Choosing the Right Doctor
Everyone should have a general practitioner or doctor who they visit on a regular basis. This doctor is the one who primarily deals with the patient, assesses their health concerns and refers them to the right specialist. Visiting the same doctor each time has a range of benefits including:
- Being assessed based on long term medical history — Long term GPs/doctors will be aware of their patient's medical history. This will help them in treating their patient. For instance, they will be aware of what kind of medications their patient tolerates and what kind of lifestyle they lead.
- The patient will develop trust in their doctor — When seeing a new doctor, patients find it difficult to communicate all their concerns. They may be shy or reluctant to trust this new doctor with their entire medical history. On the other side when patients see the same doctor each time they will feel more comfortable with discussing their health concerns. This will, in turn, help the doctor in developing the best treatment plan for the patient's needs.
In order to reap the above benefits one must ensure that they select the right doctor. There are so many highly qualified compassionate doctors who specialise in different fields.
Tips for choosing the right doctor
- Assess your primary needs — This is the most important step in selecting the right doctor. Everyone has individual healthcare needs that require the expertise of different doctors. For instance females with specific gynecological needs will feel more comfortable seeing a doctor whose primary area of expertise is gynecology. In addition to this many people have certain language barriers and will want a doctor who speaks or understands their language. People also select doctors based upon the clinic in which they operate. The elderly will likely choose doctors who reside in larger clinics that offer blood testing and medical imaging services so they do not have to travel between locations.
- Get recommendations from family and friends — Chances are one's family and friends will have some useful recommendations. This will help narrow down the search for selecting the right doctor.
- Visit a few doctors — Once one has narrowed down their search to a few doctors, take the time to schedule appointments. Having a one on one private discussion will ultimately help determine the right doctor.
It may take some time, but eventually one will be able to select the right doctor. Health and wellbeing are important determining factors in one's quality of life and there should be no compromise in this area.