Steps to Take When Looking for a Physician
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The
following information is taken from the book
The Wellness Community Guide to Fighting for Recovery from Cancer
by Harold H. Benjamin, Ph.D.) |
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Because a good
relationship with the right physician is of overriding importance to you,
you should probably commit as much time and energy as is necessary to
attain such a relationship. The following are steps that may be helpful. |
STEP ONE:
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Choose a
medically competent physician. In most cases,
this is done by recommendation and reputation. There also are situations
where your insurance carrier or HMO will select your physician. |
STEP TWO:
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Ensure that the
relationship is, at the very least, cordial. It
does not have to blossom into a full-blown friendship for it to be
effective and efficient. It is only necessary that it be agreeable. |
STEP THREE:
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Make sure that
the expectations of both you and your doctor are clearly understood by
each of you. There are as many variations
of the patient-physician relationship as there are patients and doctors.
Some patients want every bit of information they can get. Others want to
hear nothing but instructions. Some want to know what the treatment
alternatives are and want to make the final decision themselves. Others
want the doctor to decide what's best. Some consider waiting in a waiting
room an acceptable inconvenience, while others find it intolerable. Some
want to ask questions, write down answers, and have other people in the
examining room. Others don't. Physicians, just like everyone else,
also are different, and those differences must be taken into account |
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Very often, it is
difficult for the patient to start the conversation with the doctor. After
all, physicians have always been authority figures. But start it anyway.
With very few exceptions, your physician is as anxious to have the
conversation as your are. The dialogue should continue as long as
necessary, and you should probably initiate new conversations when any
part of the relationship appears unsatisfactory. |
STEP FOUR:
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If your needs
as a patient conflict seriously with the doctor's style, consider whether
it's in your best interest to find another physician. Most people find
it difficult and sometimes embarrassing to leave a physician. Although
this rather drastic step should be taken only after serious consideration,
it's not impossible or unthinkable. If the situation is irreparable, it's
appropriate. |
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Often cancer
patients are treated by a group of physicians that may include an
oncologist, radiologist, surgeon, and/or some other specialist, along with
the family doctor. One of the patient's most frequent complaints is that
no one is in charge; each physician acts almost independently, and there
is no one to whom the patient can talk to get all the information needed
to make a decision. Therefore, it's important that you try to get one of
the doctors to be the coordinator of the team and the repository of all
information. |
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One admonition:
Don't ask for a prognosis or inquire about longevity statistics unless you
are actually ready to hear the answer. |
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