Ask These Questions Before Leaving Doctor’s Chamber
Article by Prof. MS Krishnamurthy MD (Ayu)., PhD.
This article is important to few of the patients/individuals who start thinking about the medicines and diet only when they reach home. Yes, I have seen a lot of people start calling the doctors as they reach home.
The reason is that they don’t do any kind of exercise before reaching or consulting a physician. Quite commonly this may be found in case where you or your party is meeting the physician due to emergency or in accidental cases.
Whereas if you are very often going near the physician to consult about your health and medicine certainly you are having enough time and scope to discuss about these.
Also, the physician will narrate about the disease, causative factors, way of manifestation, stage of the illness, methods to overcome, precautions to be taken by the patient or patients party/relatives/family members/associated ones etc in detail if you ask in particular.
It is your Right to ask about these factors when you approach your physician, especially with family physicians. The doctor will also explain with much care and concern about these irrespective of his busy schedule.
Also, in case of doubts you can take separate appointment to discuss regarding these factors in his free time period and when he is relaxed.
Because many a time mere medicines may not be useful or else the disease or patient may in need of a lot of other concerns like individual attention about food, habits, daily routines, exercises, stress relieving techniques/engaging ways etc.
This is more so in case of Ayurvedic medicinal treatments. Because as herbal products or Ayurvedic preparations are not so potent like modern molecules, to modify the drug action or to get the synergetic benefits and to overcome the possible undesired effects much attention should be given to food and drinks.
To add together, specific vehicles (anupana) and time of intake of medicine (medicine intake time/interval) are of immediate concerns and all such details should be collected during the consultation itself.
Very importantly in case of life style disorders much attention is needed with respect to the work, work place, position/gait, rest intervals, relaxation exercises social and professional behaviors etc. So the consultation will not be complete if all such aspects are not discussed with your physicians.
Most of the time after reaching home you may call or consult by message/internet etc which may not fulfill all your needs and hence many a time you may be disappointed by the doctor’s attitude or physician may feel discomfort by your approaches.
In addition, in recent days I have seen some of my professional colleagues who are charging for each and every such message/email/skype/telephonic consultations.
According to such colleagues these kinds of consultation fees are collected not mere for monitory benefits and instead it is to avoid untimely disturbed calls and mail consultations which reduce the personal or family pleasure of the physicians; also which makes the restless in few of the cases.
To add up, the patients or patients party also feel discomfort if the doctor does not picks the call or not answers for the mails, in their urgent needs.
Ultimately in few of the cases it may deteriorate the patient and doctors’ relationship too. Even though patients’ attention is the primary need of the physician, the patient also should have the note in their mind that the ‘doctors too need rest’ and ‘they do have family life like every one’.
Last drop
Feel free with your doctor and act patiently during your time with doctor. If any point is not clear better to make it clear there itself or with the assisting clinical staff like nurse or personal secretaries of the doctors.
This will give you enough confidence and reduce your burden. Or else unnecessary thoroughfare is found between the clinic-doctor-medical store-home and work place/office.
Article by Prof. MS Krishnamurthy MD (Ayu)., PhD.
