Posted by Anne Thomas (208.250.107.54) on July 28, 1999 at 22:29:48:
I think that it is important to give thought to our relationships with our doctors and health care providers. Over the past several years as working as a social worker, assisting others on skill of empowerment as well as trying to advocate my own medical needs forced me to have a new perspective. I think that ALL of us need to view our relationships with our MDs in that WE ARE CONSUMERS OF A SERVICE, and an expensive service at that. Because we are often in so much pain, have been discounted, and disbelived we may have a tendancy to accepting doctors opinions and often light approaches towards our treatments, I have done it...then I got pissed. I started to view my doctors as I would view my gardener, (if I had one), if I had hired a gardner, paying him big bucks and the lawn looked shabby, and the shrubs looked disheavled I would "fire" him and get another gardner. I think we need to look at our health care in the same light, disagree with our doctors, question their decisions, and spend every minute we are allotted picking their brain, and feel empowered enough to say to ourselves that this person is not meeting my needs and seek out someone who will. BE A CONSUMER, IF YOUR MECHANIC SUCKS AT MAKING YOU CAR RUN BETTER YOU WOULD NOT CONTINUE TO CALL THEM TO WORK ON YOUR CAR. When I have a new appt with a new MD I go with a list of questions ie: How familar are you with....?, What is your on-call policy and how long on average will I have to wait for someone to return my phone call? What is the allotted appt time, 15, 20 min?, is there someone who covers you patients when you are away?etc????HMOs today often give you leway in choosing MDs. You should trust your doctors, feel believed, feel hopeful when you leave an appt, and have regard for a MD who can admitt to their inability to treat you and give you a referral to someone who may be able to help. Doctors are making money from us. Be a consumer of services, empower yourselves, alot of MD should not be praticing, seek out those who belive you, and those who will treatyou aggressively. you are your own best advocate. aLWAYS GO TO APPTS ARMED WITH A LIST OF QUESTIONS,GET EVERY PENNY WORTH OF YOUR MEDICAL CARE.