Making the Most of Your Doctor: Three Words to Get the Best Out of Those 10 Minutes

We have all seen those long faces on their way out of the doctor's clinic: frustrated, disappointed or just plain angry! Not getting what we want from our doctor, feeling that we haven't being listened to -- we have all been there. What most people don't know is just one minute's reflection about our problem can help make the most of our time with the doctor. Read on for an insider's tips on how to get the best out of those 10 minutes. Trust me. I'm a doctor. Believe it or not, communication skills are an essential part of medical training. I have known the brightest academic students to fail medical exams purely due to their poor communication skills. For family physicians -- or general practitioners, as they are also known -- communication is fundamental to a good consultation with patients in the community. These doctors will often see patients in the most challenging times of their lives including terminal diagnoses and bereavement. Gaining a quick insight into how your doctor's brain is ticking away during the ten minute consultation will equip you to get more of what you want from your doctor. Don't believe me? Just try it. There are many models of communication that are used to train doctors in patient communication. A common one that we will use to demonstrate today is called the ICE model: ideas, concerns and expectations. A doctor will ask many open questions to establish what each of these three words mean for you before formulating a joint plan that is ideally a...
Source: Healthy Living - The Huffington Post - Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news