If you are one of many people frustrated with an experience in a doctor’s office, you’re not alone. Just like all relationships, not all patients and doctors belong together. Communication and social styles can play a big role in the level of satisfaction experienced by both patient and doctor.
Are you and your doctor working towards the same goal? That may seem like a silly question, but it is worth asking. Are you both looking for a solution to the cause of the problem, or simply a way to manage it? Different outlooks can cause frustration for both people, and making sure you’re on the same page is extremely important.
Finding out if you are in the right place involves asking the right questions in the beginning; doing this properly can make all the difference.
What is your doctor thinking?
Before following a doctor’s recommendations for treatment, be sure to understand why they accepted you as a patient in the first place.
We accept patients at the Vital Posture™ Clinic for one of three reasons:
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We feel that we have a high likelihood of successfully addressing the cause of the issue.
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We believe that when combined with other practitioners treatments, our intervention will contribute to a multipronged solution.
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We understand that although we aren’t the right practitioner for the presenting issue, we have identified another issue in our assessment that we can successfully address.
After our initial new patient interview, we sometimes realize that the issue presented is not something that we can help with, and in those cases we don’t accept the patient for care in our office. Instead, we refer to another practitioner for further evaluation. Not all doctors can help with all issues.
Agree on the definition of success
You need a doctor that is able to deliver excellent results; but many people begin care without agreement as to what success might look like. You and your doctor may not have the same definition of a successful outcome, so make sure you both understand each other’s expectations.
Step 1: Be sure your potential doctor understands your reason for making the appointment.
Step 2: Explain how this issue does, or potentially will, impact your life. (What might it keep you from doing?)
Step 3: Agree on what a successful outcome looks like and what it will take to get there.
Dr. Jeff Scholten
NUCCA Chiropractor
The Vital Posture™ Clinic
Calgary, Canada
At the Vital Posture™ Clinic, we want to make your body a better place to live. Clinical intervention is not an exact science, and everyone responds differently. If we agree on what success means to each of us before we begin care, we increase the likelihood of everyone feeling great about the care received.
Healing is easier with better doctor and patient communication.
