Mike Stone, director, Patients Association, Harrow
Patients want many things from their doctors, not all of whichare
possible. Below, however, is a list of things that patientsseem to
want from their doctor and which should be possible.
Eye contactThere is nothing worse than walking into a consulting room
and not getting any eye contact from the doctor.It happened to
me only last week; I knocked on the door, tobe greeted with
"Come" and to find the doctor sitting lookingat his computer
screen. He continued to do so while askingwhy I had come to
see him.
PartnershipPatients wantto be people who doctors dothings with, not people that doctorsdo things to.
Patientswant to be consulted about their condition,
their treatment,and how things will progress from the
consultation.
CommunicationCommunication from doctor to patient andvice
versa is the key to a successful consultation. Many patients
still feel that they are entering "alien territory" when they
go to see their doctor. In many cases they are scared, they
don't understand what the doctor is saying, and they are not
able to take everything in that they are told. Just as doctors
may have trouble understanding a patient's explanation of symptoms,so patients may have trouble understanding a doctor's explanationof the diagnosis.
TimePatients want to spend moretime with their doctor:they want time to be able to explainthings and have
thingsexplained to them. We all know thatthere is
a shortage ofdoctors, and we know that a doctor's
time is valuable. However,if one wish could be granted forpatients it would be for moretime with their doctor.
AppointmentsPatientswant to get to see their doctorwithin a reasonable time; notweeks, but rather a few
days,or, in the case of a person whois unwell, a
few hours if possible.
These are just five wishes that we are told on a daily basisby
patients. The relationship between a doctor and a patientis special,
and one that works well in most cases. It is alsoa partnership, a
partnership that should be valued by doctorand patient.
DISCLAIMER: All
information, data, and material contained, presented, or provided here is for
general information purposes only and is not to be construed as reflecting the
knowledge or opinions of the publisher, and is not to be construed or intended
as providing medical or legal advice. The decision whether or not to vaccinate
is an important and complex issue and should be made by you, and you alone, in
consultation with your health care provider.
"A foolish faith in authority is the worst enemy of truth."
-- Albert Einstein, letter to a friend, 1901
"I know of no safe depository of the ultimate powers of the society but the people themselves, and if we think them not enlightened enough to exercise control with a wholesome discretion, the remedy is not to take it from them, but to inform their discretion by education."
-- Thomas Jefferson, letter to William C. Jarvis, September 28, 1820
"What's the point of vaccination if it doesn't protect you from the unvaccinated?"
-- Sandy Gottstein
"Who gets to decide what the greater good is and how many will be sacrificed to it?"