CHOOSING A NEW DOCTOR TO TAKE HEALTH CARE FOR OLDER PEOPLE: ACCESSIBILITY AND QUALITY OF THE SERVICES

Accessibility

Find out if the office is close by or near public transportation. Will it be easy to get there if your health changes for the worse? Assess how easy it will be to reach the doctor. What are the office hours, and what is the policy if an emergency occurs after hours? Is another doctor on call when yours is unavailable?

If the doctor is part of a group practice, the associates will cover. Doctors in solo practice generally make arrangements with another practitioner to take their calls when they are away. Be as sure as possible that you will be able to get immediate attention when you need it.

Answers to these questions will help narrow your choices. When you visit, look for the following signs.

Quality of the services

Is the doctor prompt, or are you kept waiting for hours? Is the office clean and well equipped? Are you given a thorough examination?

On this first visit, expect the doctor to spend a good deal of time reviewing your medical history. Be prepared to discuss everything important: your major illnesses and operations, the drugs you regularly take, bad reactions to past treatments, any allergies or sensitivities. Get a sense of whether the doctor is questioning you fully and giving you ample time to talk. In the physical examination, the same considerations apply. Is this someone who seems careful and competent? Is this a person you feel comfortable with and can trust?

Look for signs of geriatric sensitivity. Does the doctor dismiss symptoms that bother you as “old age”? Do you get the feeling that what you say is being discounted because you are over seventy-five? Does this person seem to prescribe drugs precipitously? Are you carefully questioned about the medications you are taking now?

If you have a chronic disease, the doctor should be concerned about how your condition is affecting your ability to function and knowledgeable about the total approach to care discussed earlier – rehabilitation, supportive aids and community services. Choose someone who seems interested in more than the strictly physical side of your disease.

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GENERAL HEALTH