Abstract

Keywords: Participatory medicine, physician-patient communication, quality of care, patient engagement.
Citation: Smith CW. How do you know if you’re getting good medical care? J Participat Med. 2013 Jul 17; 5:e29.
Published: July 17, 2013.
Competing Interests: The author has declared that no competing interests exist.
 

How do you know if you’re getting good medical care?

This important question may seem straightforward but it is not easy to answer. Good medical care is difficult to describe because “good,” like “beauty,” is in the eye of the beholder — and, thus, is very subjective. Therefore, in many cases, patients may feel they are getting good care because their doctor is a good communicator or because they have a good relationship. And, to be sure, effective communication and a good doctor-patient relationship are fundamental building blocks of good care. But are they enough?

Some doctors may be very skilled in talking with their patients, but don’t do enough to keep up to date with current research and practice recommendations. Thus, they may be using outdated treatment or be unduly swayed by pharmaceutical marketing or anecdotal reports. As a result, their treatment may be obsolete or, in some cases, outright dangerous. This is not good care. But, as a patient, how would you know?

Online provider rating sites could theoretically help you identify a high quality health care provider. But they may often report limited results from few patients, and may not accurately assess the physician’s practice. While it may be worth a look, caution is advised in interpreting these results.

This still leaves us with the question of how participatory patients can effectively seek out high quality care providers. The bad news is that you probably can never be assured that you’re making the optimum choice. But taking a proactive approach should increase the odds of getting the outcomes you desire. So, stack the odds in your favor by considering the following factors:

1. Are the doctor and his/her staff communicative, friendly, and eager to answer your questions?
2. Does the doctor encourage you to participate actively in your care and communicate via email when needed?
3. Does your doctor ask you about your concerns and preferences as you decide jointly on the most appropriate treatment for you?
4. Ask your friends and acquaintances if they “like” this doctor and have had good outcomes with his treatment.
5. Participate in an online patient group specific to your condition, if appropriate, and ask other patients what they think of the treatment your doctor is using or proposing.
6. Weigh online provider rating sites carefully, recognizing that most reports come from people who are either extremely pleased or very dissatisfied with their provider.
7. Does your doctor follow up with you by letter, phone or email, or with a return visit when there is a complicated or “unfinished” issue such as an outstanding lab test, imaging test, or referral to another specialist?
8. Does your primary care doctor (internist or family physician) practice in a “patient centered medical home” model? Ask the doctor or his/her staff if you don’t know.
9. Does your doctor solicit your feedback about your care experience through some type of patient satisfaction survey process?
10. Take a look at the Choosing Wisely campaign website about how to get the right care at the right time, and ask your doctor to do so as well.

If you can’t answer “yes” to the majority of these questions, talk over your concerns with your provider or find another one. Getting good health care takes effort but is well worth it. Being a participatory patient requires it!

Copyright: © 2013 Charles W. Smith. Published here under license by The Journal of Participatory Medicine. Copyright for this article is retained by the author, with first publication rights granted to the Journal of Participatory Medicine. All journal content, except where otherwise noted, is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License. By virtue of their appearance in this open-access journal, articles are free to use, with proper attribution, in educational and other non-commercial settings.