HOW DO YOU CHOOSE YOUR DOCTOR?

Meeting a new doctor is like a blind date – you hope for the best, but you really have no idea what to expect. Let’s be honest, you probably choose your doctor unseen – say, because his clinic is near your home or your neighbour thinks he/she is a good doctor, or he/she is in your health insurance plan’s list of providers or an online service prompts you. Even if you choose your doctor because a friend or relative recommended him/her, it’s hard to know whether they’ll be a good fit for you. So, how can you be confident that you’re making the right choice? 

 

The problem is further aggravated because Medical Councils do not allow doctors to advertise. So, while you can choose your solicitor, your chef, your dress designer, your architect and your hair stylist by the good work they advertise on bill-boards or the internet, a doctor has no such luxury. He/she may well be  the most important person for the rest of your life but there is very little out there to tell you who is good, and even more importantly, who is good for you! So, let me help you out a bit:

 

1. Refer to Online Reviews: Although I am putting this as my first recommendation but I am doing this with a lot of trepidation. Do this with caution. Although online reviews have become a major assistant in decided where to go out to eat, and which locality to stay, the medical community hasn’t quite caught up yet. Therefore, most professionals actually advise against choosing a doctor solely based off reviews. However, they’re worth checking out, as long as you take them with a grain of salt. There are Google reviews and there are some dedicated websites too but so are professional influencers, masquerading as satisfied patients of doctors with very doubtful credentials.

 

2. Assess Their Credentials: Do a quick check to ensure that your doctor is certified by the National Medical Council in the area of medicine that you’re visiting them for. If you are choosing a dentist or a specialist of Allied branch of Medicine for hair transplantation then you cannot complain when things go horribly wrong! You can accomplish this quickly by plugging their name into the search bar Indian Association of that particular field of medicine – Dermatology, E.N.T, Neurosurgery, Plastic Surgery etc. and confirm whether he/she is registered in their rolls. The National Medical Council in India considers the personal websites of doctors as advertisements and looks down upon them but hospitals have their doctors' credentials in their websites and you can go through them e.g. https://saharahospitals.com/our_doctors

 

3. Keep an Eye out for Red Flags: A doctor’s job is to make sure that all their patients are given the best healthcare they need and deserve. However, just like any other occupation, there are a number of not so good doctors in the medical field. You can weed out the bad doctors from the good ones by doing a quick malpractice claim or disciplinary action search. If there are published uncharitable news items about the doctor then it is wise to be prudent and look for alternatives. In the U.S. ProPublica, a non-profit organization for investigative reporting, has compiled a nifty chart that shows you how to look up a doctor’s license online, and obtain any related disciplinary documents in each state. In India you will have to do your own Google search but don’t get biased by solitary bad review. In no profession can you satisfy every customer and Medicine is no exception.

 

4. Ask around: Consulting your friends, family members, and other medical professionals, your family physician who take interest in your care to see what they think about a doctor’s service is a great way to get a feel for how trusting other patients feel around them. Ask how comfortable they feel talking to the doctor, how receptive the doctor is to questions, and what it’s like interacting with other staff members. Be sure to ask about how busy he/she is and whether your appointment time will be honoured? Does their clinic ring back if the appointment is rescheduled because of unforeseen circumstances?
If you are seeking a specialist appointment then definitely consult with your family physician and let him choose the specialty and the specialist; I have seen Burn patients sitting in dermatology clinic because they felt that as the skin has suffered the burn the dermatologist must be the most appropriate specialist to manage the condition.

 

5. Do a Get-to-Know-You Interview: While in an emergency you do not have much choice for the usual health issues like Hypertension, Heart Diseases, Diabetes, Kidney diseases it is always wise to visit the doctor in person, with all your health records and experience the interaction you have with him/her. Do you like him/her? Was the meeting worth your effort, time and money? This could help you decide if the two of you click. Once you get there, ask questions that will enable you to figure out if the doctor is a good fit for you. For example, “Can I call or email you or your staff when I have questions?” “Do you charge for telephone or email time?” Talk to them about the things that are important to you, and take into consideration how receptive the doctor was to them. A busy doctor is perhaps a good doctor, don’t get disheartened by a busy waiting hall. 

 

6. Look around the Doctor’s office: Usually the doctors decorate the patient waiting room with their medical degrees and certificates and awards. Spend time reading them and you will know a lot about his/her standing in profession and where all he is trained from. If his/her office has flyers for patients pick them us and read them in leisure once you are back home.

 

7. If you are seeking a second opinion, be open about it. There is nothing to hide because you are fully within your rights to consult a second doctor. If you have recently conducted investigations share them with the doctor. He may repeat them is he thinks that is necessary as your Blood Sugar levels which may change from day to day or he may not as your Lipid profile, which will not change soon. Bring a list of your questions you need to ask the doctor but please do not spend time criticizing your previous doctor. If your doctor does that, consider it as a red flag against him/her. If he/she insists on investigations from a particular laboratory or medicines from a particular store consider these as additional red flags.

 

8. Bring your case history: Don’t rely on your memory if you have a long standing disease. File all your past prescriptions, case-notes, hospital discharge slips, pathology reports etc. in chronological order date-wise, oldest one last and the recent one first, and let the new doctor glance through your file. This way he/she will be able to help you most. 

 

9. Bring Someone with You: It never hurts to have a second set of eyes and ears to help you gauge if a doctor is the right fit for you. Bring along a friend or a family member to remind you of the questions you want to ask, and to help you write down important notes. 

 

10. Go with Your Gut feeling: In the end, choosing a doctor is a personal decision. Since they’re somebody you’ll be sharing a lot with, do a gut check. If you don’t think that you’ll be able to tell them intimate details, continue searching.

Doctor’s visits are stressful, even if you’re just there for your annual checkup. No wonder, then, many patients end up unsatisfied with their visit or experience even more unrest than they did before the appointment. This might be happening to you because you aren’t sure what questions to ask, or simply forget to address a specific concern you’re having. So, if you are dissatisfied with a doctor there can always be a doctor factor, but it will be very unwise to be oblivious to the patient factor as well! Were you prepared well enough to make the best use of your time with your doctor? Think about it.