Wednesday, October 30, 2013

What IVF patients dislike about IVF doctors




We do our best to keep our patients happy , and this is why we listen carefully to what patients have to say about their experience with other IVF clinics.

There are three major complaints IVF patients have about IVF doctors .

1. 1.     We do not get to see the Doctor. This is especially true when you take treatment in a large hospital , or an impersonal assembly line super-busy IVF clinic , where the doctor you see on a particular day will be the one who happens to be on duty on that particular day  - the “doctor du jour” !  In many IVF clinics, the main “brand name” doctor himself is so busy that the only time patients get to see them is at the time of the first consultation. At this time, the clinic is in “sell mode”, and is trying its best to put on its best front, so that you will sign up for your IVF treatment with them. Once you have paid your money and started your treatment, you are forced to see assistants or juniors – and may never get to see the brand name doctor again. Patients are lured by the reputation of the “ famous doctor” – the one who is supposed to be the face, heart and brains of the clinic . When they pay a huge sum of money for their IVF treatment, and then find that they can never reach this Doctor to get their doubts clarified or their queries answered, they get very frustrated. They feel neglected and cheated because “their” Doctor is no longer approachable. They also find that they have to repeat their history over and over again for each new assistant, and this can be a painful exercise. Even worse, often the junior doctors will provide different answers to their questions, which means they are never sure what is happening to them. They start losing confidence every time they are fobbed off with the standard answer – We will ask the Doctor what to do – and then find that the Doctor is never available !

2. 2.     We have to wait for hours. IVF clinics can be very busy , and most of them don't respect the patient's time.  Patients often find that they routinely have to wait for hours on end to see a doctor. Patients have a life to
lead , and they find these waits can be extremely disruptive. They are unproductive and just add to their stress
levels !

3. 3.     There is no transparency . IVF patients are so desperate to have a baby, that most of them will put up with these long waits and having to see a new doctor every time , without complaining. However, they feel very upset when no one bothers to tell them what is happening to them during their IVF cycle. No one is willing to take the time and trouble to sit down with them to explain to them how the cycle is progressing .  Record keeping is very sketchy and most clinics don’t bother to provide even basic information as to the size and number of follicles seen on the scans ; or the number of eggs retrieved ; or the quality of the embryos . Most IVF clinics still don’t give patients photos of their embryos and this lack of what should be standard documentation is very worrisome. There often seems to be a conspiracy of silence – the standard answer to every question being – The Doctor will tell you ( and the Doctor is never available !) Sadly, most patients in India have been taught to be docile , patient and quiet – and they put up with whatever their Doctor dishes out - especially when this is a big brand name clinic. They feel that this is the standard of care – and since all the other patients are also being treated in exactly the same way , they don't have the guts or gumption to speak up and complain .

Fortunately, times are changing , and especially when the IVF cycle fails , a lot of these patients wake up and start doing their homework , so they can find a better IVF clinic, which will engage with them and treat them with respect !

 Looking for an IVF clinic which pampers its patients ?
Please send me your medical details by filling in the form at
http://www.drmalpani.com/malpaniform.htm so I can guide you better !



 

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