Doctor- Patient/ Parent Communication………how can we make it better?

I thought of writing this post today after reading a review article somewhere on the net. The article was written by a grieving father of an unlucky 7 month old baby who died in a super-specialty hospital due to an illness (not sure what the diagnosis was). I felt really sorry for his loss which can never be compensated by anyone. He was understandably very unhappy and angry with the doctor who treated his daughter. I do not know what exactly was wrong with the baby or whether she was treated appropriately (I hope she was) or not. But, after reading what this dad had written, one thing was clear: obvious communication gap between the doctors and the parents.

Doctor- patient/ parent relationship plays a vital role in medicine and more so in paediatric practice. Excellence in clinical care can only be achieved with mutual respect and effective communication between the parents and the doctor. Sometimes, because of the time constraints and other reasons communication between doctors and patients is compromised to a great extent. If the patient has a minor illness from which he is going to recover, this lack of clear communication may not affect him much. However, when the patient has a serious illness/ an illness which can not be cured easily, lack of information may significantly compromise the quality of care he is receiving as in the above mentioned case. There are few things which both doctors and patients can keep in mind to improve their consultation.

I am just referring to paediatricians here as that is what I am! We need to understand how anxious the parents are when their child is unwell (no matter whether it is simple cold and fever or a major illness…parents are always anxious when it comes to their little ones). Having a child of my own definitely helps me in this regard! In my opinion, every parent should be explained (irrespective of availability of consulting time) what exactly is wrong with their child (the diagnosis in simple terms), what treatment is given and what are the signs should they watch for after going home. I do understand that the busy practitioners have very limited time to spend with each patient. In some circumstances (eg. if there is a sick child to attend), parents should be given an opportunity to contact the doctor later at some point.

The responsibility to build a good rapport lies with the parents too. Parents should understand the limitations of the doctors. Even though most public are of the opinion that every doctor should be able to diagnose each and every patient, in reality it is not possible. Despite great advances in diagnosis and treatment medicine still has a lot of limitations. Many a times even the experts end up treating patients just by guesses. In such situations an honest explanation by your doctor should satisfy you. Parents should not hesitate to ask their doubts or questions with the doctor. If you don’t ask you may not get it! But, when you are aware of your doctor’s time limits, ask related questions only! If you are not satisfied with the treatment you are getting, explain to your doc why so and listen to his explanation. ‘The patients and the practice experience are often the best teachers of physicians.’