Health & Stress: 10 Important Questions To Ask When Interviewing Health Care Providers
By award-winning author and stress-relief expert Susie Mantell
Let's talk about ways to prevent some of the stress we all experience in pursuit of optimal health... and health care.
Being unwell is one of life's greatest fears and most stressful experiences. Illness and injury can be frightening, puzzling and create secondary anxiety, as can their therapies and costs. So whether a suggestion comes from an internist or acupuncturist... surgeon or shaman, we can greatly reduce health-related stress by becoming active, informed participants in our own health care. Select health-care providers "as if your life depended upon it." In my own case, I sought a skilled, traditionally trained physician, but I also required that (s)he be well-versed in, (and genuinely intrigued by,) healing arts, mind/body practices and integrative approaches to health care. And I will tell you...it was not easy...and it took two years.
I asked every friend and every good doctor I knew, whom THEY go to, trust and respect. Most did not have such a relationship with their physicians. Over time I met with three internists, all fine doctors with excellent credentials and on staff at good hospitals, before I found one who ALSO took time to look into my eyes and listen, answer my questions respectfully and thoughtfully, and communicate genuine care and a sense of who I am, beyond "the sore throat in room 2." Three fine physicians, but I chose one with whom I feel most comfortable. (Incidentally, I also surmised that this was someone with whom my aging parent, who lives nearby, would also feel comfortable. I have always liked the family practitioner model, that allows the doctor to know more about a family, its history and what its needs might be.) The time to explore and develop that relationship is before we need it. Not everyone has the luxury of seeing practitioners out of a managed care network, but the following questions are of value in any health care situation, and partnership in wellness should be a goal of every patient...and every doctor.
It is always wise to consult a health care professional if we have concerns, but bear in mind that a very high percentage of doctor's visits can be traced back to stress-related illness, or illness-related stress, so the more we all know about and practice techniques and strategies for coping with and releasing stress, anger and depression, the fewer office visits become necessary! Often, it is the doctor's job to support and facilitate the body's own remarkable healing capabilities, rather than to do the job from the outside. But whether being seen for headache or heartache...sniffles or cancer, understanding the problem, its treatment, potential benefits and risks, is our personal responsibility. a) Ask questions and make informed choices. b) Then relax, trust the process and observe the effects over time.
10 Q's FOR: INTERVIEWING HEALTH CARE PROFESSIONALS
Here are some useful questions to ask, (respectfully, of course,) when considering a new practitioner:
1. How long have you been in practice?
2. What is your strength and which areas interest you most?
3. Why did you become a thoracic surgeon? (allergist... therapist, etc.)
4. Where did you study? (residencies, fellowships, etc.)
5. What hours are you in, and what's the after-hours procedure in your practice?
6. What is your greatest satisfaction/frustration in medicine today?
7. Which healing arts are you familiar with?
8. With which hospitals are you affiliated?
9. Do you accept my insurance? What is your billing procedure?
10.MENTAL NOTE: Did (s)he: a) Firmly shake your hand? b) Look into your eyes? c) Seem friendly and interested? d) Put you at ease? e) Feel like someone you could talk to if faced with a crisis?
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Award-winning stress-relief expert Susie Mantell ...is the author of the deeply soothing relaxation CD, "Your Present: A Half-Hour of Peace,” clinically approved for symptoms associated with stress and sleeplessness, depression and grief, anxiety, P.T.S.D., Fibromyalgia, caregiver stress, cancer, pain, divorce and addiction recovery. Featured in The Los Angeles Times, NBC, ABC, CBS-TV, Town & Country, The American Pain Society, Hazelden and The Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, listeners include The Mayo Clinic, Memorial Sloan-Kettering, The Betty Ford Center, V.A. Hospitals,and Canyon Ranch (#1 Spa.) Customizing stress-reduction for Fortune 500 companies, distinguished hospitals and spas, Mantell has facilitated thousands in relieving health-related, work-related, chronic or traumatic stress. Her multi-sensory, mind-body techniques appear in national media, medical and corporate publications. Susie Mantell's Stress-Relief & Wellness Tips are intended as an adjunct to, not a substitute for, professional health care. Order “Your Present: A Half-Hour of Peace” and find more of Mantell’s stress-relief tips at www.relaxintuit.com