Pharmacists are the easiest healthcare professionals to get in touch with for questions and concerns. We are available 24/7 (not each one of us personally, but there is always a pharmacist on duty at the 24 hour stores), and we do not charge you anything to talk to you. Part of our job is to perform ''triage'', in other words, to help you determine when and if you need to go to your doctor or the emergency room, or if there is a home remedy or over the counter product that can be tried first.
Many times, we can help you avoid an office visit, but there are other times you need to see your doctor, and we will tell you when we think it is appropriate. So many times, we hear ''I don't like to bother my doctor, because he is so busy'', or ''she is always in a hurry when I go in for an appointment, and she is in and out of the room before I get all my questions answered''. Or, ''I don't have the money to go to my doctor or the emergency room. I don't have insurance''.
Be that as it may, we cannot and will not recommend something that will not work, will make your condition worse, or will delay treatment, possibly causing your condition to get worse or take longer to treat.
What I tell patients to remember is that healthcare professionals work for them. If you feel intimidated, put down, marginalized or ignored, it may be time to switch doctors (or pharmacies, or dentists, or whoever else is on your healthcare team.). You are paying for a service. There are times when you may be willing to suffer a lack of bedside manner, for example when your physician is considered to be an expert in his field, but even then, there should be someone (such as his nurse or physican's assistant) who can serve as a liason and address your questions and concerns.
I feel the same time pressures as my patients when I go to my doctor, because that 15 minute time clock is ticking and I am in and out of the exam room before I know it. I write out a list of questions and concerns so I stay on track and don't forget to ask anything at my appointment. I keep asking questions until I get through my list. If I think of anything when I get home, or if I need to speak to someone in the office, I talk to the nurse (it is helpful to know the name of the nurses in the office, and especially the ones who get things done when you ask). Some receptionists seem to think their job is to keep you from bothering the nurse or the doctor. Don't be intimidated by the office personnel. If you are having a problem with any of the office staff, tell the doctor or one of his nurses. If it is a nurse, tell the doctor himself. He may not be aware of how his staff is treating his patients.
Sometimes, we all need a lesson in assertiveness. We need to remember that we are important and worthy of respect, just as we need to remember to treat others with respect. A degree in medicine does not give someone the right to be arrogant and treat other people poorly. Healthcare is a service profession. You are the ''customer''. Make sure you are getting the service you pay for.
BP
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