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Remember that just finding a good doctor is not enough. For an infertile couple, the doctor-patient relationship is the ultimate one-to-one relationship, in which you confide fully in your doctor and trust him to help you to conceive. You need to form a partnership with your doctor, so that you can make the most of his skills and abilities.
In order to foster and nurture the relationship with your doctor treat it with great care and respect. Don't forget to say 'thank you' to your doctor after all, he gets fed up of attending to droves of patients with complaints all day long, and would be delighted to hear a patient appreciate his efforts! This simple expression of gratitude by you would make the doctor remember you as a person and treat you as a special patient; getting VIP attention from him helps improve your medical care a good deal! As in a marriage, the doctor-patient relationship depends on good communication and trust built up over time. It is definitely worth spending time and taking trouble to maintain such a beneficial relationship.
Remember that the doctor's staff plays a key role, and you need to learn how the clinic functions. It's very helpful to build up a rapport with the staff (the receptionist, a nurse or an assistant), which can prove very useful when you need to talk to the doctor on a priority basis. The simple rule is that if you treat the staff well, you will be treated well too! A small 'thank-you' gift for the staff can help ensure that you get personalized attention. It's useful to learn which days are the busiest and what times are the best to consult the doctor. You should also find out what steps to take if there is an emergency, or when the clinic is closed.
Your visits to the doctor can be expensive, despite being very short. Many doctors have perfected the technique of flying into the examination room, shooting off questions, and rattling off advice. And, before you know it, you're shoved out of the door, worrying about those crucial matters you forgot to ask and the directions you forgot to write down. So, what's the solution? Is there really a secret to getting your money's worth from a doctor's visit? Yes, there is, and it's a simple one: Do your 'homework' thoroughly before visiting the doctor! In order to make the best use of your doctor's time, you need to 'prepare' for your visit, very much like you prepare for an examination. Time spent in getting organized before you go to the doctor can help immensely! A well-organized patient not only makes efficient use of the doctor's time but he is also likely to get better medical care, as he can help the doctor to make an accurate diagnosis. A conscientious patient makes sure that he has all the records with him as well as the vital questions to which he needs answers (preferably, in writing). Patients who value the doctor's time will do their best to get answers to their queries by tapping external sources such as books, libraries and the Internet, before going to the doctor's clinic. This procedure will allow them and their doctor to focus on what is important to them, so that they can make the best use of the limited 'quality time' that they have with the doctor.
© Dr. Aniruddha Malpani and Dr. Anjali Malpani www.drmalpani.com
Credits: How to Have a Baby: Overcoming Infertility
