How to be a good patient: make your healthcare team love your visits
As we age we’re all going to have more health related events: more trips to the doctor, clinic, or (shudder) hospital. These ideas may help to make your interactions a little smoother and friendlier.
We doctors are supposed to treat everyone the same. No matter the case, exhibit impartiality. Except we’re human too, and we don’t treat everyone equally. Believe me, being a “ good patient “ matters a great deal. Need to be worked in? Need a form filled out fast? Who would you rather call back, a surly argumentative jerk, or someone that you truly like as a person? Before writing this piece, I interviewed several doctors, and staff. I simply asked what makes a good patient, and noted the most common answers. My hope is that the following points will help you better understand what it means to be a good patient.
Please be punctual
Please show up on time. Being late can really interrupt patient flow through the clinic. It makes other patients have to wait, or have their visit time with the doctor shortened to make time for you. If you’re late, graciously accept being worked into the schedule. A great idea if you’re running late is simply to call, explain the situation, and work out a solution over the phone. Oddly enough it’s not advisable to show up an hour earlier either. My father was the king of arriving early. He would go an hour early, then prior to his true appointment time leave in a huff over having been made to wait an hour. In spite of my laughing and suggesting, I never could talk him into simply showing up on time.
Common decency helps
Treat the whole office staff well. Common decency goes a long way. You can’t be an ass to the desk person, rage at the nurses then be all sunshine and light with the doctor. First off word gets around, and the duplicity is readily evident. The fastest way to get kicked out of my practice is to abuse the staff. It sounds unbelievable, but I’ve had patients act so mean that the staff was brought to tears. Who do you think the staff will want to help with a call, question, or scheduling?It’s simple really: be nice and kind, have a little patience, say please and thanks. It’s easier when this works both ways.
Phones are both blessing and curse
Give the phone a break. Certainly phones are great while waiting in the doctor’s office for playing games, shopping, or working to pass the time. If you must take or make a voice call please be respectful of others in the waiting room. If you’re in the room with a nurse, technician or doctor, silence the phone, or better yet put it away completely. Recently I was performing an eye exam on a very large woman with the microscope. With her head still in the machine her chest began to ring. she reached into her bra , produced her phone , answered and proceeded to have a conversation. I left the room with her still talking away. I checked back on her to finish the exam….. half an hour later. Many patients record their visits these days. It can be wonderful for patients with a poor memory who can review the recording later. My old men often record in order to answer their wives questions when they get home. Please be kind enough to disclose that you’re recording the visit. We all use our phones an increasing amount. We understand, but being a good patient means controlling our base phone urges.
Eau de….
I shouldn’t have to say it. Personal hygiene matters to us a lot. Please bathe and wear clean clothes . Brush your teeth, or chew gum or a mint. Sweat, body odor and stale urine smells can make patient encounters a challenge. These visits often are rushed simply to get out the door to breathe. We don’t expect high fashion for visits, just neat and clean , thank you.
A note on questions
Questions are great….to a point. Generally we like to talk about your diagnosis and treatment. Questions are an important part of the interaction. Try to only ask the same question one time and listen to the answer. It’s been proven that patients only retain 8-12% of the information provided. The blame for this poor understanding lies with both sides. The doctor needs to explain more clearly and communicate more effectively. The patient needs to listen ( or consider taking notes). Family and friends can be a great second set of ears. All patients read Google for medical information now. This is a double edged sword, as there is some good information, but a lot of total garbage. A lot of Google sites are trying to sell something to often scared patients. It’s fine to ask about something you read online, but at some point you need to trust the doctor in front of you to know the best way.
Being the best one
Common decency goes a long way. You should expect to be treated well by your healthcare team. Similarly, your thoughtfulness and kindness go a long way to improve the interaction. I hope that this advice doesn’t sound too implausible or negative. If you keep these suggestions in mind, you’ll be the one that the whole office loves.