By Michele Howe.
Your doctor wants to see you happy and from the moment you enter an exam room, the attention is centered on you as the patient. Your physician takes notes of your symptoms, your pain, and every medical reason for being in his office. As he listens, your doctor is also making mental notes on how to best diagnose and then treat your condition. He is developing a plan of action scripted just for you. It’s his job to help you get better and he’s happy to take on the role of caregiver.
What physicians aren’t happy about is when their patients ask for the impossible without taking personal responsibility to follow the step-by-step guidelines offered them.
It’s good to remember that once a doctor shares his recommendations and you come to an agreement, an essential exchange takes place. The responsibility has now shifted heavily toward you as the patient. When any individual seeks out medical assistance, the implication is that the sick person recognizes his need for expertise and intervention found solely through the insights and skills offered by a physician. However, what’s not so clearly stated is that the primary job of every patient is to see to it that he heeds the instructions given him by his health care provider.
Never forget – both you and your physician work toward the same ultimate goal of optimal good health.
Dr. Christopher A. Foetisch, orthopedic surgeon at the Toledo Clinic, offers some practical suggestions on what make doctors smile. Read on to discover if you’re adding to or subtracting from your physician’s happiness factor.
Your physician will be Happy if you have –
1. Reasonable expectations – Understand that your pain, your problems very likely did not occur overnight. Multi-layered health issues frequently require multi-layers solutions and cures, all of which can take time to unravel.
2. Motivation – Accept and anticipate that the bulk of the responsibility for regaining good health (and maintaining it) falls to you once you begin the process.
3. Self-accountability – Come to your physician’s office seeking expert advice and medical help, not expecting someone to come look over your shoulder every minute of every day.
Your physician will be Unhappy if you –
1. Have unrealistic expectations – Doctors are not miracle workers and they must work with both your past and present illnesses/injuries. Your health habits and lifestyle practices can limit how much of a difference a physician can make.
2. Are looking for the quick fix – No one wants to be sick or injured, but wishing it away won’t alter the fact that most medical issues require stretches of time to heal. Your doctor can’t make your body heal quicker than it can.
3. Are unwilling to invest in your own health – It’s your body, your life that’s in jeopardy. Don’t frustrate your physician’s efforts by failing to do your part by giving all the effort you can to grow strong.
This Post Has 0 Comments