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There can be a number of barriers that prevent you from getting the diagnosis and the help you need from your doctor. These barriers are important, because getting an early diagnosis and treatment can be pivotal in ensuring a good outcome for many illnesses and disorders. One of the most important barriers, and one that isn’t discussed very often, is communication. When you make a doctor’s appointment, you need to convey a great deal of information in a short time and things can get missed or just not communicated in a way that highlights how important the issue is. And if your doctor doesn’t really know about the issue you’re concerned about, it could result in them dismissing your concerns, which could be a major problem for your personal health and wellbeing.

 

The Problem of Medical Errors

The number of medical errors and their results is hard to estimate, but some sources claim that up to 20% of patients have been misdiagnosed by their primary physician. This statistic alone indicates that one in five people don’t get the right treatment for their condition, and it’s only one type of medical error. Medical errors can occur in any setting, and can range from fairly simple mistakes to major errors that cause life-threatening consequences. And unfortunately, because the patient is the one whose personal health is compromised by these errors, they bear the brunt of these mistakes.

 

The Problem of Miscommunication

The danger of miscommunication isn’t easy to quantify. Doctor’s appointments are typically short and rushed, and in that time you need to explain your concerns in the right way so your doctor can make the right diagnosis or order the right tests. And if your symptoms are vague, if you don’t know the right words, or if your doctor doesn’t interpret them properly, it could lead to serious problems later down the track. Research has shown that doctor patient miscommunications can cause the same kind of errors as more active medical errors, so it’s clearly something that these groups need to work on.

 

The reasons for the miscommunications may be varied, but can include the following:

 

• Lack of patient education about their pre-existing conditions. This may also cause them to mislabel their symptoms when they’re communicating with their doctor.

 

• Lack of time.

 

• Fear or anxiety about the situation or about being in a doctor’s office.

 

• Substandard communication skills on the part of the doctor. This is a vital skill for doctors because there are a lot of studies that link positive patient outcomes with the communication skills of their doctors.

 

The Danger of a Late Diagnosis

It’s difficult to estimate the danger of a late diagnosis. Everyone’s heard the stories about the person who kept going to their doctor for vague symptoms and was told they were fine until sometime later when an obvious symptom led to a terrible diagnosis. This may sound like nothing but a story, but it’s also a good example of what can happen if things are left too late. For most disorders, from cancer to heart problems to infections, the earlier you catch the problem and get treatment the easier your recovery is. Catching illnesses early also means the treatment doesn’t have to be as severe, or as potentially dangerous to your personal health. That’s why, if you have troubling symptoms, you need to see your doctor and make sure he orders the right tests and investigations. But unfortunately, it can be harder than it sounds to do this.

 

The Doctor’s Responsibility

If your doctor misunderstands what you tell him or misses an important symptom, causing a delay in your diagnosis, are they then responsible for your health outcome? This isn’t a simple question. Everyone is human and makes mistakes, and at the same time your doctor isn’t all powerful. They can’t know what they don’t know, and can’t be blamed for everything they didn’t test for and rule out. But what should their role be if a patient comes to them with baffling or vague symptoms?

 

First and foremost, doctors must take their patient’s complaints seriously. And if they can’t find anything wrong, it’s a good time to encourage life style changes as well as health tracking at home. This should give the doctor more data and help them to make a better diagnosis during the next appointment.

 

The Patient’s Role

All this potential for confusion and mistakes makes the patient’s role even more important than ever. Patients need to take back control of their health, educate themselves on their condition, and perform a health assessment on a regular basis. This is vital because lack of education and understanding is one of the key barriers to accurate and effective communication with medical professionals. So performing health tracking activities will help you to stay informed of any changes, which will be extremely useful when you go to see your doctor about a problem.

 

 

If you want to take control of your personal health, try HomeLab, the health tracking system that will educate you on your health and help you to communicate more clearly with your doctor at the same time.

 

 

 

 

Tags: personal health, health assessment, health tracking