http://www.obgyn.net/displayarticle.asp?page=/women/articles/drright
Your rights and your duties:
The doctor-patient relationship involves rights and duties; and, as a patient, you must keep both in mind.
Your duties and responsibilities as a patient include:
.....Keeping appointments punctually.
.....Taking medicines as prescribed.
.....Getting in touch early if anything is amiss.
.....Paying promptly for your medical services.
Your rights as a patient include:
.....Being informed about what is wrong with you and how the doctor hopes to help you, in language you can understand.
.....Being provided with competent medical care.
.....Not being made to wait for excessively long amounts of time.
Follow-up visits:
Try to schedule your next visit at the end of the consultation. If it's something that can be managed on the phone, then it's much better that you have a telephonic follow-up. Why go to the doctor's clinic when you don't need to.
Making decisions and informed consent:
You must be actively involved in making decisions which involve your own body. If you don't understand the doctor's medical and technical terms, the fault is not yours - it's your doctor's; because he is not explaining properly! There is nothing which is so difficult that it cannot be made understandable to you. If your doctor doesn't have the time or interest to do so, find someone else who does! A good doctor must respect your intelligence and ability to understand and make your own decisions. Especially in medicine, there are few cut-and-dried answers; and there may be many ways of solving a particular problem. You need to find our (with the help of your doctor) which method is right for you.
Medical records:
Make sure you have copies of all your records - after all, they are your property. You can give the doctor xerox copies of your original reports for his files, if needed. Also make sure that you understand what's in your medical records - it must make sense to you so that you can explain it to another doctor if needed.
Patient education:
Try to take an active interest in your medical care - after all, this is the only body you have! Read as much as you can about your problem. A good doctor will give you written material to read at home, so that you can assimilate what he has said at your leisure.
X> TO: Part 7 of 7.....How to Find Dr. Right