Three's not a crowd in a doctor's office
I always like it when a patient drops by with her friend, spouse or other family member, to talk some medicine. It helps me get a fuller picture if I can meet someone who helps care for the patient. Turns out, it's better for the patient, too.
A new study shows that one-third of elderly patients on Medicare take a companion with them for routine visits with a doc. And furthermore, those patients with companions tend to be more satisfied with the results of their talk with the doc. This bit of common sense is valuable, of course, for the most vulnerable — the sickest patients with long-term maladies who are going to require on-going support from their caregivers.
This research comes to us from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. The study found that patients accompanied by their pals were 15 percent more satisfied with their doctors' skills than the unaccompanied group, and 19 percent more satisfied with the doctors' information-giving. Many companions participate by writing down the doctor's instructions or giving details about the patient's medical conditions.
Personally, I don't think much of docs who are restrictive, setting up examination rooms so as to discourage a companion from coming in. A companion sure would help when it comes to those docs prescribing multiple pills for a patient and asking them to watch for a half-dozen (at least) side effects that might warrant halting a medication.
The door is always open here. Come talk to me about your problems and bring along your nephew Harry, your wife Phyllis and even your bowling partner Skeeter. Come one, come all. Let's talk about what ails you.
