How to Communicate Effectively With Your Physician
Most Americans do not know how to communicate effectively and efficiently with their doctors, and this is through no fault of their own. After all, the average citizen cannot be expected to know the complicated scientific principles it took their doctor many years of intensive training to learn. Yet, the gap in communication between patient and physician often leads to missed diagnoses, excessive canada goose outlet price testing, and ultimately, prolonged suffering and increased cost for the patient.
buy canada goose jacket cheap Patients don’t typically walk into their physician’s office and say things like, “Doctor, I’m sure I have an overactive thyroid canada goose outlet uk fake gland, and after researching the various treatment options, I have decided that I should be treated with radioactive iodine. Please make the necessary arrangements as soon as possible.” If it were that simple perhaps ‘MD’ really would stand for ‘Mountain Doctor’ (as Granny Clampett claimed) and Jethro Bodine could have been a brain surgeon with a grade school education. buy canada goose jacket cheap
In reality, physicians are trained to listen to the patient’s symptoms and then work backwards by asking pointed questions and doing a targeted physical examination, all the while mentally devising a list of possible causes of the problem. Based on his suspicions, he may then order tests to confirm or rule out specific diseases. The stronger the doctor’s suspicion of a particular illness, the fewer tests he will need to order canada goose outlet eu to confirm it. In other words, if you can explain your problem canada goose outlet los angeles in a clear and detailed manner to your physician, you can do a tremendous amount to streamline your care and help your doctor diagnose your problem in a timely manner. This will save you time, money, and perhaps even your life!
The thrust of this course is to give you an overview of how to communicate with doctors in a way that will accomplish these goals. This is no easy task. We all tell our stories in a way that is natural for us, while physicians try to sort thru the medically irrelevant issues and pull out the important facts.
canada goose Each month we will explore a different skill that will help you become an empowered, effective health care consumer. Put in simpler terms, to help you become a patient who is an effective health care partner, and not just a health care follower. canada goose
canada goose uk outlet It is important to understand some of the key points that will help your doctor diagnose your illness before your visit begins. Typically, patients mentally pull together their story while they sit half dressed in an often cold examining room. Not only are they often nervous and physically uncomfortable, they don’t know what to expect and often worry about the worst case scenario. All of these factors work together to hinder the way they explain their problems to the doctor. In such a stressful situation, some of the most important facts frequently slip our minds. Meanwhile, the doctor, who is often feeling very pressed for time, may become impatient with the round about story and interject with specific, relevant questions about the problem at hand. As a result, patients often feel offended at being interrupted while physicians, who mean no harm, are torn between listening to every word (whether or not it is clinically important) and being able to move on to the next of many sick patients waiting to be seen. Definitely a lose lose situation. However, if you think about what you are going to say before your visit, the visit will run more smoothly and you will be less likely to forget important facts. canada goose uk outlet
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