What Makes a Doctor a Good Doctor?

Doctors are probably one of the most significant roles in our society. They take oaths to be noble and honest healers and so are awarded with a status of boundless admiration. However how can a patient know if their doctor is fitting to receive such high esteem?

Are all some characteristics that can be test the next time your with your doctor, See if he or she has these simple do's in order to make a better doctor.

Number one, does your doctor Always Asks Open-Ended Questions - For example questions like "how are you feeling" allow patients to elaborate on what they are going through, rather then answering with a yes or no.

Second, does he or she Summarizes Periodically - recapping highlights displays how well the doctor has been listening.

Third, does she or he Uses Understandable Language - we all have been there, a doctor says something and we are like "what?"..... When a doctor explains in ordinary English, he or she is communicating in simple form, where it is more likely that the patient will understand what's going on.

Forth, Does your doctor try to Uncover Your Main Concern - Although doctors get to your main complaint, they also need to address your main concern. Not only what problem is bothering a patient, but what about that problem is bothering the patient. For example, a patient's health problem may be high blood pressure, but his or her main concern would be the circumstances of having a family history of high blood pressure.

Fifth, does your doctor know the difference between Supportive, Rather Then Reassuring - there is a great line between support and reassuring. Support can give a person a feeling of cared for and a back bone to depend on. Reassuring can give false hopes. A doctor needs to understand that saying things this like "you will be fine, there is nothing wrong with you" need to be replaced with "we will do any thing and everything to help you thought your health problem." One sentence may just sound fake, the other will give the patient confidence that the whole team will fight for him or her.

Six, is he or she High Talk, Rather Then High Tech - "with modern diagnostic methods, doctors can spend more time ordering laboratory tests than talking to patients," Says Timothy McCall, M.D. which means they can hide behind such high tech devices and not explain the hard stuff to the patient. Doctors need to be more human about today's medicine.

Seven, last but not the least does your doctor Treat You As An Individual, Not Just Another Body - "I heard of one ob-gyn who, doing his umpteenth pelvic exam, whistled the show tune "Another Op'nin, Another Show' as he was putting on his gloves. That's how he was experiencing his patient's body. You wouldn't want a doctor who is so emotionally distant, no matter how technically skilled," says Philip Muskin, M.D.,(Columbia University in New York City).

If your doctor has all of these great qualities, Congratulations you have found a diamond. Nevertheless some doctors may not be blessed with such knowledge and if that's your doctor then do not despair but repair. Talk to your doc and tell him or her about what he or she needs to do in order to become the best doctor for you.