In the age of managed health care, it can be easy to simply choose a doctor that has the soonest appointment available rather than waiting to see the same doctor you always see. It might be easy to assume that if you just have a cold or other simple issue, the most expedient route is just to get an appointment with whoever has time to see you first. While this is understandable, it can also be a mistake. Here are 3 reasons you want to find a doctor you like and stick with them, rather than bouncing around.
They Know Your History
Doctors don’t always have a lot of time to see each patient, but the more often you see the same doctor, the better they get to know you. Even more importantly, all they need to do to refresh their memory about the medications they prescribed is simply glance at your chart. Another doctor may not have the time to do a thorough inspection of your records and may miss something critical. Both your medical and medication histories are complicated, so the more often you visit the same doctor the less likely they are to be mistaken.
If You Like Them, You Are More Likely to Trust Them
Generally, we trust people we like more than we trust people we don’t like. It doesn’t necessarily mean that the doctor is untrustworthy if you don’t like them, but rather there is something about their manner that simply makes you uncomfortable. Some people trust someone more if they are slightly arrogant or overbearing, while others trust someone less when they feel they are arrogant or overbearing. In the medical relationship, just like all other relationships, there is something to be said for “chemistry.” Find a primary care provider you like and stick with them.
Find Someone Who Listens
No matter how well your physician may know bodies in general, nobody knows your own body like you. If you don’t feel that your primary care provider really listens to you, find another one. In the end, the person that will pay the price for all of your physician’s medical advice is you, so be sure you find a provider that you feel really listens to, hears and understands you.
Remember that your life, health and possibly even livelihood might be in the hands of your health care provider, so make sure you believe you are in good hands. If you don’t like your doctor, chances are you will find excuses not to visit them. Getting to the doctor is already hard enough, so make life easier on yourself by finding a doctor you like and sticking with them.