Saturday, November 01, 2014

What do IVF patients want ?


IVF patients , like all patients, want good medical care . However, the problem is that they are not sure what good medical care means . IVF technology is often a black box for most patients, and most patients naively believe that one IVF doctor is very similar to another. It's very hard for them to judge who’s better.

It’s easy to check some of the basics.

Is the clinic well-equipped ?
Do they have a full-time embryologist ?
Do they have a high success rate ?
Do they use the latest technology ?
Are they able to customize the treatment for each individual patient’s unique needs ?
Are they affordable ?

Some IVF clinics which are well-equipped create additional problems for the patient because they overtest and overtreat. They use a mindless protocol for all their patients, and end up wasting a lot of valuable time and money in the process. Often the test results are pointless, because they do not change the IVF treatment plan at all.

Along with technical competence , patients also expect compassion and empathy . They want a kind doctor, who can offer them a shoulder to cry on when things go wrong – someone who can listen to them non-judgmentally, and help to relieve them of their emotional burdens .

After all, infertility is not just a medical problem - it has major psychological consequences , both on the personal and social front. Patients need to be comfortable discussing these touchy issues with the doctor , so that they have a trusted sounding board , and can vent their emotional frustration.

It’s important that high-technology IVF care be provided along with high touch empathy, so that patients are delighted with the care which they are getting . This is automatic when patients are treated with respect, and the medical staff focuses on patient satisfaction.

It’s in the IVF doctor’s best interests to understand what patients want , and to deliver this as efficiently and effectively as possible . If doctors learn to keep their patients happy , they will become much happier themselves as well !

Need help in finding the right IVF clinic ? Please send me your medical details by filling in the form at http://www.drmalpani.com/free-second-opinion so I can guide you sensibly ?




 

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