are reasonably competent, once they bother to pay attention to the real problem and not what they think is the problem.

Comments

[wide_worlds_joy]

I'd add to this, "Look at the patient." It really irks me when the doctor comes in and spends all his time looking at the paperwork, the clipboard, the computer screen, and never looks at my face. I had one doctor try to talk me out of HRT and never once looked at me.