You could be making a medical mistake!
According to MSN news, we don’t pick doctors for their expertise and hi-tech medical skills. We pick them for their old-fashioned bedside manner.
Researchers at the Mayo Clinic surveyed a random group of patients about their ideal doctor. You’d think that "best in their field" would’ve topped the list - but it rarely showed up at all. Instead people wanted doctors who were honest, compassionate, and respectful. The patients didn’t want to see doctors with arrogant attitudes, even if it meant giving up some expertise. But the trouble is - it pays to have a doctor that’s up on all the latest medical know-how.
Med schools are looking at ways to teach doctors better bedside manners, but in the meantime here’s what you can do to get the care you need:
Find a general practitioner who makes you feel comfortable and takes the time to listen to you. But when you need a specialist, look for one who’s long on talent, even if he’s short on personality. That may mean you’ll need to keep asking questions until you understand the procedure and have a realistic idea of how the doctor’s going to follow-up.
If you don’t know a doctor’s background, try a site like HealthGrades.com. For a fee, they’ll give you their education history, training, let you know if there are any lawsuits against them, and how other patients feel about them. There are other sites too, like RateMD.com, and KnowX.com.
