Going to the doctor’s office should offer relief, but for some patients, it is a stressful endeavor where they feel unheard and dismissed. Clinical and non-clinical interactions between doctors and patients are fraught with logistical challenges and emotional landmines. These have patients flocking to find other options and recoiling in frustration. We have all (or many of us have ) experienced some of these mishaps in our personal healthcare journeys.
Here are the ten things we do not like about our doctors and how we would like them to improve.
They withhold the context of information.
A patient’s test results may be part of the doctor’s job, but they can be life-changing for the person on the other end of the call. The 21st Century Cures Act may have forced practitioners to offer results sooner, but delivering them without context can be jarring for recipients. Relying on digital portals without taking care to add a human component is a huge mistake.
They only focus on one aspect of your health.
It has been documented that a preoccupation with one condition can lead to misdiagnosis. For example, some healthcare practitioners are so focused on patient weight that they ignore complaints in other areas. Sometimes, their refusal to see what impacts a patient’s health can stop them from progressing in the area they are focused on. Making recommendations requires considering the whole picture to be safe.
They lack empathy.
Bedside manners are crucial to creating and maintaining a solid doctor-patient relationship, especially if that patient is managing a chronic condition, whether they have obesity or prediabetes. What works for a doctor may not work for a patient, so doctors must find a way to empathize with their patients to treat them properly. Judging a patient for non-compliance without taking the time to consider what their day-to-day life is like is ineffective and demoralizing. Without empathy, it is hard to establish trust. “Doctors are the only people on the planet who have the idea that you can tell people, ‘Here, work on this every day, and I’ll see you in two or three months,” said Dr. Steven Feldman, MD, PhD, in a study published by the Association of American Medical Colleges.
They are dismissive.
There is nothing worse than pouring out your struggles to have them dismissed. Black people, and Black women in particular, are commonly misdiagnosed even when their symptoms are glaring. Dismissing patient concerns is not how to gain their trust and resolve their issue.
They don’t explain themselves.
Spending your life around medical jargon can make you immune to how it sounds to a layperson. Doctors need to practice relaying information digestibly so patients can understand them clearly. The need for healthcare literacy is so personal. Northwestern and the CDC have created programs designed for professionals to learn how to speak with their audiences.
They don’t listen to us.
A study published by the Irish Journal of Medical Science found that perceiving their physician as unwilling to listen to them was a significant reason that people opted to change caretakers. The doctor might be the medical expert, but we are the experts on ourselves, so our voices must be heard.
They show their biases.
Systemic issues start at the person-to-person level. Everyone is entitled to their opinions, but placing them front and center can be alienating regarding patient care. However, doctors must ask themselves if invisible bias impacts their medical advice.
They lack availability.
Work-life balance is important, but failing to have options for your patients can lead to them skipping out on essential appointments or seeking other options. It is highly stressful to schedule a follow-up with your physician only to learn they are not available for months. Failing to create flexible patient scheduling options means you do not value their time.
They are often behind schedule.
When patients finally book an appointment, they are treated to the joy of squatting in a waiting room until the doctor is available. According to a report from CBS News, “The average time you spend waiting at the doctor’s office is 24 minutes.” The courtesy we’re expected to extend to doctors goes the other way to us. There are instances where we have been turned away when we’ve been ten minutes late. Punctuality is part of professionalism, even for doctors in the medical field.
They have an inefficient office culture.
If everyone in a doctor’s office is not on the same page, it creates patient issues. It is not uncommon for patients to fill out all the necessary paperwork for their appointment ahead of time, but they are asked to do it again when they reach the office. One person taking a sick day or being unable to navigate a system should not completely upend the patient’s experience with your office. This needs to change.
