Anuradha Varma
When one patient called an orthopedic surgeon at a multi-speciality hospital to complain of muscle spasms, he asked her to stop painkillers and meet him five days later! Another patient, admitted to hospital, remembers a doctor entering her room to exchange a greeting just as she was getting into the washroom and being billed Rs 800 for that visit!
There are serious communication issues between doctors and patients. A recent survey of 89 hospitalised patients and their 43 doctors at Yale University School of Medicine and Waterbury Hospital, published in the Archives of Internal Medicine, found that 79 per cent physicians agreed that they didn’t always discuss things comprehensibly. As for patients, 57 per cent were unaware of their diagnosis when discharged, about 90 per cent weren’t told of side-effects of new medication and 54 per cent believed their doctors don’t discuss their fears with them.
Is there a way out? Yes, change your doctor, according to Dr Ranjit Roy Choudhury, a member of the Medical Council of India. He says, “A patient can take recourse in case of negligence or if the doctor doesn’t admit a patient during an emergency, but not if he doesn’t give time or is rude.” He adds, “Doctors are busy. In government hospitals, a doctor is able to spend just four minutes with each patient.”
Homeopath Mitee Sharma recalls a physician brushing off requests for an oxygen cylinder in her grandmother’s last days. “He said she was going to die anyway. It’s a rat race and the priority is money, not treatment.”
It’s no longer the good old days when you could call your GP at the slightest sign of unease. Laparoscopic surgeon V K Nigam, Apollo Clinic, Gurgaon states, “A good physician must have the ability to listen. Some hospitals have now begun to give appointments 30 minutes apart so that there is enough time for each session.”
One can also encounter rude and brusque behaviour at a hospital. Recalls Tina Lewis, who went to collect her father’s cancer test reports, “The doctor waved it at me, saying the ‘love letter’ had arrived. Another doctor told me to take my father home, as nothing could be done. Another advised surgery and said he would be walking in 10 days – when that was unsuccessful, he said the other doctors must have been right.”
Harmala Gupta, who set up Can Support for cancer patients, has found that doctors are not trained in communication. She says, “When our doctors and counselors first visit a patient’s home, they spend at least two hours – the families have so many questions. Talking is therapeutic.”
The cardiology department at Ganga Ram Hospital holds cardiac rehabilitation sessions. Consultant Kushal Madan, who runs counseling sessions for patients and their kin, is asked questions ranging from, “Can my husband watch television?” to “Can I join the gym after my surgery?” He points out, “Patients think the job is done after the surgery. There is a lack of awareness.”
So, how does one choose the right doctor? For most, it’s still through trial-and-error by visiting doctors recommended by friends or going to a reputed hospital.
However, make sure your doctor addresses your queries and, experts suggest, also has a team that can be contacted in case he is not available. Be informed about your disease and treatment and don’t be afraid to ask questions!
Anuradha Blogs 