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Managing The Stress ~ Making The Decisions ~ Discovering The Meaning |
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Caregiving |
Solutions To Your Caregiving Situations Throughout Your Caregiving Years |
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Quick Tips for Working with A Physician Look for a doctor who: * Is rated to give quality care. * Has the training and background that meet your needs. * Takes steps to prevent illness-for example, talks to you about quitting smoking. * Has privileges at the hospital of your choice. * Is part of your health plan, unless you can you afford to pay extra. * Encourages you to ask questions. * Listens to you. * Explains things clearly. * Treats you with respect. Source: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality Check on Quality Once you have a list of doctors, there are several ways to check on their skills and knowledge, and the quality of care they provide: * Find out if a consumer or other group has rated doctors in the area where you live. Again you will want to find out how reliable the ratings are. * Information on doctors in some States is available on the Internet at http://www.docboard.org. This Web site is run by Administrators in Medicine, a group of State medical board directors. * The American Board of Medical Specialties (1-800-733-2267) can tell you if the doctor is board certified. "Certified" means that the doctor has completed a training program in a specialty and has passed an exam (board) to assess his or her knowledge, skills, and experience to provide quality patient care in that specialty. Primary care doctors also may be certified as specialists. You can also check the Web site at http://www.certifacts.org. (While board certification is a good measure of a doctor's knowledge, it is possible to receive quality care from doctors who are not board certified.) * Call the American Medical Association (AMA) at (312) 464-5000 for information on training, specialties, and board certification about many licensed doctors in the United States. This information also can be found in "Physician Select" at AMA's Web site: http://www.ama-assn.org/aps/amahg.htm. Are you looking for health information on the Internet but don't know where to start? Try healthfinder® at http://www.healthfinder.gov. This site provides a gateway to reliable consumer health information from the Federal Government and other organizations. The healthfinder® site was developed by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. This gateway site can help you quickly find the health information you want by linking you to: * Hundreds of Web sites with consumer health information. * Online publication catalogs and ordering information. * Online brochures and other documents. * FAQs (frequently asked questions) on important health issues. * Databases and search engines (web sites that help you find information). Physicians Must Win Your Business 20 Tips to Help Prevent Medical Errors Quick Tips for Working with A Physician Your Thoughts: How Did You Create An Effective Health Care Team Five Steps to Safer Health Care |
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