Building a cooperative
doctor / patient relationship
January 2007 View PDF En
español
For the patient …
Sharing your point of view with your doctor
Share your point of view. If something is or isn’t working
for you, it’s important you let your doctor know. Being honest
about your viewpoint is especially important if you’re considering
enrolling in a study or using experimental treatments.
Explain why you are considering a particular decision and listen
to what your doctor has to say. While some doctors feel uncomfortable
recommending certain studies or unapproved medications, many are
willing to work with and support patients who have clearly put some
thought and time into their decisions.
Whether or not agreement is reached on the use of a particular
treatment, cooperation in the form of proper monitoring through
examinations and lab tests should be secured. In turn, you should
agree to heed reasonable warnings suggested by the monitoring process.
When requesting prescriptions for existing approved medications,
a friendly and firm request is likely to work best. If the doctor
is opposed, you are entitled to know why, in clear terms. The doctor’s
concerns and knowledge should be given due respect, whether or not
you agree with them.
Choosing a relationship style
Choose a relationship style and discuss it with your doctor. People
have different styles of relating to doctors, and those styles may
change at different times or for different illnesses. In the “traditional”
doctor-patient relationship, the doctor leads and the patient follows.
For some, this is effective because they feel secure and cared for.
Others may view the doctor-patient relationship as more of a partnership,
where both doctor and patient contribute to the decision-making
process. Some prefer to make decisions and use a doctor primarily
as a consultant. This relationship style will require diplomacy
on the part of the patient; many doctors have not adjusted to the
role of consultant.
None of these relationship styles is right or wrong, but they are
all different choices that make different demands upon the relationship.
It is important that you let your doctor know which style you prefer.
Realize that as time passes and you become more familiar with HIV/AIDS
and as you experience different health challenges, the doctor-patient
relationship style that works best for you may change.
Learning the information
Knowledge makes a world of difference. Generally, the more you know
before a medical appointment, the more you can benefit from each
visit. Obtaining information on your own doesn’t need to be
difficult or overwhelming. In fact, the education process can begin
right at home. Many websites, hotlines and community organizations
are dedicated to answering questions about HIV/AIDS—from transmission
to treatment.
If you’re comfortable with some of the basics of HIV disease
and treatment, you will be better able to ask your doctor specific
questions during your visit. Do realize that you can’t learn
everything at once, so concentrate on the information that is most
important to your health right now. Remember that while self-learning
is great, it should not be a substitute for using your doctor as
a source of information.
Preparing for appointments
Come prepared for appointments. Both the patient and doctor benefit
when a visit is well-planned. It takes only a few minutes to write
down key questions ahead of time. Get in the habit of writing down
symptoms and side effects you’ve been experiencing, the changes
in meds (including complementary therapies), the missed doses, and
any questions that come up between visits in a medical journal.
Use this record to update your doctor at the start of the visit.
The limited time in the doctor’s office should be used to
focus on the most critical issues, rather than everything that comes
to mind. Preparation might include bringing along treatment literature
to be discussed in the visit. This allows the doctor to know your
sources of information and how to evaluate them.
Show your written list of questions to your doctor at the beginning
of the visit, so they can be incorporated into the overall visit.
Don’t wait until the end of the visit to ask questions, as
there may not be enough time to address them all.
Getting emotional news
Be prepared for the emotional content of the visit. Most doctors
are sensitive, caring people who respond emotionally to their patients.
They have seen an enormous amount of suffering. When fear is written
all over a patient’s face, no one should fault the doctor
for using the “kid gloves” gentle treatment, perhaps
even shielding the patients temporarily from the harshest implications.
If you prefer a more straightforward approach, let your doctor
know. But don’t expect him or her to also serve as your therapist
if news is unusually hard to hear. By choosing a more direct approach,
you also choose a path that requires greater inner support.
In any case, there is only so much emotional support a doctor can
give in the short time allotted for most visits. Plan in advance
to make use of other support resources.
NEXT