It takes a lot of courage to place your life in a doctor's hands ! How can you be sure your doctor is any good ? Or that he will take good care of you when you have a problem ? It's hard to judge a doctor's competence and doctor shopping takes a lot of time and energy. It's also not very smart to go purely by a friend's recommendation !
Here's an easy test. Ask the doctor a question about your problem ( preferably an easy question which you already know the answer to !) and see how he responds.
Does he get irritated ? Does he brush off your query ? Does he answer brusquely ? Does he use medical jargon ? Does he send you to his assistant for answers ?
Does he take the time to explain in simple terms ? Does he bother to check that you have understood his answer ? Does he offer to give you educational materials to clarify your doubts ?
As a patient, you are likely to have lots of questions and how your doctor handles your questions is an excellent way of judging how good your doctor is ! The best time to find out is as the first consultation, rather than regret your choice at leisure later !
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