News from Consumer Reports

The cover story in March Consumer Reports,  “What Doctors Wish Their Patients Knew,” contains valuable insight into improving the physician-patient relationship. I certainly agree that forging a long-term relationship leads to better care (and I hope, better health). Research suggests that patients who frequently change doctors have more health problems and spend more on health care than patients who have a consistent relationship.

The top complaint by physicians about their patients is non-compliance with advice or treatment; most doctors in the CR survey stated it affected their ability to provide optimal care. If patients are having side effects, are unsure if they are following instructions properly or experience new or recurrent symptoms it is important to contact the physician. It’s also important to keep follow-up appointments, especially if there has been a change in medications or treatment plan.

Physicians would like their patients to be smart online researchers. Rather than enter the name of the condition in the search engine box, go directly to a few reliable sites. (There are several listed on the “Health Resources” page on my website http://drbergwerk.com/healthresources.html). If there is information online that you would like to discuss with your physician, just print out the relevant parts. According to CR, doctors are not convinced that online research is helpful to patients. I disagree - but be aware that there are many motivations for posting information on the web. Be wary of links paid for by advertisers.

A related article in March CR is “Best Buy Drugs.” The take home message is that sometimes older pharmaceuticals work just as well as newer drugs and may be safer. They are almost certainly less expensive. Doctors know that money does not grow on trees; our job is to match the right medication to the right patient.

I believe that the foundation to a good physician-patient relationship is communication. Each new dialogue builds upon the foundation of previous conversations.