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24HourForums.com > UnSupported Forums > 24's Health & Wellness > What do patients want from their doctors? |
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Marie5656 Forum-Blogger© Original500© Member  Just hanging out
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What Do Patients Want From Doctors? Survey Shows Thoroughness of Doctor Visits Is Highly Valued By Jennifer Warner WebMD Medical News Reviewed by Louise Chang, MD March 10, 2008 -- Patients value thoroughness over timeliness or friendliness when it comes to evaluating the doctor-patient relationship. A new survey of more than 1,000 patients in the U.K. shows patients place the highest value in the thoroughness of their visit to a primary care doctor. Thoroughness was followed by these attributes:
(What would your dream doctor be like? How would his or her practice be run? Share your ideas with others on WebMD's Health Cafe message board.) What Patients Want In the study, researchers at the University of Manchester surveyed 1,193 patients from six family practices in England. The patients were asked to place a value on attributes of primary care consultations, such as ease of access, choice of appointment times, continuity of care, technical quality of care, and bedside manner. Overall, patients were willing to pay the most for a thorough physical examination ($40.87). The next most valued attribute was seeing a doctor who knew them well ($12.18), followed by seeing a doctor with a friendly manner ($8.50), having a shorter waiting times to get in to see the doctor ($7.22), and having a choice of appointment times ($6.71). Patients in the U.K. do not routinely pay for health care, such as office visits. The survey showed that what patients valued most also varied depending on their reasons for seeking medical care. For example, those with an urgent medical condition were willing to pay more for shorter waiting times, while those with an ambiguous physical or psychological issue valued seeing a doctor who knew them well most. However, a thorough examination was always the most important attribute relative to the others regardless of the medical scenario. Researchers say the findings should provide health policy makers with a clearer idea of patients' priorities. The results appear in the Annals of Family Medicine.
 
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aknow Original500© Member
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Patient's want doctors who can provide a thorough comprehensive physical exam. Doctor's who actually listen to the patient's concerns and can make them feel connected, important, and like at that moment in time, they are the only one's occupying the Dr's attention. I love being a Doctor. I don't love the political bullshit the insurance industry makes you suffer through, daily. Who needs a high school level educated beauraucrat to push papers, cause unnecessary work and raise the costs 40 to 50%? I never hear anyone ask what do Doctor's want from patients? Patients that show up on time, stay, pay, refer, follow instructions and ask questions to understand why we are issuing these instructions. Doctoring is a unique business where if you can make the right relationship with a patient, amazing things can happen. Dr. Steve
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Kimber767 Original500© Member  Ask me about Self Advocacy
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For me, the doctor has to take their time listening to me because of my speech difficulty. They need to talk to me and not to the person who is with me. I went to the doctor last week and did all of the talking myself.
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Marie5656 Forum-Blogger© Original500© Member Just hanging out
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Good point, Dr Steve. I think we as patients need to be willing to give back the respect we expect from our doctors. Kim..I know what you mean. Though there have been times when I have had to remind myself to NOT speak on your behalf, unless you ask me to. 
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Kimber767 Original500© Member Ask me about Self Advocacy
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Yes Marie. For me, it's all about being independent. I am continuing to work on it while you are out. I will make you proud of me yet.
