Considerations for Choosing a Doctor

Not all doctors provide the same quality of care. When choosing a doctor, you should keep many different factors in mind to help assure that you receive the highest level of treatment for you and your loved ones. Your doctor should have knowledge of your particular medical issues and should work with your insurance provider. In addition, you may want to visit a doctor that is conveniently located near your home, school, or work, with hours that fit into your schedule.

Even people who spend a long time choosing a doctor may still walk away unsatisfied with their quality of care. Sometimes, this is because of poor communication with the doctor. Many patients find the quality of their heath care greatly improved when they are able to foster an open and honest dialogue with their doctor. To accomplish this, a patient may choose to visit a doctor because of additional factors, including:

Language: A patient may have difficulty communicating with a doctor if the patient’s first language is not English. The patient may not fully communicate a medical issue or concern or may not understand all instructions the doctor gives about prescriptions or follow-up care. For these reasons, many patients prefer to visit with a doctor that speaks their own first language in order to receive a higher level of care.

Gender: Many patients have difficulty talking about private problems, sex-specific issues, or other concerns with a doctor of the opposite gender. Instead, some people feel more comfortable speaking with a doctor of the same gender with whom they feel freer to discuss personal issues. This heightened communication helps the patient receive higher-quality care.

A doctor’s language or gender does not affect his or her qualifications. However, both can affect how comfortable a patient feels with a doctor, which can in turn affect the quality of care received.

Contact Us

If you or a loved one has suffered unnecessarily from the negligent acts of a medical practitioner, contact the Pennsylvania medical malpractice attorneys of Lowenthal & Abrams, P.C. at 610-667-7511.