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How Would You Rate Your Doctor?

From Carol & Richard Eustice,
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About.com Health's Disease and Condition content is reviewed by Kate Grossman, MD

Are you satisfied with your doctor? Do you feel satisfied with your treatment?

A person living with a chronic illness such as arthritis must have a good relationship with their doctor. It's imperative because their doctor will be a significant person in their life for many years.

How Would You Rate Your Doctor?

An article came across my desk awhile back which provoked me to think about how patients feel about their doctors. How do they rate? It's really a big question. Think about it.

Choosing a doctor is one of the most critical decisions we make. Our lives may even depend on it. People often choose a doctor initially through several means such as:

  • physician listings
  • personal recommendation
  • professional referral

    • There are many factors you should consider when choosing a doctor.

  • How To Choose The Right Doctor For You
  • Finding The Right Doctor For You

    • Two Common Scenarios

    People typically go to the doctor when they are most vulnerable, feeling sick and weak. The patient goes to the doctor with a medical problem, turns that problem over to the doctor, and has an expectation that the doctor will help solve it. Or, the patient visits the doctor, not with an immediate problem, but with the expectation that the doctor can help maintain their good health, by utilizing routine screenings and wellness programs. Either way, as time goes on, a patient-physician relationship is built.

    Is Your Doctor Meeting Your Needs?

    Since the working relationship between a doctor and patient is so important, it is imperative that patients feel that their needs are being met.

  • Are most patients happy with their doctors?
  • Are they satisfied with their treatment plan?
  • Does their doctor leave them feeling that their health care is under control?
  • Does their doctor encourage questions?
  • Do most feel their doctor understands them?
  • Do most feel they understand the directives and decisions made their doctor?
  • Do most feel confident in the ability of their doctor?
  • Have they built the trust in their patient-physician relationship that seems so imperative?

    • Or, are they sticking with a particular doctor because they have considered no alternative, sought no other medical opinion, and feel somehow stuck in a proverbial rut?

  • 10 Reasons To Fire Your Doctor
  • Should You Change Doctors?

    • Building The Doctor-Patient Relationship

    Consider this true story as you think of your own situation:

    I know two patients who were in the same room in a medical facility. Both patients had long stays in the facility, and coincidentally, they had the same physician.

  • One of the patients loved the doctor, and looked forward each day for the doctor to come into their room so questions could be asked and answered, and the next step towards wellness could be decided.
  • The other patient loathed the doctor walking into the room.

    • What was the difference? Two patients. Same setting. Same doctor. One was very satisfied. The other was equally dissatisfied. One might conclude that it is not just the doctor, nor just the patient that defines a patient-physician relationship. It is the relationship that is built between the doctor and the patient.

  • The Patient-Physician Encounter

    • More Related Resources

  • Arthritis Doctors / Health Care Professionals
    Doctors and other professionals play an essential role in the treatment of arthritis. Resources about building your team of arthritis doctors and other health care professionals.

  • First Visit To The Rheumatologist
    A rheumatologist is a medical doctor who specializes in arthritis and related diseases. When preparing for the first appointment with a rheumatologist, there are several things for the patient to consider. How should you prepare? What should you expect? What should you bring? What questions should you ask?

  • Patient Education - Can You Know Too Much?
    Patient education should enhance the doctor-patient relationship. Patients are often encouraged to learn all they can about their disease, to become informed, and take a positive approach to managing their condition. Is it possible though for a patient to know too much? Is it possible that a patient can believe they are more knowledgeable than they actually are?

  • A Positive Approach To Arthritis
    Positive attitude can be part of an effective treatment plan. High moments and low moments speckle the life of someone living with arthritis. Life with arthritis is a continuum of peaks and troughs. To survive in the troughs, you must harbor positive attributes.

  • 8 Best Things To Do For Arthritis
    A person who must deal with chronic arthritis faces many life-altering challenges. These eight (-ate) actions can help a person deal with the challenges and maintain a positive attitude at the same time.

  • How To Prepare Yourself and Your Young Child For A Doctor Visit
    It can be a traumatic experience if a parent isn't prepared. Parents feel helpless if their child has persistent pain or unresolved health problems. How can you prepare for your child's doctor visit, and more importantly, how can you prepare your child?

    • Updated: May 29, 2006
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