A Serious Diagnosis, What Do I Do?
By Dr. Victoria Kranz
It can be very scary for a patient to be told by their doctor that s(he) has a major and maybe also a debilitating illness. With today’s medicine, the patient has to be a good shopper for a competent doctor. A competent doctor is a learned body of medical knowledge and treatments who also possesses the empathy for you, the patient, as another human being.
Here are five tips to find a competent doctor:
- It goes by your time, as a patient, in finding a doctor to see you in a reasonable time. You, the patient should not have to wait one month to initially see that doctor, especially if you have been told that you have a serious or urgent condition requiring immediate follow-up.
- When the patient is told a probable diagnosis and work-up to follow (ex. labs, x-rays, etc.) the patient needs to be active in finding the sites (lab centers, hospitals, etc.) for the work-up to be performed promptly. You, the patient, does not have to do the whole work-up when the doctor has hospital privileges. Via technology today, medical information can be quickly sent to multiple hospital facilities and/or doctors with the patient’s consent.
- A must: Get a second medical opinion! Even if you admire and trust the first doctor, it’s im- perative in my opinion to see another doctor to compare notes. If both doctors convey similar diagnostic medical findings and medical treatment plans, then the patient is most probably on the right path.
- With both doctors having similar medical opinions then you, as the patient, will have the op- portunity to choose the doctor who best meets your qualifications.
- Hopefully, the patient has family member(s) and/or friend(s) to be an emotional support and assistance. As a patient, don’t be shy or stubborn to say yes to a loved one or friend offering to help you. The patient needs to talk with others close to them about the entire process of choosing a doctor.
