Tramp on the holy ground of patient confidence and you will reap the vengeance of an intolerant soul.
Can the success of a doctor's medical career be determined by the few minutes they're with a new patient in the exam room?Absolutely! Some doctors haven't a clue! What a shameful day it was for this physician who accompanied his wife to her consult appointment with the Rheumatologist.
It wasn't the quality of advice that he gave.
It wasn't the attention he gave to the problem.
It wasn't the compassion he showed for the suffering that the patient was having.
It all had to do with attitude.
Non-verbal communication is often more powerful than words.
The shame comes when a doctor's peer (another doctor) witnesses the recoil of the patient.
Either the doctor's sense of what was happening to the patient in those few minutes didn't matter to him, or he didn't care! Consider these offenses: oContinual and repeated interruptions of the patient's answers to his questions.
oNot understanding that his language was a severe barrier to communication.
oRepeated antics that showed the patient that he was in a hurry.
oVerbally leaving the patient with no hope.
oTalking "down" to the patient.
Medical doctors whose practice methods include one or more of these are insulting their patients and downgrading the profession.
Now look at what these mean to a patient.
1.
Interruptions: Have you ever spoken with someone who second guesses each thought you are about to say, interrupts you in the middle of your sentence to arrogantly answer what they have guessed is your upcoming question?Don't you get upset? And if it continues, do you automatically "clam up?"Doctors who don't listen, lose patients.
Patients are shortchanged in their medical care.
2.
Language issues: Foreign doctors commonly don't seem to "get it.
"They think that speaking English rapidly, as they speak in their primary language, is easy for patients to understand who don't speak their language.
Patients are intimidated by that.
Most won't ask the doctor to repeat it over and over until they understand what was said.
Don't you think that these doctors would understand that they must speak slower to be understood? 3.
In a hurry: It's perfectly clear to the patient that a doctor who never takes a second to sit down, talks rapidly, talks with their hand on the door knob, and paces around in the room that their time is more important than their time with the patient-and patient care.
Doesn't that doctor know that they are saying to the patient, "Don't bother me with all your medical questions and problems!"Isn't that "poor" health care?Absolutely! 4.
No hope: Doctors who are in a hurry rarely take time to explain things to patients.
Quick and short answers always leave patients with an uncomfortable feeling about the doctor's knowledge and expertise.
Usually, there is very little discussion (and no time taken) about possible other treatments, new medications to use that might help, and the future new advancements in treatment of the patient's medical condition.
It sends a message to the patient that, "Sorry, you'll just have to live with the illness-there aren't any alternatives!" 5.
Talking down: Patients in this generation are well informed about medical illnesses and treatment possibilities.
If a doctor doesn't take the time to find out how much the patient knows and understands about their medical problem, how can they fit their treatment to the patient?They can't.
The alternative to fitting the treatment to the patient is "dictating the patient's treatment.
"And that assumes the patient is ignorant.
Fitting the treatment to the patient is to insure they will follow instructions and believe in the appropriateness of the diagnosis and treatment.
If the doctor orders you to take the medication, even if you became nauseated the last time you took it, would you follow it?I hope not! If this were just a rare set of circumstances in medical care, one could overlook it all without judgment of the whole profession.
But, it's commonplace.
So we are forced into the realities of the deficiencies of doctors and health care.
Solution: Seek higher ground.
Keep changing doctors until you find one who understands what patients need and want.
One that feels and senses what good health care is all about.
Can the success of a doctor's medical career be determined by the few minutes they're with a new patient in the exam room?Absolutely! Some doctors haven't a clue! What a shameful day it was for this physician who accompanied his wife to her consult appointment with the Rheumatologist.
It wasn't the quality of advice that he gave.
It wasn't the attention he gave to the problem.
It wasn't the compassion he showed for the suffering that the patient was having.
It all had to do with attitude.
Non-verbal communication is often more powerful than words.
The shame comes when a doctor's peer (another doctor) witnesses the recoil of the patient.
Either the doctor's sense of what was happening to the patient in those few minutes didn't matter to him, or he didn't care! Consider these offenses: oContinual and repeated interruptions of the patient's answers to his questions.
oNot understanding that his language was a severe barrier to communication.
oRepeated antics that showed the patient that he was in a hurry.
oVerbally leaving the patient with no hope.
oTalking "down" to the patient.
Medical doctors whose practice methods include one or more of these are insulting their patients and downgrading the profession.
Now look at what these mean to a patient.
1.
Interruptions: Have you ever spoken with someone who second guesses each thought you are about to say, interrupts you in the middle of your sentence to arrogantly answer what they have guessed is your upcoming question?Don't you get upset? And if it continues, do you automatically "clam up?"Doctors who don't listen, lose patients.
Patients are shortchanged in their medical care.
2.
Language issues: Foreign doctors commonly don't seem to "get it.
"They think that speaking English rapidly, as they speak in their primary language, is easy for patients to understand who don't speak their language.
Patients are intimidated by that.
Most won't ask the doctor to repeat it over and over until they understand what was said.
Don't you think that these doctors would understand that they must speak slower to be understood? 3.
In a hurry: It's perfectly clear to the patient that a doctor who never takes a second to sit down, talks rapidly, talks with their hand on the door knob, and paces around in the room that their time is more important than their time with the patient-and patient care.
Doesn't that doctor know that they are saying to the patient, "Don't bother me with all your medical questions and problems!"Isn't that "poor" health care?Absolutely! 4.
No hope: Doctors who are in a hurry rarely take time to explain things to patients.
Quick and short answers always leave patients with an uncomfortable feeling about the doctor's knowledge and expertise.
Usually, there is very little discussion (and no time taken) about possible other treatments, new medications to use that might help, and the future new advancements in treatment of the patient's medical condition.
It sends a message to the patient that, "Sorry, you'll just have to live with the illness-there aren't any alternatives!" 5.
Talking down: Patients in this generation are well informed about medical illnesses and treatment possibilities.
If a doctor doesn't take the time to find out how much the patient knows and understands about their medical problem, how can they fit their treatment to the patient?They can't.
The alternative to fitting the treatment to the patient is "dictating the patient's treatment.
"And that assumes the patient is ignorant.
Fitting the treatment to the patient is to insure they will follow instructions and believe in the appropriateness of the diagnosis and treatment.
If the doctor orders you to take the medication, even if you became nauseated the last time you took it, would you follow it?I hope not! If this were just a rare set of circumstances in medical care, one could overlook it all without judgment of the whole profession.
But, it's commonplace.
So we are forced into the realities of the deficiencies of doctors and health care.
Solution: Seek higher ground.
Keep changing doctors until you find one who understands what patients need and want.
One that feels and senses what good health care is all about.