Interviewing A Primary Care Physician: Blunt Questions for Your Doctor
Sick people visit doctors, take medications, and undergo surgeries—healthy people don’t. Your goal is to get as far away as possible from the medical and pharmaceutical businesses. The only way to safely accomplish these goals is to become and remain healthy. Genuine health comes from proper nutrition (a near vegetarian, low-fat diet), clean air and water, moderate activity, adequate sunshine, and a comfortable psychosocial environment. Unfortunately, even with the best intentions, and after the most sincere efforts to obey life’s basic rules, medical services may be required.
Before you decide on a personal physician, you may want to have an “interview appointment”—a chance to meet with the doctor when there is nothing urgent. This meeting will give you an opportunity to determine whether you are comfortable with the physician, the office staff, and the facilities. You can sit quietly and gather information during this meeting or you can ask some “ice-breaker” questions, such as the following:
Are you comfortable assuming my care with my kinds of health care problems and my personal needs?
Do you have a special interest in my kind of health problems (heart disease, diabetes, overweight, etc.)?
What is your view on the doctor-patient relationship; is it a "partnership" or do you expect me to just follow orders?
How do you feel about me researching at the National Library of Medicine and bringing in articles for us to discuss? (on-line at www.nlm.nih.gov)
How do you feel about me getting my own second opinions?
Will you help me work with any specialists I must see and will you act as my advocate—rather than turning me over to their care?
Do you believe people are capable of changing their diet and other habits (smoking, exercise, etc.) to regain health? Do you actively offer encouragement in this kind of behavior?
If I decide to become healthier through diet and exercise, will you help me reduce and stop my medications?
Will you make a conscious effort to avoid the use of medications and surgery in my care? Will you use these only as a very last resort?
Are you comfortable with me possibly refusing to accept your prescriptions?
Do you get angry at patients who refuse to follow your recommendations?
If we do not complete any discussions during the office visit, will you call me after hours on the phone, e-mail my answers, and/or be willing to set up a longer appointment in the near future?
Presenting these bold questions will firmly set the tone for your future care—the doctor will not soon forget you. Offending a doctor should be your last concern—the issue on the table is your health and your life or the future health of a family member. No sense in investing all your time and money in a doctor who ultimately ends up contributing to your early demise.
