What to expect from your doctor

[Guest guest]

What to expect from your doctor

By Cohen

CNN

Empowered Patient, a regular feature from CNN Medical News

correspondent Cohen, helps put you in the driver's seat

when it comes to health care.

Dr. Joan Harrold once had to tell a relative that he should fire his

doctor.

The relative was on a new medication to control high blood pressure.

He started to feel lightheaded. Then vertigo set in. He couldn't

stand up. He started to vomit.

A neighbor who's a nurse took his blood pressure; it had fallen

drastically.

" He called his doctor, who said, 'I don't think it's your medicine.

I'll see you in the office next week,' " Harrold says. " My relative

fired the physician and went to another practice. "

Harrold, an internist and co-author of " Handbook for Mortals:

Guidance for People Facing Serious Illness, " has a lot of thoughts on

the basic requirements for a doctor.

So do the people at the National Patient Safety Foundation and

Consumer Reports. Doctors don't have to be perfect, they say, but

there is a short list of the minimum you should expect from your

physician.

1. You should be seen in a timely manner when you're sick

This seems obvious, but Harrold's relative's experience shows it

doesn't always happen.

If you call the office saying you're not well, you should expect a

phone call back from the doctor or a nurse within 90 minutes, Harrold

says.

What happens from there depends on how sick you are. You may not need

to come in at all. (For example, an adult with cold symptoms, no high

fever, no rash and no signs of a sinus infection might be better off

staying home.) But if it's more complicated than that -- let's say

you need new tests or might need a new prescription -- Harrold says

it's usually reasonable to expect to be seen that day.

2. You should get test results in a timely manner

Harrold says you should hear about test results within 48 hours of

when the results come into your doctor's office, or sooner if it's

urgent. When you get the test, ask when results will be back. Simple

lab work is often done in a day. More complicated tests can take a

week or more.

3. Your doctor -- not the staff -- should call you with bad results

Dr. Hallisy, author of " The Empowered Patient, " thinks doctors

should even call you with good results. " Many times, test results

lead to changes in the treatment plan, " she says.

4. Your doctor should tell you what medicines you're getting and

their side effects

Dr. Fine says that on a recent visit, an eye doctor put

drops in his eyes. " I asked what they were, and he said, 'they're eye

drops.' I thought to myself, 'well, obviously you're not giving me an

enema.' "

Fine, executive director of Bedside Advocates, a patient advocacy

group, says he had to specifically ask what kind of eye drops (they

were anesthetic drops).

The experts we talked to said your doctor should clearly state what

you're getting and any significant side effects, even ones that

aren't dangerous, but could be annoying, like a dry mouth.

5. Your doctor should explain everything in terms you can understand

" Patients should have a basic expectation that they're going to be

Cohen is a correspondent with CNN Medical News.