The Importance of a Good Bedside Manner

When it comes to the healing process, it is amazing how the mind can play a successful part. I have had doctors agree with me that while the medical profession has made many advances that help keep people living longer, part of the process is the ability for the patient to believe everything will turnout fine.

With this in mind, I have long been fascinated by the change in doctors. For the most part, they seem to be so focused on the operation, or the problem, they have forgotten they are treating a patient. A good bedside manner can be crucial to the healing process. I have often said I would rather have a good doctor with a great bedside manner than a great doctor with no bedside manner.

In the 1980's I needed surgery and the doctor was great. My parents were out of the country and he took the time not only to speak with me but to also speak with them. He gave them his phone number in case they had new questions or just wanted to talk. While I certainly would not expect all doctors to do that, his whole demeanor and approach helped with the healing process.

Some fifteen to twenty years later, I needed some minor surgery on my ear. I do believe, however, when it is your own body, there is no such thing as 'minor surgery'. I spoke briefly with my doctor about this and told him I would think about the operation. I decided to move forward with the surgery but wanted to talk with the doctor more in depth about the surgery. They told me to schedule it and I would have to come into the office a week before the operation so I could talk with the doctor at that point. I did so.

When I came in for the pre-op work, the doctor was not even there. I was dealing pretty much with the nursing staff and physician's assistant. When I expressed my concerns about the operation and asked to talk with the doctor, the staff told me that was why they were there, to put my fears to rest and answer my questions. Still, it was the doctor who was performing the operation and I wanted to talk with the one who would be doing the actual work. I was told that I would have a chance to talk with the doctor the day of the surgery, as they were in the process of giving me anesthesia.

I told the staff I wanted to talk with the doctor before the surgery, that he could call me anytime, day or night and that if I did not hear from the doctor, as far as I was concerned, it was legitimate reason to call off the whole operation. Three phone calls and five days later, I finally heard back from the doctor.

It still amazes me that the doctor was trying to do the surgery without first talking to me. I can only assume others let doctors do that, and this amazes me even further. In this day and age, you would think doctors would understand that this is part of having a good bedside manner, that being taking the time to talk with patients. This is part of the healing process and hopefully this type of thing is happening less and less because going into an operation with a positive mind set is very important.