What Makes a Good Doctor? BodBeat Episode 11

 A good doctor should have three qualities: knowledge, empathy and philosophy. First, a good doctor should be knowledgeable and should keep abreast of developments in his or her field of expertise. A good doctor should be a skillful diagnostician. A good doctor should neither under-prescribe nor over-prescribe medication to his patients. Second, a good doctor should have a high Emotional Quotient or EQ. There were two doctors, a younger man with a high tech practice and an older man with a low tech practice. I noticed that most of my colleagues chose to go to the older man. Why? Probably because he had a warmer personality, was a better listener and communicator and was able to inspire his patients’ confidence in him. Third, a good doctor should also be a good philosopher. A good doctor should treat his patients in a holistic way. He should counsel his patients on their diet, exercise, and stress management. A good doctor should understand the limits of efficacy of western medicine and should have an open mind to what is called ‘alternative medicine’. A good doctor should be wise and humble not dogmatic and arrogant. What seems more important to a patient during a medical crisis however, is the attitude of the doctor. I’ve learnt in coping with my parents’ illnesses that doctors may be sure of their diagnosis but among different specialists, their treatment recommendations can vary. Ultimately the patients and family members have to decide how they want to manage the illness of their loved ones and their process of dying. Which means, they have to remain rational and clear despite being traumatised by the sad news of an illness. It is under these circumstances that a doctor’s ‘human touch’ becomes significant. His/her patient-focused sincerity in taking time to explain to a patient his or her condition reflects a doctor’s compassion, concern and empathy. It is simply caring for another fellow being. These attributes have been seen as hallmarks of the medical profession. Some observers lamented however that the increasing commercialisation of the profession has led to some doctors setting themselves up as tradesmen, driven more by financial considerations than by noble ideals of service to humanity with honesty, integrity and compassion. As a result doctors become callous and careless, spend limited time with patients, over-prescribe expensive drugs, recommend unnecessary investigation and treatment modes, prolong hospital stay, and so forth, all for personal gains. If this commercialisation ethos is a perceived threat to the profession, then a sincere, compassionate, caring and empathetic doctor who spends significant time with patients and their families to explain to them the illness and prognosis and attends to their fragile emotional states, will be a doctor that makes the difference. Personally, I need a doctor who is clear and logical in thinking, warm with a sincere heart, skilled with his/her hands for surgery, easy to reach in an emergency, empathetic in his communication patterns to restore in me a level of calm and confidence and makes me feel ‘he/she is there’ for me, does not over-charge me and is discreet by not talking about my condition to others. I would like my doctor to be humble and confident enough to collaborate with other specialists in the medical community to tackle an illness which he or she is uncertain about, in order to offer to me best practices in management and treatment. Fortunately, I have seen a lot of such ‘good doctors’ in my life-time, to whom I am grateful. Dr. Loretta