Choose your doctor wisely--continue

Choose your doctor wisely:
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 

• Determine the places you can shop. Start by screening for location. Most of us will have a distance threshold that we just don't want to travel beyond for routine doctor trips. How many doctors are in the practice? What hours do they work? How long are their appointments? What are their waitings times like?
• Get good advice. Ask your co-workers, your friends, your family or any acquaintances in the health-care field about the practices and hospitals in your area and whether they know of any of the individual doctors. Find people with similar needs to yourself, for example, with young children or chronic illness, and ask who they would recommend.
• Be savvy about 'brand'. A doctor's background and credentials matter a great deal. Find out where the doctor you're considering went to university and took training during residency. (Just remember that attendance at a top school of residency program is a clue to the doctor's intelligence and training but it is only one factor to consider.) Many general practitioners have undergone some postgraduate training. This can include specific general practice training. This can include specific general practice training or speciality training in areas such as obstetrics and gynaecology, or paediatrics. Check the letters after the doctor's name--these will usually indicate the nature of any postgraduate training. Also find out if the doctor si vocationally registered. A requirement for a doctor to remain on the vocational register (and therefore be eligible for higher rebates from the government) is that they participate in professional development regularly. Doctors who are not vocationally registered are likely to do this as well, but they are not regulated to the same degree. Experience is important too. The longer doctors have been in practice, the more they'll know and of course the more set in their ways they'll probably be. Somtimes you"ll find older doctors, for instance, won't readily susbscribe to the doctor-patient teamwork approach.
• Check whether the practice is accredited.  General practices that are accredited have met certain standards in a wide range of areas including practice systems, factors affecting the patients and physical factors of the practice. If the practice you are considering has not been accredited this does not mean that the standards have not been met. It mightly simply mean the practice has not applied for accreditation. 
• Be sure of the fit. You try on new clothes, you test-drive new cars, you sneak a grape before buying the whole bunch. Likewise, you should stop by the doctor's surgery, have a chat with the reception staff and make an appointment with the doctor. Choose someone you feel relaxed talking to and who communicates well. Do you feel reassured? Are you treated as a health-care partner, meaning the reasoning for selecting a treatment plan or medicine is shared with you? If you are moving location it is worthwhile to get your medical records sent to your new health provider, but don't do this until you are completely satisfied with your choice. Remember--a single visit doesn't equate

                                                  CHOOSING A SPECIALIST

In Australia and New zealand choosing a specialist is quite different to choosing your primary health-care provider. While it remains true that you can choose which specialist the GP is often a significant influence on who you see.
  Nonetheless you can and should ask a number of questions before accepting such a referral:
Why has your doctor recommended this specialist? Is it based on professional or personal reasons? Has yours GP referred to them before? Are they experience with your particular condition?
Is this specialist the most appropriate for your condition? Some conditions can be treated by a number of different specialists, for example, a skin lesion can be removed by a dermatologist, a cosmetic surgeon or plastic surgeon. Be sure you know your options before commiting to one course of action.
what are this specialist's consultation fees?
How long will you have to wait for an appointment with this specialist? while having to wait for a long time to see a specialist can be frustrating and sometimes, unacceptable to some patients, it is important to remember that this could indicate a popularity base on reputation and expertise.
which hospitals does this specialist attend?

to a commitment. If you are in New zealand, ask whether the doctor is part of a primary health organisation (PHO)
Check out the service. There's the product--in this case, the doctor--and then there's the service. What's the policy for weekends and for holidays? Who covers for the doctor during vacations or emergencies? will the doctor come to see you if you are in hospital? Is the surgery location convenient? Do they handle paper work and billing well? Do they bulk bill?
Get a second opinion. Even if you are satisfied with your GP and plan to continue to see them you are still entitled to a second opinion if at any time you are convinced about a particular diagonsis or treatment.

Medicine in perspective

Modern health care is based on the belief that the scientific method--that is, objective, measurable research-- holds the answers to curing disease. When students go to university to become doctors, they learn about the chemistry of the body and how certain medicines can alter that chemistry for the better. They learn about the chemistry of the body and how certain medicines can alter that
chemistry for the better. They learn about the physiology of the body and about the way that surgical procedures can fix flaws and repair damage. They learn that certain measurements--blood pressure, cholesterol counts, heart rate, blood sugar levels--are strong indicators of health and of disease. It is a rational, thoughtful, rigorous mind-set and in most cases, this way of thinking is quite accurate
and effective.
  The true warriors of modern health care are the researchers. Newspapers and magazines constantly report new findings from clinical studies the researchers conduct in order to test new healing hypotheses and procedures. Some of these researchers are affilated with universities; others work for businesses, such as pharamaceutical companies. Watching over it all it is the federal government, which works
hard to verify that the testing done to support these new medicines and procedures is valid and comprehensive. On the surface, this world of health research is noble, logical and successful. Few would debate that Australia is a world leader in medical research.
  But there are cracks. Those who read the newspapers closely know that the quality of research can vary and that results sometimes conflict. Further, clinical studies rarely provide a complete solution; rather, they advance our knowledge incrementally and we are left trying to infer the bigger application. This is the nature of science. In rare situations, however, the results can be troubling. One need only look at the ever-changing debate over hormone replacement therapy for postmenopausal moment to see that research does not always deliver the correct or the complete
answer the first time around.
  We must also acknowledge the huge money machine that is the health-care industry and the influence this flow of dollars can have on those within the field. Was anyone surprised when the front-page headlines announced that the federal government would start cracking down on pharmaceutical companies if they continued to give lucrative gifts to doctors and pharmacists who switch patients to their medicines? The message was clear: stop putting profits and personal gain before health and the patient.
  We bring this up not to cast doubt on the efficacy of modern health methodologies. We all know the extraordinary wonders being done every day at hospitals everywhere using new drugs, lasers and procedures. The point--and it's an important one---is that the health world is enormously dynamic. Drugs come, drugs go; procedures come ,procedures go; assumptions come, assumptions go.

Using medications wisely.

 Perhaps the most dynamic area of health is pharmaceuticals. The pursuit of new medicine is exciting, exasperating and expensive. For every breakthrough, there are dozens of near misses. companies can be made or broken by betting on a single new medicine.
  You will find that these medical tips is thorough in its discussion of pharmaceuticals. Truth is, medicine is often the first line of attack for doctors. Usually, it works-fast, safely, without hassle. We strongly support intelligence use of over-the-counter and prescription drugs. But the same caveat holds: you need to be part of the