A satisfying healthcare experience begins with a good primary care physician. Here are 6 qualities of a good doctor that let you know you’ve got a keeper.
Sign No. 1: Good doctors listen
A doctor sees you once every few months. As such, they will have no knowledge of your day-to-day lived experience until you tell them how you struggle to sleep every night, or that you get a stabbing pain in your side after climbing a few steps. But telling the doctor anything at all is pointless if the doctor is not interested in listening.
Unfortunately, plenty of doctors don’t bother to really listen. With 10 patients in the waiting room growing frustrated by the minute, a doctor might rush through your allotted appointment time, jotting down only the big complaints.
And, since they’re probably also seeing several other patients of the same age, with symptoms similar to yours, they may quickly make a judgement that lumps you in some category of senior adult illness.
One of the characteristics of a good doctor, on the other hand, is that they know the value of listening closely to their patients, because it is very much possible that a tiny, throwaway detail may turn out to be a major health clue. They will give you adequate time to describe your health problems, ask you questions, and make you an active participant in your healthcare.
Sign No. 2: Good doctors ask open-ended questions
Look at the two questions below.
- Do your feet hurt when you stand for too long?
- What happens to your feet when you stand for too long?
In response to Question A, you would probably nod your head, or say ‘Yes’, and wait for the doctor to ask a follow-up question, which they may or may not.
In response to Question B, you are likely to give more details. Among the traits of a good doctor is that they ask open-ended questions such as this, to encourage patients to volunteer information. Patients may consequently share details that are unexpected, or that the doctor might otherwise miss had they asked a close-ended question that can be answered with a simple Yes or No.
A study comparing closed and open-ended questions shows that patients report greater satisfaction when physicians asked open-ended questions, as it “frames patients as being active authorities over their own health information.”
Sign No. 3: Good doctors are supportive of second opinions
It may happen that you’re not entirely convinced by your doctor’s diagnosis of your condition, and would like a second opinion from a different medical professional. A good doctor will have no problem with that, because a second opinion may lower the risk of a medical misdiagnosis.
What is Medical Misdiagnosis?
Medical misdiagnosis happens when a doctor fails to correctly identify a patient’s illness, fails to catch it in time, or fails to catch it altogether. Errors in diagnosis are not uncommon; a recent study reported that every year, 800,000 Americans are medically misdiagnosed. Women and minorities are at higher risk of medical misdiagnosis.
Medical misdiagnoses can have devastating effects on a patient’s health and well-being. Incorrect diagnoses can lead to incorrect treatment, or no treatment at all. This may result in long-term damage to the patient’s health, disabilities, or even death.
Some patients hesitate to bring up the subject of second opinions for fear of offending their primary care physician. However, you have every right to seek a second or even third opinion because after all, it is your health and your life on the line.
Good doctors realize this. No matter how experienced they are, or how well they believe they understand an illness, if a patient wants a second opinion, they don’t get offended. They don’t take it as a personal attack on their years of education, experience, and expertise. They put their patient first, support the patient’s decision, and have no problems recommending a care provider where the patient can get a second opinion.
Sign No. 4: Good doctors don’t judge
According to a recent survey, 1 in 4 Americans avoids going to the doctor despite having health insurance. Among many reasons, one reason is fear of being judged, shamed, lectured, and feeling put on the spot.
This is troublesome, because the whole purpose of value-based care is to help patients overcome challenging health problems like smoking, drinking too much, and being overweight. Statistics show that 1 in 8 Americans over the age of 18 smokes, and 7 out of 10 adults are either overweight or obese. Smoking and obesity are major contributors to chronic illnesses such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease, and increase a person’s chances of hospitalization.
It’s a tricky situation for physicians, too, because good doctors don’t want to harp on and on about the same problem at every visit. This is especially true if the patient has been coming to them for a long time and has been unable to kick the bad habit, or drop the extra weight.
One of the defining qualities of a good physician is that they will understand that a patient may be trying their best. They will try to figure out collaborative ways of tackling the problem, and if the issue is beyond their scope, will refer the patient to a specialist who may have more experience in the matter.
Sign No. 5: Good doctors prioritize preventative care
Any good primary care physician worth their degrees will support and encourage you to follow a preventative care health routine, especially if you are at risk of developing a chronic illness such as unstable blood pressure or high cholesterol.
The purpose of preventative care is to identify potential health issues, prevent a disease from taking root, or if the patient has already developed it, keep it from becoming worse. Most preventative care consists of making better lifestyle choices, getting regular screenings, and getting vaccinated to either prevent disease, or slow down its progress.
Healthcare costs are one of the top reasons people avoid seeing care providers, but by insisting on preventative care measures, your doctor is actually helping you cut down on future expenses.
Sign No. 6: Good doctors rank high on CAHPS
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) maintain databases of healthcare providers, hospitals, home and hospice care providers, and other care services that are affiliated with Medicare.
CMS regularly conducts Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (CAHPS) surveys to determine patient experience and quality of care provided. This information is collated, and the provider is assigned stars based on their performance.
You can search for your doctor and check their star rating using this tool on Medicare’s website.