How do you know you are choosing the right doctor?

Choosing the right doctor

If you’re looking for a new doctor, where do you go for advice? For most women, other women are a key source of recommendation and advice, especially when looking for a new place to do business. Nowadays, however, the women you turn to might not just be your neighbor across the street or your best friend. You are also likely to consult the Internet. With its quantity of online reviews, it is easy to find the best restaurant, yoga studio, hair salon, and even doctor that specializes in managing and treating your symptoms of fibroids.

Is the doctor properly trained and accredited?

In addition to pure review sites, there are many websites that keep objective information on doctors. Check on training and board certification at the American Medical Association. Find out if they’re board certified in a particular specialty by going to www.abms.org. Several Web sites (such as RateMDs.com and HealthGrades.com) also have doctor ratings — make sure you find out what criteria they use.

Is the doctor technologically savvy?

Online reviews can help patients find doctors who are up-to-date with technological advancements. Some things to look for are:

  • Electronic health records help your doctor track your medical history. They ensure that all your drugs are monitored and also share information with other healthcare providers.
  • A patient portal, which is a secured website that gives you 24-hour access to your health information. This lets you to book and track doctor appointments, get lab results, request prescription refills, and e-mail questions to your doctor. 

Is the office staff nice and helpful?

Remember, it’s not just the doctor. Office staff is more important than you might think. When you’re really not well, you’re at their mercy to squeeze you into a busy schedule and their efficiency directly affects your wait time. A great doctor who has an unpleasant receptionist, rude nurse, careless assistant and obnoxious partner is going to frustrate you. Pay attention to the reviews of the staff when reading online reviews.

One survey, the Software Advice Survey of 2013-2014, demonstrated the importance of online patient reviews. This survey questioned 1,438 patients in the United States and found that 84 percent of them consulted online reviews when looking for a doctor. In addition, 77 percent used these reviews as a first step, and almost half of all patients surveyed would go out of network to see a highly reviewed doctor.

In addition, this survey highlighted the importance of doctors engaging with the online community reviewing them. A full 60 percent of participants felt it was “very” or “moderately important” for doctors to respond to online reviews.

A patient should also look for doctors who constructively respond to these online conversations—whether the feedback is positive or negative. A doctor who encourages patients to engage is going to be trustworthy and wants to share his or her work with the online community.

Does your doctor have an informative and comprehensive website?

Doctor’s websites should demonstrate a similar willingness to be open with patients. Doctors should offer extensive opportunities for patients to be educated on a variety of topics (such as symptoms of fibroids and the pros and cons of various treatment options) as a way to demonstrate trustworthiness to potential patients.

When you are looking for a doctor to treat your fibroid pain, you should also look for elements on their websites such as videos, blogs, and patient testimonials. This type of education also makes it easier for women to make the right decisions about which treatment will work best for them.

Using the power of the Internet has revolutionized a woman’s ability to find doctors who provide the entire spectrum of care. And because of the variability in education and physician skill level, nowhere is it more important than fibroid care to use the Internet to your advantage.”

Viva Eve is online!

At Viva Eve we are committed to providing high-quality, personalized care for each and every patient we see. We will partner with you to determine the best way to treat your problematic fibroids or adenomyosis. 

Please check our reviews ! 

Sources for information referenced in this post

  1. Loria, G. (2017).Retrieved from How Patients Use Online Reviews

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