what are the characteristics of a good health care provider.?

Question

what are the characteristics of a good health care provider.?
how does the lack of these affect the delivery of health care?

Answer 1

Personally what I look for is staff and a doctor who are attentive and through, who take the time to examine me and listen to what I have to say. My Mother`s life has been saved twice by going to a doctor who took the time to investigate a seemingly harmless little blip on a mamogram or ultra sound, yet it turned out to be cancer (one time breast cancer, another time Uterine cancer). When she was transfered to another hospital for surgery, the doctors there said they never would have even noticed it, yet because it was caught in very early stages, her survival statistics were incredibly increased.

I have been to doctors who have been too prideful to realise they are wrong and insist on treatment or not give me or my child treatment on things they are VERY wrong about (my kid broke out in a rash after I put baby oil on her..the doctor didn`t even look at the rash, but assumed it was breast milk and told me to stop breasfeeding, eventhough I INSISTED it had to be the baby oil. I was right and completely ignored what he told me. I got cream from another doctor. I will never go back to that doctor, he is completely useless).

I have also had doctors who have performed things on me without giving me forwarning or letting me know the risks involved. I hate being kept in the dark about things that involve my body. I have lost trust with these doctors and am very weary of going to somone who does not take the time to find out how to properly treat me.

If I feel something ain`t right, I am getting a 2nd or even 3rd opinion and being sure to consult every well known medical encyclopedia or web site I know until I get to the bottom of what is really going on!!

Answer 2

You definitely need someone you feel comfortable talking about private matters with. Sometimes the things you need to see a doctor about can be pretty embarassing enough as it is, you don't want a doctor you're uncomfortable with to be the 1 person you talk to about various bodily functions. If you don't have good communication, it can be difficult for the doctor to obtain from you the information needed in order to make an accurate diagnosis. At the same time, it may be difficult for you to think on-the-spot about all of the things you wanted to tell them. Keeping a list ahead of time of all the things you want to discuss helps bridge the communication gap if you're seeing a doctor you just met.

Another major characteristic, for me anyways, is having someone you can understand. I had a lady doctor from another country for a while, and could not make out a word she said. She sent me for tests I didn't need or ask for, and on 1 occasion, completely misdiagnosed me because of poor communication between us. that's when I decided to look for a new Primary Care Provider.