Don't be a 'good' patient
Three golden rules of being a "bad" patient.
1. Ask lots of questions. If you don't understand something, ask for clarification, and if you still don't understand, ask again. The doctor or nurse might be visibly annoyed, but that shouldn't stop you. Remember, your health depends on your ability to comprehend what the doctor is telling you.
2. Don't worry whether your doctor likes you. If you hesitate to do anything that might upset the doctor, such as asking lots of questions, you're putting your health in jeopardy. While it's a natural inclination to want to be liked, your health comes first and your popularity second.
3. Remember that this is a business transaction. You're paying the doctor for a service; you're not in a popularity contest. Of course, you're respectful of the doctor, just as you're respectful to a waitress or your car mechanic, but you don't owe it to doctor to be the perfect patient.
http://edition.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/09/30/bad.patient.save.life/index.htm...
Very good story, and very much needs to be applied here as I have found that most docs here are very much reluctant to answer patient's queries even getting irritated if patients asked a lot.
the downside of an irritated doctor is much worse than that of an irritated waitress or mechanic...no doubt ask questions but not at the cost of irritating him specially if he gonna cut you open soon...and anyway its a highly specialized area and you wont understand much in the answer unless you are a doctor yourself ;)...better is to take second opinions from other doctors.
@ drmana,like i said mate,the ones that don't listen aren't bad doctors per se...they're just unaware ones...& what one tends to find here is that doctors with a better standard of training & exposure will listen more to what their patients have to say & those doctors are almost always in private practice here & in the more higher end private practice,now again,i'm not saying all do but they'd definitely be better listeners than the ones one finds @ the health centres & even @ Hamad here,wouldn't trust my pet dog with them let alone a human being...
imansoor, I get your point. But the article was not about casual chat with one's doc but hesitation to ask questions about the medical problem by the patient and doc's reluctance to reply for the same.
I hate people wasting time with doc in casual chat and those interrupting the smooth flow of patient by their personal rather than visit for medical reason as well.
drmana,i didnt mean to say that we are wasting r time.but we should be thinking abt the other patients as wel.i hav seen many ppl who walks into th the doc n they spend hours n hours,questioning n questioning.n if its different questions then ok.but the sam thing again n again.where as there r so many patients waiting to c the doc.its good to be educated abt the sickness,but dont make the doctr sik by asking too many questions.
n specially the arabs,they waste half of their time by kissing 4 or 5 times n welcoming each other.that irritates me more.
always be prepared with ur questions n be prepared with explaining ur sickness to the doc.dont jst go to da doc n sit n think wat u hav to say.simply dnt waste ur time ,the docs time n the others time.
its true that v should question the doctr regarding r health.but not to the extend where they get annoyed.coz sum ppl r there,they repeat the same question many times.just to memories wat the doc said.n they waste the doc's time n the other patients time too.
my husband is a person who asks many questions from the doc.n most of the doc's willingly explains to him by drawings n even by turning the pages of a book.they enjoy explaining the sickness to my husbnd.i guess its the way u ask a question.
n just becoz u pay for their service,u should not be selfish n take their whole time.we also hav to play a role by serving r service of being caring to the other patients aswel.
to explain to my DR that everytime i felt unwell i used to see Donald Duck and Mickey Mouse, he told me that i was having Disney spells!
to have a nurse of your own. Of course I'm talking of the ACE. She's a registered nurse (back home).
TFP drmana
here most of the docs give panadol & muscadol or a variant to 50% of patients
since when did doctor's here listen to patients? most of them just ask if the patient has an old file and base their judgment from it, they don't dare ask!
expensive or cheap, I am not satisified with the treatment here in Doha...
gadarene, thanks for your input. I know how important listening to the patient is for the diagnostic and treatment process as I am a medical practitioner too :-)
But having been on both sides as a doc and patient here, sad to say I have witnessed too many docs here unwilling to clarify doubts of the patients.
Being a doc myself, believe me I am not biased towards expensive or cheap docs available here. But as per your statement, do you not consider those failing to listen cheap practitioners doctor? They are....hence whatever the type, those not listening and replying ones exist.
does it include you gadarene?
Thank you Drmana for sharing this.
I think they do this for either:
1- to save their time, thus more patients to attend, thus more gain
2- not to be exposed, since some are just NOT technically good, talking too much can expose them
3- out of their authority, Like some parents who just give orders to their children, no questions allowed or tolerated (adult child model)
4- other reasons?
@ drmana,with all due respect,all i can say is,you've been going to the wrong doctors mate!...i'm sorry if you had that kind of experience but unfortunately in this town,REAL doctors cost a lot more to see,so my point is this,listening to the patient is one of the essentials taught during the training period...unfortunately here,that training itself is suspect in a lot of practitioners & it would be asking too much for them to actually listen because the importance of listening was never emphasized to them in the first place...so in a way,they're not bad doctors,they're just unaware ones...
Exactly Fathima, myself have witnessed few such docs here who are least interested in hearing anything. They don't even ask what the patient is feeling. When patient enter, they are ready with pen to write prescription even before examining patient.
Very informative post and very true..Over here I know some friends,non Arabic speakers, who are actually afraid to ask questions from Arab doctors at the Hamad claiming they don't want to get scolded.. can you imagine that now?they actually put their health at much peril due to this specially those who are preggers!
:)
Tailchopper, and here I chop your tail :-)
imansoor, there is a difference between wasting time and getting informed. Asking doc questions is certainly not a waste of time, and as a doc it is his/her responsibility to inform patient what the problem is and how it is going to be treated. Glad that you had good experience with your doc.
Dr. Al mana's Degree, stands cancelled.
Having dfferent kind of people, most of them feared
even a flu comes.. THEY ARE asking more about to the dctr
while they are worry abt their body.
thats the reason i didn't become a Doctor, b/c i don't wanna play with others emotions ;O)
true!!.. shudnt ask, only hear wat thy say.. if thy somthing , thn v can hear rite... ???
most of thm readily gives prescription.... & next patient arrives..