I am looking for a good doctor!
The expectations are huge: he should be likeable. Trustworthy. Competently. And, of course, make us healthy. Our doctor.
The reality sometimes looks different. Doctors who do not listen. The more confused with their specialist gibberish than enlighten. Hours of waiting. Three minutes medicine.
"I'm looking for a good doctor. Do you know one?" is therefore a question that is often asked in the circle of acquaintances and colleagues. But how do I fix that? Above all, we can hardly judge the medical competence as a layman.
The Medical Center for Quality in Medicine (ÄZQ) has published a booklet intended to put an end to this uncertainty. "How do you recognize a good medical clinic?" - Under this heading, patients will find a checklist of eleven assessment criteria for physician and practice.
Checklist: You must pay attention to this
- Does the doctor take me and my specific health problem seriously?
- Do I receive detailed and comprehensible information and advice from my doctor?
- Do I receive any hints from my doctor for further information sources and counseling services?
- Does my doctor involve me in all decisions regarding my health situation?
- Will I be treated in a friendly and respectful manner by the doctor and practice staff?
- Can I easily access my patient records?
- Does my doctor accept that I would like to obtain a second opinion in case of doubt?
- Is the protection of my person and privacy ensured in practice?
- Is the protection of my personal data maintained in practice?
- Can I reach doctor and doctor's office well?
- Can I tell if and how doctors and medical staff are trying to improve the quality of my treatment?
The brochure "How to recognize a good doctor's office?" is also available online with detailed commentary on the checklist and a guide to help patients prepare for the doctor's visit.
Interview: "Prepare for a doctor's visit"
ChroniquesDuVasteMonde.com: Professor Ollenschläger, why do we even need a checklist to identify a good doctor's office?
Günter Ollenschläger: Doctor recommendations are still running today mostly through word of mouth: "Do not you know a good doctor?". But the more complex the medical system becomes, the more difficult it becomes to form an opinion on oneself. That's why we developed the checklist - in close collaboration with the Medical Association and the Patient Forum.
ChroniquesDuVasteMonde.com: Which item on the list is the most important to you?
Ollenschläger: For me, one thing is especially important: a good doctor makes it possible for the person affected to decide in the end - the patient. He takes his time, listens well and informs patiently and understandably. It gives the patient the chance to think about their decision, if the disease allows it. He addresses the needs of the patient. In our time of three-minute medicine, unfortunately, this is becoming increasingly difficult.
ChroniquesDuVasteMonde.com: Do you have to differentiate between a good doctor and a good doctor's office?
Ollenschläger: That should be one, after all, one can also make excellent medicine in a miserable organizational environment. Some points on the list could also be called "hotel aspects" - here the focus is on organization, for example when it comes to the accessibility of the practice or the protection of the private sphere. A highly professional medical care center has it much easier than a single doctor on the flat land in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. Also, the desire for a second doctor's opinion can be realized there much faster and less complicated.
ChroniquesDuVasteMonde.com: keyword second opinion: Many patients do not dare to ask for the necessary documents. They are afraid to baffle their doctor.
Ollenschläger: Personally, I would change the doctor if he does not allow me to get another hedge. A good doctor's office makes it clear that the doctor strives for the highest possible medical quality. This also means not presenting yourself as omniscient. Of course, the relations must be maintained - in case of a cold you do not need to get a second opinion!
ChroniquesDuVasteMonde.com: Advise patients, inform - it costs time and does not bring much money. What role do economic interests play for doctors?
Ollenschläger: Unfortunately, the so-called "talking medicine" is unfavorably rewarded. Therefore, it is always a balancing act between the career goal and the framework conditions. Nevertheless, communication is the Alpha and Omega for the doctor - unless he only has anesthetized patients to treat.
ChroniquesDuVasteMonde.com: What to do if I work through my checklist and find out: My doctor is not good? Change the doctor - or talk to him?
Günter Ollenschläger: Unfortunately, many patients do not dare to criticize the doctor. But it is also something else, whether one talks to the baker about the quality of the rolls or the doctor as a confidant in question. Therefore, good medical practices have a quality management, for example, anonymous questionnaires or a Kummerkasten directly in practice. Many also publish our or similar brochures to encourage their patients.
ChroniquesDuVasteMonde.com: Can the patients themselves do something to make the visit to a doctor a success?
Ollenschläger: Prepare for a doctor's visit! Think about what information is important to your doctor: What are your complaints? What medications do you take? Also, you should write down what questions you want to ask your doctor. This may seem funny to you at first - but when I go to the opera, look at the libretto before that.
Günter Ollenschläger is head of the Medical Center for Quality in Medicine (ÄZQ) in Berlin
