Doctor-Patient Communication Suboptimal, Part 2

When you go to see the doctor you expect compassion, kindness and time! Doctors are walking out the door while you speak. There is little time for much more. Unprofessional hurried behavior is the norm amongst many physicians, while their health care extenders - nurses, physician assistants, nurse assistants - are reported as having much more bedside manner that shows true compassion. Is it really okay to be an unprofessional professional?

Is is okay for your doctor to come in and say, "How you doing dawg?" ? Meanwhile you look around to see if you are in the veterinarian's office by mistake...without your dog. All of a sudden this middle-aged man has finally joined the hip hop now generation. A "How u doin'?" a la Wendy Williams would have been really nice.

Is eight minutes really long enough for a doctor visit? This includes only the conversation without an exam. After repeatedly interrupting you and being interrupted this decreases to three to four minutes. The doctor has just enough time to meet the objective of writing that medical note about you that you may never get to see yet it determines your destiny.

Is it okay for your doctor to admit that she is a "bad doctor" because she admits that she is not keeping a list of all the medicine samples she has given you over the years? There is no documentation in your medical records of all the current medication you are taking. "Bad doctor" by self admission raises a red flag for sure. It seems "bad medicine" is more like it.

As has been said many times, many ways...YOU are your best advocate. It is up to you to be sure that you know all the medicines you are taking and to know your complete medical history. It is up to you to be informed and educated about all of this. Waiting for your doctor may be very hazardous to your health.

by J. L. Richardson, MD family physician, patient advocate, and author of Patient Handbook to Medical Care: Your Personal Health Guide, the book that tells you how to be your best advocate from medical records to medical exams to medical tests and more.

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