What things do you look for in a doctor?

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exercise forever

Cathlete
I'm looking for a doctor and wondering what are some things to look for in determining whether the doctor is good or not so good. What is the best way going about finding the best one?


I appreciate all of your help!


kim
 
1. how long has he/she been practicing?
2. do they see you, or is there a nurse practioner?
3. LISTENING SKILLS. your doctor listening to what you have to say about your own health is very important.
4. aggressiveness....i can not stand docs who don't want to pick an approach to your problems and say, "oh let's test this and see what happens......come back in a week...x(
5. willingness to write RXs. docs who are stingy with meds drive me nuts!


jes:)
 
The doctor must be female and at a convenient location for me. If I dont like her, I dont see her again.

I do have a male cardiologist but he is the exception because we really have some good, deep conversations (medical of course).

I think it is important to patronize females in male dominated fields because together we can help one another succeed. I also seek out female attorneys, dentists, etc. for the same reason.

Support the sisterhood.

Love,

Madonna
 
Here's what I would look for:
1. Common sense
2. No previous or ongoing lawsuits
3. Clean hands and office
4. Many years of epertise
5. Many repeat clients
6. Medical degree on the wall

To find a good doctor, ask around. Word of mouth is the best recommendation.
 
Like Madonna, I want a female doctor as much as possible. Not saying that male doctors are incompetent. I simply feel more comfortable with a female doctor.

Word of mouth is also important. Do you know any of this doctor’s clients? What do they say about him/her? Are they satisfied with the expertise and service?

Is this doctor overloaded with too many patients? This is important to me because when I make the trip to a clinic, I want to see the doctor who is familiar with my case and my medical history. I don’t want to be passed on to another doctor or a nurse practitioner. (I’ve had a very bad experience with the latter – again, I’m not saying that all of them are bad, just that I happened to be “given away” to one who was so blinded by her expertise, she diagnosed me with a condition I didn’t have.)

How is this doctor’s bedside manners? I once dumped a dentist (female, btw) because she said something about my molars to her assistant while I was lying on her chair, mouth wide open and full of cotton. I couldn’t say anything back. I felt it was something she could’ve said to me directly, not to someone else. I was the patient, after all. Neither did she apologize for the mistake that her assistant made. The assistant didn’t either.

Which brings me to my next point: how competent and people-oriented are the doctor’s staff? A doctor can be one of the best in his or her field, but if the staff is rude, overbearing, and won’t work with your schedule, how can you get to work with the doctor in the first place? You do have to go through the staff to get to the doctor. I’ve changed my son’s pediatrician twice because of personnel who had a collective attitude problem.

As you can see, I’m very picky about doctors. I don’t know if you’re familiar with that old Seinfeld episode where Elaine is marked as a difficult patient. I can relate.:)

Pinky
 
Well, if you live in New York, New Jersey or Connecticut, definitely start with the Castle Connolly book Best Doctors in the NY Metro Area.

With or without the book, I recommend starting with the hospitals that have the best reputations in your area, and limit your search to doctors who are associated with that hospital. I've noticed that teaching hospitals seem to be generally superior. To me, that is the number one criteria. Often the website for the hospital will have a list of their doctors and descriptions.

Secondly, I only choose doctors who emphasize prevention in their practice. I just can't stand the old-fashioned doctors who wait for you to get sick before they know what to do with you. The more they emphasize prevention, the better.

All other things being equal, I agree with Madonna and Pinky. I will choose a female over a male if all of the other criteria are in place.

All of that applies before the first visit. Then, once I actually meet with the doctor, I look for someone who listens and who doesn't patronize me. I also like someone who seems really interested in what they are doing and somewhat enthusiastic. This is true for almost anyone I hire in any field. The more interested they are, the more reading and continuing education they probably do, and the more they will be up on the latest techniques.
 
In my area, the criteria is simple.

1. Is he/she accepting new patients?

We have an absolutely awful shortage of doctors in southern Ontario. Hardly anyone is accepting new patients. I don't much like my doctor, but I'm stuck with him because I can't get a new one, particularly since I already have one.
 
I always get a referral--not from my pcp but from a friend. I never go to a dr. cold or off a referral from another physician, unless I really trust that physician.

I also always look for a woman dr.
 
