According to a study done by the Mayo Clinic, one of the desired traits patients want in a doctor is that he should be FORTHRIGHT. Which means being honest and explaining to his patients in such a way that they understand their illness and their treatment.
That's all nice and good but I often have patients who don't care the least what their illness is as long as their bad symptoms go away. This isn't a good attitude especially for chronic illnesses like diabetes and hypertension. These are the patients who usually stop taking their medicines once the symptoms disappear.
On the other hand, I also have patients who already have been to other doctors. While they received proper medical attention, the explanation of their illness is either oversimplified or too technical that the patient cannot provide me with enough information to allow me to continue management from the previous doctors. This means repeated lab tests and examinations which could have been avoided (health insurance over here is almost non-existent).
What to do?
