Patient Decision-Making: Taking an Active Role in Treatment - Essay Sample

Introduction

There is developing attention to patient’s decisions and their massive influence when it comes to their treatment and wellbeing. This can happen legitimately through choices to look for care, conform to recommended treatment regimens, or in another way through the selection of doctors who make treatment choices mutually with or in the interest of patients. For instance, patients can play a significant job in accomplishing ideal wellbeing by taking a functioning and educated role in treatment choices and exchanging doctors if care is unsuitable. There is a comprehensive accord that the job of customers informing the human services conveyance framework will grow after some time with the ongoing decrease of prohibitive types of supervised care and increasing accessibility of social insurance data through the web (Robinson, 2001).

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In evaluating the expected effect of this advancing technology, it is essential to comprehend how patients assess and pick clinical services and medicines. Of great significance is a superior comprehension of the position of wellbeing status in the patient’s decision process. People in poor wellbeing utilize the medicinal services conveyance framework all the more often and severely contrasted with their more beneficial partners. To the degree that doctors contend with keeping up and pull in new patients, supplier and treatment decisions made by people in unexpected weakness will disproportionately affect care forms. Similarly, those in sudden frailty will encounter unbalanced wellbeing and financial outcomes of a purchaser driven social insurance framework. For the past few years, it has been known that patients choose physicians through evaluating the service they provide. Patients mostly do compare different physicians before making a decision. In 1989, several research types proved that most patients were not familiar with the services offered in the new practice but only considered the location. However, technology has improved over the years, and new sources of information have been developed. Recent studies have revealed that the decision for a specific healthcare giver not only relies on the physicians' features but also on that of the healthcare institution. Credentials and interpersonal rapports are the decisive factors in choosing a physician. Based on interpersonal rapport and communication, patients are seen to base their decision for a physician considering their feelings interest, that is, if the affective conditions a physician offers correspond to what the patient desires.

This paper adds to a more noteworthy comprehension of the customer's decision process by analyzing the doctor's quiet decision. Patients pick a professional each time they look for doctor care. Once in a while, a professional's choice is straightforward; for instance, when a patient moves to another territory or decides to leave a setup relationship to join a wellbeing plan unaffiliated with their doctor. On different occasions, the decision is inevitable, based on the understanding that keeps on observing a similar doctor or acknowledges a referral to a solitary doctor without effectively thinking about elective professionals. Writing recommends that patients don't participate in healthy or ''consumerist'' conduct while looking for or picking doctors. Instead, they depend intensely on suggestions from loved ones and join in constrained scans for elective doctors (Olsen et al., 1976).

When focusing on the patient's criteria for selecting a dermatologist, the factors related to the dermatologist can easily be differentiated from the features of the dermatologic practice, which is familiar to the choosing of a physician. Amongst the Dermatologist' characteristics, professional competence, experience, and psychosocial skills are exceedingly valued. In this essay, I will discuss the different factors that patients consider when choosing a dermatologist and determine whether the criteria differ between patients in a university, college, and hospital institution. The following are the decisive factors that patients consider when choosing a dermatologist:

Years being a dermatologist

When it comes to issues concerning your skin, nails, or hair, the experience is essential. A dermatologist with many years of working experience guarantees a patient a better result. When conducting this research, many patients revealed that they prefer to choose a dermatologist with many years of working rather than a new one. When asked why? Many responded by saying that, for instance, if a physician has worked for more than five years, it is more likely that the number of patients treated and the success rate is very high (Walker,1990). It is easier to know how many complications and the risks the doctor has come across, and if the patient needs a specific procedure, the doctor's years of work will be of more help here.

However, some patients revealed that they would choose a doctor with fewer years of experience. When asked why they gave the following reasons:

• New dermatologists are equipped with the latest knowledge in skin, nails, and hair matters.
• New dermatologists are determined to make it in this field, and therefore they will treat each patient with care and aim at successful treatment.
• New dermatologists are young and have no health complications such as eye problems, thus no difficulties when it comes to treatment.

