Good patient-doctor relationships are the essence of health care. Communication is key. But whether we like it or not, medical care is in evolution. Most healthcare systems revamping services must offset their cost by increasing patient encounters. Increasingly, the time spent during a medical appointment is less. What follows are tips for better doctor appointments with limited time.
Good Patient-Doctor Relationship Problem
Health care is expensive, and the system is on a tight budget. Insurance reimbursement remains fixed or reduced per patient claim. Staffing, overhead, and cost of the medical record and telehealth technology increases are non-negotiable. Insurance reimbursement, which fails to meet the rising cost of business expenses, supports the solution of production models. The bottom line, medical practice’s economic survival requires providers to increase the number of patient office visits.Often this results in complaints of not being heard and feeling rushed by medical providers. So what can you do foster a good patient-doctor relationship to help yourself?
1. Seek Help Early
Stay in tune with your body. Individuals with emotional issues often delay medical appointments. Patients remind me daily that they lack the mental power to complete simple life tasks such as making phone calls for referrals. Early intervention in health care always has a better outcome.It allows you the opportunity to select options for your preferred treatment! There is limited time to research and think about choices in a health crisis.
Unfortunately, the symptoms of illness, such as depression, deplete your mental energy. Finding a health advocate may be a solution when you are not feeling well to get help.
2. Listen to Your Body.
It is easy to make an excuse for an unknown pain or body ache. It’s easy to say, “It will go away tomorrow.” Worse yet is to assume that all strange body symptoms are anxiety. New physical symptoms are always potential signals of disease until proven otherwise! As a psychiatrist, I always ask if patients have spoken to their PCPs about their problems.Trust your gut when your mind and body feels different. Worrying about a symptom will not make it disappear. The health provider cannot provide immediate solutions to chronic health situation.This inability to find a quick symptom cure from your doctor can create conflict.
3. Write it Down!
Write down your questions on your cell phone or buy a journal pad. Ideally, find a small colorful writing pad. The selection of a bright journal reduces the chance of it getting lost in a paper pile. It is common to hear patients become anxious and forget their burning questions at doctor appointments. When feeling nervous, your mind goes blank. A notepad allows you to write down all questions as they pop into your head. This written note can later trigger your memory about the issue. Before your scheduled appointment, take an inventory of your questions. Select a few for discussion with your health provider.Many questions in a timed medical visit will frustrate everyone, especially you. In addition, this writing tool allows you to create your own written reference tool for later review.
Good Patient-Doctor RelationshipsTakeaways
Seek credible resources to improving good patient doctor relationship. When feeling the health provider’s time crunch, seek educational information from your physician. If communication is a problem, there are tools to reduce the frustration. The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality has resources to improve communication between patients and physicians. They have a multimedia initiative called “Questions are the Answer.” This initiative provides training tools for effective communication through videos, downloads, and printed brochures. AHRQ’s “Questions are the Answer” website has partnered with Google to offer the following resources at your immediate disposal.
1. An interactive “Question Builder” tool supports patients in their effort to create and print a list of personalized questions based on individual health needs.
2. Their brochure “Be More Involved in Your Health Care: Tips for Patients” offers timely suggestions before, during, and after your office visit.