{"id":386,"date":"2015-07-16T23:43:42","date_gmt":"2015-07-17T03:43:42","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/activeseniorsdigest.ca\/wp_activeseniorsdigest\/?p=386"},"modified":"2015-07-16T23:43:42","modified_gmt":"2015-07-17T03:43:42","slug":"better-communication-with-doctors-leads-to-better-results","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/activeseniorsdigest.ca\/wp_activeseniorsdigest\/?p=386","title":{"rendered":"Better communication with doctors leads to better results"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Talk<\/a>
Mary Hawkins is a communications lecturer at the University of Ottawa, columnist and author of Talk to Your Doc: The Patient’s Guide<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

By Sadia Badhon<\/strong>\/Active Senior’s Digest<\/p>\n

With rising demands on the health care system, doctors may not have as much time as they once did to help patients. One thing that can lead to a better visit, however, is better communication. According to Mary Hawkins, a communications lecturer at the University of Ottawa, columnist and author of Talk to Your Doc: The Patient\u2019s Guide, communication plays the biggest role in how an individual\u2019s experience will be with their doctor.<\/p>\n

Seniors\u2019 Digest:<\/strong>There are eight sections in the book, including The Changing Health-care System, Knowing Yourself, and Understanding Your Relationship with Your Doctor. Are any of them more important than the other?<\/p>\n

Hawkins:<\/strong> I think they\u2019re all important, to different degrees, of course. Communicating with your doctor and having strategies to do that is important, but I think it\u2019s also important first to know yourself as a patient and what kind of patient you are. Also, how do you gather information when your doctor is telling you information? Are you an audio learner? Are you a visual learner? In other words, do you need to bring a notepad with you? Do you have to ask the doctor to repeat themselves? How do you perceive and organize and interpret information?
\nOf course, it depends on your situation. If you are the main caregiver for somebody, then you have to develop strategies in terms of communication on behalf of others.<\/p>\n

Senior\u2019s Digest:<\/strong> How much of a role does communication play in how someone\u2019s experience will be with his or her doctor?<\/p>\n

Hawkins:<\/strong> I would say it\u2019s 100 per cent because part of communication is not just how you speak, it\u2019s your tone of voice. Your tone of voice would influence the degree of importance and health concern for you. Also, being able to articulate in writing. I always suggest to patients that they should bring a list of their symptoms because today, doctors will sometimes say to the patient, \u201cYou only can speak about one thing.\u201d Well, sometimes for the patient, it\u2019s difficult to know the difference between the symptom and the actual problem. So I think you should write down your list of symptoms, such as, you have an ache in your back.
\nUse adjectives such as, do you have a pins and needles feeing in your stomach? In other words, when you walk, do you feel pain in your hip? OK, what kind of a pain? Is it a pinching pain? Is it a nerve pain? Is it just stiffness?
\nUsing adjectives is important when you make your list because then when the doctor takes a look at that list, they can then decipher from those various symptoms if it is one or two problems.<\/p>\n

Senior\u2019s Digest:<\/strong> What are some of the biggest challenges seniors face when trying to talk to their doctors?<\/p>\n

Hawkins:<\/strong> Seniors today, even though they\u2019re the boomer generation, they still may have difficulty speaking up on their own behalf because they were raised by parents that told them, you know, don\u2019t challenge certain authority. Even though those seniors are now in their 60s, that message is still sometimes deeply engrained in them.
\nIf you can\u2019t speak up, using that notepad or that list, let\u2019s say, maybe five to 10 items, using that as a reference point is important. One of the other challenges, sometimes, is getting the doctor to listen or make eye contact with you.
\nIf the patient is feeling the doctor is not really listening, it\u2019s very fair to ask the family doctor,\u00a0 \u201cYou know, I really would like to see a specialist.\u201d If the family doctor is resistant to that, take a stand and basically repeat it. \u201cYou know, I really would feel more comfortable with that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Senior\u2019s Digest:<\/strong> How can those challenges be met?<\/p>\n

Hawkins:<\/strong> Reflecting on what it is you want to discuss with the doctor and making key points that you want to present to the doctor on a piece of paper and then being able to have a discussion with the doctor about that. Again, doctors are people and they have different personalities too, so if you don\u2019t have a doctor who is open on that level, then you have to develop strategies to get the most information out of them.<\/p>\n

Senior\u2019s Digest:<\/strong> What tips would you give to seniors to help them better communicate with doctors? Are there any programs in place to assist seniors with the communication barriers?<\/p>\n

Hawkins:<\/strong> Even before they go to the doctor, they need to sit back and think about what it is they\u2019re going to the doctor about. What are their health concerns? I think they also need to know and mention what heredity lies in their family. Meaning, you know, if the parents had cancer or diabetes or heart disease. That\u2019s information they need to lay out.
\nI think also if a senior finds it difficult communicating these things to a doctor, they need to bring an advocate with them. They need to inform that advocate of what their concerns are so the advocate can then help them along in terms of communicating what their needs are. An advocate can be somebody they really trust, a friend, preferably somebody who is articulate, not somebody who is aggressive but somebody that is willing to speak up.<\/p>\n

Senior\u2019s Digest:<\/strong> What are some special challenges seniors face with communicating with their doctors now that they didn\u2019t have five or 10 years ago?<\/p>\n

Hawkins:<\/strong> A lot of doctors today are in a rush. So because they\u2019re in a rush, that\u2019s another important reason why the patient has to be more precise in their communication and informed in their communication. That\u2019s why you need to know yourself. That\u2019s why you need to reflect on what kind of a pain you are having.
\nOne way to learn more about symptoms is to do research. Going to the library, even to look up information if you\u2019re not a technical person, and looking up information there. The librarian will also help you and get the information. Talking to people, talking to friends, watching TV, certain health shows, they might have information, listening to the radio, telemedicine health line and nurse for additional information. I think keeping in touch with the outside community on that level is very important.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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