Accessibility and ease of consulting

When interviewing patients in Dubai, their main concern for choosing a dermatologist is the accessibility and ease of consulting. Most patients would go for a dermatologist who can be accessed through online platforms at any time. Connecting with a dermatologist online should be very first, and one should be able to discuss their issues and queries. Skin concerns can be humiliating and aching. It should be easier to consult a doctor online rather than go to the healthcare facility. Their main reason is that they describe online consultation as simple, convenient, secure, and faster.

However, the research shows that there are confirmed patients who prefer to go to the healthcare facility for consultation rather than online. When asked why they prefer to go over to the hospital, they gave the following reasons:

• Consulting online is not that effective as consulting at the hospital face to face with the doctor.
• Consulting face to face builds confidentiality, and one can quickly clarify any questions.
• Consulting the dermatologist face-to-face gives the doctor the chance to inspect and examine the patient and determine the problem; this can not be achieved through online consultation.
• The patients have different reasons why they will instead go to the healthcare facility for consultations or do it online.

Feedback from other patients

According to most patients' views, before consulting a dermatologist, they ask for a referral list from their doctor. They also consult from family members, friends, or other physicians to give them recommendations. A patient should take time and research the dermatologist's credentials and work experience. Some patients revealed that before booking an appointment, the first google to find more about that particular dermatologist. They search to see if the doctor has the necessary training skills and work experience as it is required to be a qualified dermatologist. I further discovered that some patients go to the extent of finding out if the doctor has any history of negligence or any other indiscipline cases. After gathering enough information and reading reviews about the dermatologist and being satisfied with the qualifications, a patient goes ahead and books an appointment, whether online or at the healthcare facility.

Rapport building.

Creating a rapport is very important when it comes to doctor loyalty and requires great attention. When visiting healthcare facilities, patients want to be heard, cared for, and demand respect. When talking to patients that seek a dermatologist's treatment, they said there is a specific thing they focus on that should be included in the doctor’s rapport.

• At the first meeting, how does the doctor address the patient? Does the doctor ask the patient how they want to be treated?
• Does the doctor use the patient's name after knowing it?
• Has the doctor built an alliance with the patient? The doctor should allow the patient to also have a say in the treatment process. The patient should be allowed to make decisions on their own without being influenced.
• Can the doctor notice the patient’s empathy?
• Is the doctor treating the patient with respect?
• Does the doctor capitalize on non-verbal communication? Patients do focus on how the doctor relies on information to them.

If an encounter with the dermatologist answers all these questions, a patient can confidently make that doctor their caregiver. Most patients seek treatment and need an understanding, promising, and respectful physician they can rely on. The doctor and patient relationship should be founded in a way that both the doctor and patient are comfortable in every encounter.

Price of treatment

Most patients consider the cost of treatment above any other factor. Most patients said they would prefer to go to a cheaper healthcare facility as it is more affordable. Before choosing the right dermatologist, a patient considers all the other factors, but when it comes to the price of treatment, they pay more attention. This is where they ask questions such as does the cost of treatment match the quality of treatment offered? Is it worth paying for? Can I afford it?

Also, a patient considers if the healthcare facility of interest accepts insurance and what their insurance covers. What the patient's insurance covers is a practical matter. A patient should choose a dermatologist bearing in mind their insurance plan. Most patients revealed that they prefer to go to a hospital that accepts any form of insurance. This way, the cost of treatment becomes less as the insurance will pay a higher percentage of the total cost. Some patients, however, prefer to cater to the full cost of their treatment to ensure efficiency.

Age and Gender

It is essential to be comfortable with the dermatologist's age and gender. This is for a reason being that the patient is required to very open when sharing personal information. In dermatology, the patient’s gender is also a very crucial consideration. Dermatologists are equipped and skilled to deal with male and female gender differently. Before settling for a specific dermatologist, it is essential for the patient to inquire about the doctor's new training and whether it is related to the patient's condition based on their gender. A lot of patients preferred a female dermatologist. The reason they gave is that the female gender is generally kind, caring, and tender. Thus, many patients would feel at safe hands that guarantee a definite improvement in their treatment.

Another preference is age. Many patients revealed that they would instead go for a dermatologist aged between 28-49 years. When asked why? They said that most dermatologists have gained experience and are very active at this age, guaranteeing them minimal malpractice cases.