Finding a doctor can be a hard thing. Referrals and reviews can be confusing.
It’s not difficult to find doctors who have a great looking background
and a nice array of diplomas on their wall. It’s not even that hard to
come upon ones who are board certified and have a number of specialties
to their name. It can be challenging, however, to find doctors who care.
To come across a physician for whom medical care is more than just a
job. They still have that idealistic vision from medical school and they
still yearn to help each and every patient, not only in a medical
sense, but in a personal sense as well. If you know where and how to
look, though, you can still discover those physicians that really want
to help.
First of all, referrals from people you know are the best tools you can
use when trying to look for physicians. Sure, you’ll want to ask your
tight circle of friends and your immediate family, but that may not be
enough to come to a good decision. For one, they might not have the same
insurance and thus will not have the same options as it comes to
healthcare. Two, they may not have the same issues as you have. Ask
around, and don’t be afraid to extend your referral list to
acquaintances and distant friends. Go even further, if need be. Post on a
community message board and see what kinds of responses you get. Lay
out exactly what you’re looking for in a physician and see what comes
back to you.
If possible, it’s always a good idea to use the physicians already
treating you to find new specialists. Almost every general practitioner
will be able to give you a referral to any sort of specialist. This can,
of course, go both ways. If you’re being treated for a specific illness
or injury and you find that you really like the physician, you might
ask them if they are available to act as your primary care physician. If
not, maybe they can refer you to someone that can.
When you meet with a physician, ask them questions that will give you a
good sense of how your relationship is likely to go. Ask them to tell
you how long they are usually able to give to patients. They may not be
able to give you a straight answer to that question, but any answer they
give will shed some light on how they view their relationship with
their patients. Ask them how they respond to patients bringing in their
own “homework” in the form of articles, news stories, and so on. The
best physicians do not close themselves off to a patient who is trying
to be their own advocate.