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Outré Original500© Member  Red-headed stepchild
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aknow wrote:I never hear anyone ask what do Doctor's want from patients? I can understand why you would want this, and I can understand that those who blithely ignore appointment times and show up routinely 20-30 minutes late maybe be problem attention-seeking patients, however, not everyone has reliable transportation (buses are not reliable, nor are taxis) and people who are truly ill or incapacitated may have some difficulty getting around. It is a "medical" appointment, is it not? stay Okay I love this - doctors want to assert themselves and insist that a patient show up on time, so the patient clears a schedule, arranges transportation and perhaps assistance and then they wait, and wait, and wait. To me If I show up on time I'd better be called to an exam room within fifteen minites. And you'd better believe that after an hour I HAVE to go. While I may be ill and require attention, not everyone in my life is willing to put up with me being late elsewhere and "doctors appointment" DOESN'T cut it in a lot of places. pay I wonder about this. Does a cash patient get a price break in your office over an insurance patient or do you view it as a windfall and charge the same amount? The insurance system is broken and should never have been embraced the way it was. It's a faulty construct built on corrupt money-makers ideals. refer Uhm - why? Do you pay for referrals or offer a discount for them? If that's illegal in your state then don't gripe about it. You would actually want the patients to work for free? Be a good doctor with reasonable rates, a good manner in the exam room and good follow-thru How many times do you call a patient for follow-up? You personally, not the desk clerk? Word-of-mouth is a REWARD, not an entitlement. follow instructions and ask questions to understand why we are issuing these instructions. As in the technical world of computers if you want the above then start applying the KISS principle - Keep It Simple Stupid. People HATE medical jargon thrown at them and rightfully figure that if they have to pay the prices for your services then you should be able to translate all the technical terms into laymen's language. Asking patients to ask questions is fine - as long as you're willing to answer ALL of them, not just the ones that you think they need to know. Patients will ALWAYS feel a doctor is hiding something from them and is less than trustworthy if they cannot get the difficult questions answered. Also be willing to say "I don't know", and then find out. Sometimes I think doctors need to go take some sales classes to learn how to better treat the consumer. Doctoring is a unique business where if you can make the right relationship with a patient, amazing things can happen. Oh dear, I really wish you would have used the word "profession" if not "vocation" instead of "business". People are not numbers or objects but living beings. That doctors view the medical profession as a "business" primarily is the largest problem that medicine currently has. There is the "business" of the medical profession. But the medical profession should be about helping and healing people, not making money, gaining status, or becoming famous. Nothing personal Dr. Steve, you just happened to mention the above.
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Marie5656 Forum-Blogger© Original500© Member Just hanging out
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I know drs have a tight schedule, and lots of patients to see, but I once had a doctor who was famous for brushing me off, or seeming to think what I had to say was insignificant. I never went to the guy where I did not feel I was being rushed out of the exam room from the moment he walked in. I feel that if I take the time to express my concerns, he could have at least listened. He spent over a year telling me there was not much wrong with my arthritic hip that Advil and Glucosimine wouldn't fix. I switched to a new dr and within weeks was told my hip was in need of being replaced as it was shot. Outré, thanks for popping in and speaking your mind. I am glad you are visiting more, you seem an intelligent person with alot to say.
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mgk11103 Original500© Member 
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Medicine is a business and doctors get paid whether the patient is cured or not, so why should they bother to show the patient any respect?
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Outré Original500© Member Red-headed stepchild
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Marie5656 wrote:He spent over a year telling me there was not much wrong with my arthritic hip that Advil and Glucosimine wouldn't fix. I switched to a new dr and within weeks was told my hip was in need of being replaced as it was shot. See, stuff like that really torques my gluteus. Glucosamine might help if the condition was caught early enough. Advil may help with pain and inflamation. But there comes a point of bone on bone and then surgery is the best option. That's the state my mom was in. She was very happy once it was over and hasn't had trouble with it since then. I've been looking over the boards and see that you were supposed to go in for your replacement, how did that work out?
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Marie5656 Forum-Blogger© Original500© Member Just hanging out
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Outré wrote:
I went in the end of January. So far so good, I feel great. Some stiffness in my leg still, but that , I am told, is to be expected till my muscles get strong again. I won't be back to work for another month though. Oh well.
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Kimber767 Original500© Member Ask me about Self Advocacy
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When I was little, I had a doctor who would talk to my mom as if I wasn't even there. I hated that. Now, I open my own mouth and do the talking myself.
