I am certain that all of us know this: we need a doctor, maybe specifically a surgeon, and we do not know where to go. One expects her doctor to be competent and trustworthy and desires to be taken seriously with her concern. Suppose we feel well looked after by the practice team, that will undoubtedly be a bonus. However, it is not quite easy to assess whether a doctor's office can meet these - our - expectations.
The following checklist should help. It is structured into a brief, handy form and a more extensive format. Each of these checklists is structured in a first general evaluation of the facilities; the second part contains questions offered to help our physician's thinking process.
Whether a doctor is actually "right" for us is ultimately determined by the crucial trust relationship. It is not created by checklists but by respectful and open cooperation. Furthermore, as seen throughout this book, cooperation should embrace patient's and relatives' considerations, thoughts, and fears.
Nevertheless, even if we have found an excellent doctor's office, it probably does not meet all the checklist points. Because here we describe an "ideal" doctor's office - and it is as rare and utopian as any other ideal in ordinary life.
Only you can decide for yourself which of the described points are particularly important to you, and after this, you should choose a physician's office.
Also, the checklist could be an incentive for doctors further to develop their workflow and patient orientation in their medical practice.
This final part of the book tells you what you can do yourself to be well prepared for the next doctor's appointment. As explained before, we selected a list of questions that may arise during a doctor-patient conversation and should be addressed, improving error avoidance.
Each person sets different priorities, depending on what is most important to her during a doctor's visit. Therefore, not all the checklist points listed below must necessarily apply to a physician and her office that you personally rate as good. Moreover, some questions can also remain unanswered. If the standards relevant to you apply to your physician, you have found your “perfect” doctor's office.
