How to get your doctor to hear you

Almost everybody is saying in the news lately that people are feeling neglected by their doctors. General practitioners around the world are under a lot of strain right now. With cuts to budget, and a lack of hiring, there are not enough general practitioners to go round, which means that people are getting care that is not as good as they should be getting. Is it the general practitioner’s fault? No. It’s a systemic issue, and it’s the fault of the governments that are under funding the services.

The problem here though, is that people who are going to their doctors are now not feeling hurt. On average, we get about 10 minutes with our physician to tell them your problem, come up with a solution and leave the office. That’s not enough time, and doctors already know that this is not good enough. Instead of coming away from your doctor feeling like they are not listening to you, you need to be able to get your doctor to pay attention to what you are saying. You know your body, and you know the issue that you are dealing with. Doctors such as Hanid Audish DO are doing what they can when it comes to genetic research, but in the meantime you need to see your regular GP and make sure that they can hear you when you speak. With this in mind, we’ve got some tips to help you to get your doctor to listen to you when you have concerns.

• Be as prepared as possible. As we said, you don’t get much time with your General practitioner, so you need to know what you want from your doctor when you walk in the room. We know you want answers. But you need to tell them what’s going on, and don’t dither about it. It can be tempted to talk on and on and on about the problem that you are having, but if you can prepare yourself and narrow those symptoms down as quickly as you can, your doctor will have more time to help you to come up with a solution or refer you for testing rather than send you away and tell you there’s nothing to worry about. Preparation is key.
• Ask questions. If you feel that your concerns haven’t been properly addressed during your appointment, you should ask questions when you can. Interrupting your physician may not be your usual way of doing things, but you are on a time frame here, and you should be asking questions such as conditions you could be looking for, or second opinions you could be getting. If you are concerned, trusting your intuition is so important, so press for answers if you must.
• Be respectful. Of course, when we talk about getting answers from your General practitioner, we don’t mean to be rude. We’re talking about medical specialists here who are there to help you. This is their whole vocation and role in life. It doesn’t mean they are not under pressure to deliver results. Being respectful is such an important thing to be when you are dealing with health care professionals. It’s going to help you to get the answers that you want much quicker, full.