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aknow Original500© Member
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Outré wrote: aknow wrote: Real personal Outre, I'll answer some of your astute observations. 1). Run my office myself, even answer the phone myself, and I'm never/never late for my patients. After running a high overhead large office for many years, and seeing my profession get screwed by attorneys, work comp arbitration boards (more attorneys), insurance companies, I decided to drastically lower my overhead and improve my services. It's better this way. 2). When I show up for an appointment at my dr's. office, if I'm not seen in 15 minutes I leave. Then I send the doctor a bill for my wasted time and time in transit. Three out of 5 times I've had the doctor's staff send me a payment for their inability to see me in a timely fashion. Who do they think they are? If you have to rely on public transportation and can't get to an appointment on time, leave earlier. Show up early. If the doctor's magazines are out of date, tell him or her to quit being a tightwad and make some timely purchases. In my practice, cash patients receive the same services that insurance patients receive, except the charge is about 50% of insurance. Does the public even have the slightest idea how much work is involved to bill insurance? And how much it costs? Billing a patient's insurance is a courtesy, was never intended to be free. I call or write patients myself for follow up. I never force myself on anyone, and most patients are thrilled I care enough to make that call. I under treat with appointments and rarely spend less than 45 minutes one on one with the patient. I welcome and answer all questions. I get a lot of inappropriate and unnecessary ones. I am not afraid to bring a textbook into the treatment room, and if I can't answer a question I am proactive about researching the answer and giving it at a later time. I also speak in words that patients can understand, having a child with a developmental disability has trained me well to do just that. I've also learned to speak Spanish, to improve understanding in the ever changing state of California. Doctor's should never go to sales classes. You don't need to sell medicine, unless you push prescriptions like a local drug dealer. No the largest problem the med profession has is the pharmaceutical industry sickening our population and using dr's as dopes to push their poisons. The 2nd largest problem is employing an insurance industry which raises the cost of health care by 200% to push papers, make non-medically trained decisions, and cause unnecessary delays in treatment. The medical profession is about helping people. And it is a business, like it or not. The business should be fair, though it often isn't. Nothing personal but it sounds like you've experienced some really bad doctors. Dr. Steve
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librtyhead Original500© Member 
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mgk11103 wrote: Medicine is a business and doctors get paid whether the patient is cured or not, so why should they bother to show the patient any respect? I have to agree with this one. Many times. But medicine is a business, each patient is really just an appointment. And buyer beware. My advise is never ever take the first diagnosis.................shop around it is amazingly simple......  ........cost is a second thought when it comes to individual well-being.
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aknow Original500© Member
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librtyhead wrote: mgk11103 wrote:Medicine is a business and doctors get paid whether the patient is cured or not, so why should they bother to show the patient any respect? Libertyhead: I really appreciate your sentiment; "cost is a 2nd thought when it comes to individual well being". That really sums it up perfectly.
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Outré Original500© Member Red-headed stepchild
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aknow wrote:Real personal Outre, I'll answer some of your astute observations. Well, I have a POV on the frivolous lawsuits that cause much of the above, but I think that's best left for a runaway-government/politics forum. (GENERAL DISCLAIMER: This is NOT to say that ALL lawsuits involving the medical profession are frivolous, however, many are and only jack the costs up for the rest of us while introducing more regulations and restrictions on doctors - again jacking up the costs for the rest of us.) 2). When I show up for an appointment at my dr's. office, if I'm not seen in 15 minutes I leave. Then I send the doctor a bill for my wasted time and time in transit. Three out of 5 times I've had the doctor's staff send me a payment for their inability to see me in a timely fashion. Who do they think they are? Wow - good for you. I am inclined to think that you had success billing for the time because you are a doctor and they think your time is more valuable than Jack and Jane Shmo's. If you have to rely on public transportation and can't get to an appointment on time, leave earlier. Show up early. If the doctor's magazines are out of date, tell him or her to quit being a tightwad and make some timely purchases. I don't know when the last time was that you relied on public transportation but, they are very unreliable. Here I have to go to the bus stop on the half hour. The bus can be late, or early. If they're early you have to wait for the next one a half hour later. If they're late - well how are you supposed to know you had to go out to the bus stop an hour earlier? Buses running late can make "you" late from ten to twenty minutes. In the case of an early bus you can be late a half hour to 45 minutes as the "next" bus may be late. In my practice, cash patients receive the same services that insurance patients receive, except the charge is about 50% of insurance. Does the public even have the slightest idea how much work is involved to bill insurance? And how much it costs? Billing a patient's insurance is a courtesy, was never intended to be free. I have an idea what it takes to bill insurance, which is why I asked. In my area it's common for the doctor's to charge cash patients the same as insurance patients. No discount for making the doc's life easier. I call or write patients myself for follow up. I never force myself on anyone, and most patients are thrilled I care enough to make that call. I under treat with appointments and rarely spend less than 45 minutes one on one with the patient. Holy Cow! You're in California!? What city? LOL! I'm out in Coachella and it's not a nice game here, at least with the doctors and clinics I and my family have gone to. Doctor's should never go to sales classes. You don't need to sell medicine, unless you push prescriptions like a local drug dealer. I this might have been misunderstood. I meant that they need to learn how to better work with people and stop seeing ONLY numbers and money. The sales classes I attended had everything to do with maki | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
