Obtaining Positive Healthcare in the Wake of Covid

It has been said that if you listen long enough your patient will tell you what's wrong with them. Listening is a skill that very few of us have cultivated. According to a 2018 study published in the Journal of General Medicine, only 36% of patients were given an opportunity to speak up about why they came in for the visit. "Physicians interrupted the patient in 27 of the 40 (67%) encounters in which the agenda was elicited. The median time to interruption was 11 s. When not interrupted, patients completed their agenda in a median of 6 s. Most commonly, the physician interrupted by asking a closed-ended question (59%), followed by making a statement (30%), and using a re-completer (7%), or an elaborator (4%)."  According to Arefa Cassoobhoy, MD, MPH (January27, 2020 WEBMD) 75% of doctors feel they communicate well while only 21% of patients feel their talks went well.  In a facility where doctors are required to meet a quota, doctor patient communication can deteriorate further 

But what about in the age of Covid where in-person office visits are no longer an option for most? Within the confines of the telephone, which does not allow for reading facial expression, true communication between physician and patient can be even more limited. According to Sabe Sabesan and Danny Tucker (May 2020) as much as 55% of communication is dependent upon gaze, eye contact, and posture. So much can be missed and as a result, the level of care is greatly diminished. How is one to get good medical care in the wake of the Covid pandemic? 

• Be patient with both the system and your physician. This is still relatively new territory for all of us.
• Be your own advocate and research only reliable sources like medical and scientific journals, keeping in mind that there are a lot of "snake oil" websites that sell false hope.
• If your doctor is not the best listener, prepare before your visit by listing your concerns and questions by order of priority. Get your most important concern out first. It is also helpful to have all your questions and concerns written down in the event that you are interrupted.
• Keep records of your conversations with your doctor that you can reference back to later to avoid confusion and to help you remember. 
• If you still feel as though you do are not experiencing effective communication with your doctor you can choose to: try to voice your concerns with your doctor or to the specific health facility, or switch doctors.

2020 has definitely been trying and most have experienced some level of fear or anxiety in regards to their healthcare. Hopefully, this is a season that will pass and we will emerge smarter, stronger and more patient