What Are Doctors and Patients Saying About One Another?

It's not a secret; the relationship you have with your doctor is an important part of staying healthy. Developing a relationship of trust, respect and teamwork will ultimately benefit both parties. This is especially important with people who need long-term medical care because they're living with chronic conditions like HIV/AIDS.

The magazine Consumer Reports recently conducted a survey to see just what doctors and patients were saying about one another. What do patients do that aggravates doctors and what do doctors do that annoy patients? Here is what the survey found:

What about doctors bother the patient?

• Kept the patient waiting longer than 30 minutes - 24%

• Couldn't schedule an appointment in less than a week - 19%

• Spends too little time with patients - 9%

• Didn't get patient test results promptly - 7%

• Didn't respond to patient telephone calls - 6%

What about patients bother the doctor?

• Patients don't follow their prescribed treatment - 59%

• Wait too long before making an appointment - 41%

• Are reluctant to discuss their symptoms - 32%

• Request unnecessary tests - 31%

• Request unnecessary prescriptions - 28%

By understanding what both sides are troubled by, patients and providers can work to improve their relationship. And as we said earlier, a good working relationship; a good team approach will benefit both parties for a long time to come.

More Resources to Help Develop the Patient-Provider Relationship

• Finding the Doctor that's Right for You

• Getting the Most from Your Doctor Appointment

• The Keys to Culturally Sensitive Care

_{Source: Consumer Reports; "Consumer Reports Survey: Patient and Doctors Disagree on Some Essential Issues"; Consumer Reports - 2 Feb 2007: Pg 33-35.}