Med school graduates are over 50percent female so female docs if they are still in the minority, won't be for long.
 
She has to give me time, all the time I need, she must listen and be forthcoming. She must answer all my questions and provide full explanations. Medicine and treatments must never be on a "need to know only" basis.

She must not have pre-conceived notions and make rash decisions amd comments. Once I went in for an exam after a brief argument with my husband and the doctor advised me, upon seeing me upset, to get a divorce. Hello?!?!?

Doctors can suggest and recommend, but do not stand for bullying. The same doctor once refused to renew my precription for anti-depressants until I agreed to go into therapy. I can't even begin to describe how unethical that is.

Clare
 
>I think it is important to patronize females in male dominated
>fields because together we can help one another succeed. I
>also seek out female attorneys, dentists, etc. for the same
>reason.
>

I do the same.

I also want a doctor who:
is conservative in her approach in that she doesn't suggest drugs or surgery for everything, and open to non-allopathic medecine (the " non-drug/non-surgery" approach).

Is a good listener and wants to help.

Somewhat of a sense of humor (I've had some humorless docs who look at me like I'm crazy when I try to joke about something. I miss the nurse practitioner who used to get my humor, and would joke with me, but also was extremely professional, a great listener, and always up-to-date on his knowledge. When I went to see him, I never saw the doctor, but that was fine, because everything was taken care of well, he spent more time with me than the doctor would have, and it cost less).

Is knowledgeable and up-to-date. Though it's hard to find that perfect balance between empirical knowledge gained from being in the field for a number of years, and up-to-date knowledge gained from recent studies. You don't want someone who is too " old fashioned"--though sometimes the more conservative methods they have are less risky---but you also don't want some young whipper-snapper just freshly graduated who doesn't have the real-life experience.

Is willing to admit when they are not the best person for a specific problem.

Is not condescending or dismissive. (Like a @(*&#! nurse practitioner who, when I was concerned about headaches I got around TTOM, just said " oh, I get those, too. In fact, I have one now. Just take an aspirin." That was the last time I saw her!)

Values my own perceptions of what is going on in my body (who knows it better than me).

I made sure to choose an insurance program that allows me to choose my own doctor, and where I don't have to have a doctor's o.k. to see a specialist. I can also change doctors when I want...and I've taken advantage of that a couple of times.

As with many things, the best way to find a good doc is to ask around. Who do your friends/neighbors/colleagues go to, and what do they think of them?
 
>Secondly, I only choose doctors who emphasize prevention in
>their practice. I just can't stand the old-fashioned doctors
>who wait for you to get sick before they know what to do with
>you. The more they emphasize prevention, the better.

Yes, another excellent point. Most of US " health care" is really " sickness care," where one waits until you get sick, gives you drugs for the symptoms, and waits until the next illness to do anything.

My " primary" health care doctors are an acupunturist and a chiropractor. My regular doctor (who is an osteopath: they are more into prevention and non-traditional methods) I will see once or twice a year...usually once, unless I break out with poison ivy or something.
 
The best way to find a good doctor is to get references from people you know. I found my primary care physician when I was in the hospital and he was assigned to my case. I found his bedside manner very comforting and he had an easy-going manner. Plus he is a good doctor too.

My OB/GYN took a little longer to find. I went to one based on a coworker's referral of who his wife went to. I ended up not liking the guy at all. I never felt comfortable with him and felt like he was judgemental that I was sexually active and unmarried. But then I got a referral from a young female coworker for the OB/GYN I use now. He's absolutely wonderful! He's Turkish and very difficult to understand, yet he has a gentle and compassionate nature. He's in practice with his wife, who is American. She kind of bugs me because she's a little sticky-sweet. But both are extremely good doctors and I know TONS of women who go to them. I would be devastated if they ever left the area and I had to find a new doctor.

I have given referrals to both medical practices and I'm going to start charging commission pretty soon.

I don't have a preference of male vs. female. My daughter's pediatrician is a female, but I actually found the males in her practice to be more comforting to her. And the male doctor's in my PCP's practice are wonderful too. I am definitely not uncomfortable with a doctor based on gender - it's their mannerisms. I had a female gynecologist when I was in college that was brutal with the pelvic exam. I left bleeding (and it wasn't TTOM). But the male I had the next time I went was extremely gentle.
 
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