When going to the doctor, what do you see as important?

i will always goes for a dr who will listen and try to find out whats wrong i actually just changed my family dr because for a year i had my daughter to him because she had chronic diarrhea the only thing he did was a colonoscopy and prescribe modium.. well here it is a year later and a new dr who listened to everything we said and guess what.. he found a tumor the size of a dinner plate growing in her abdoman pressing on her intestines.. she goes in for surgery in 2 weeks to have it removed and along with it her right ovary.. he is going to cut up and down to make sure this tumor hasnt spread to her uterus or her left ovary because it is so big he cant see it all.. so yes a dr who listens will usually provide the best health care

As long as I got the best help available, it wouldn't matter to me what the doctor was like. However, I think a doctor could do a better job of diagnosing if he would shut up for a few minutes and listen to what I have to say about the symptoms I have, rather than just rushing to give me a prescription and get me out of his office.

I would much rather have a doctor who is willing to take the time to address my medical issues than one who just hurries through the appointment, barely glances at me, and then shoos me out the door so he can get to the next patient. I realize that doctors are busy, but I feel that they miss an awful lot of what's wrong with people in their rush to get on to the next person. Last year I went through an awful ordeal, and the doctor I had barely took the time to register what was going on with me. It was infuriating. I switched doctors and got the problem taken care of. If the first doctor had taken the time to listen to what I was telling him instead of smirking condescendingly and acting like he knew everything, I wouldn't have had to suffer so long. House is a TV show, and the only reason why people like the character so much is because Hugh Laurie is so charismatic. In reality, a doctor like that should lose his license.

Good topic! I would perfer to have both a doctor who can get the job done and one who is a bit sensitive as well to my need to have him listen to me when I am telling him my symptoms. If I can't have both though I guess bottom line is I would rather a doctor that is competent to get the job done.

I need my doctor to be able to explain to me whats going on.. not in doctor terms but in terms i can relate to. If i don't have that confidence i can't trust the doctor.

I go for help over character, myself. I found many great-character doctors for many years, but they still could not properly diagnose my migraine disorder and fibromyalgia. The niceness was nice, yeah, but what wasnt nice was being continually misdiagnosed.

When I go to the doctor ..it is important that the Doctor listens to what I say is my symptoms..and that he takes time to explain to me what he feels is the prognosis and remedy.. Some doctors you go in..they look in your mouth at your throat, at your ears ..listen to your heart..then sit down scribble on the prescription pad and hand it to you..I think that is so cold.. I like my doctors to be commicative.!:)+

I would have to say both......I cant put one above the other. I'm a doctor myself and Ive also been a patient....we're all humans and get sick too. I like doctors who listen , but if they can't diagnose me properly or give me the wrong treatment.....I immediately go to someone else.

I perfer a doctor who is going to listen to me and pay attention to what I am saying is my symtoms. Too many doctors are so tied up with the amount of patients they see so they get more money. It is hard to find a doctor that will give quality care anymore. I don't know if I would like someone like House to treat me if I was sick. I like the program and even like the way that house portrays the doctor but that is television in real life I don't think I would like someone to treat me who acts like he does.

I prefer to have a doctor that actually listens to me. I just took my son to one and all he did was run his mouth about this and that, by the time he left the room he didn't even really do anything for my son! $15 of copay down the drain, jerk!

I would like a doctor with all of those qualities. It is important that the doctor is excellent in his field and that he is capable of curing whatever ailment that you have, but it is also important to me that the doctor be a good listener and a good commuicatior. I have dealt with a few doctors thats come across as very arrogant and I never like dealing with a person like that. I have dealt with a doctor who acted annoyed if I asked a question and was condescending in his answer. In my opinion there is no place for talking down to patients for a doctor. The patients are the once who's money or insurance are helping pay for the Jaguars, Mercedes and BMW's that they are driving! They should treat their patients with respect and considation and they should take their profession seriously and make sure that they know what they are doing and staying up to date in the latest studies and treatments in their field.

I needa doctor who is a good listener because I am afraid of them and often am too intimidated to say what I need to say, whether I bring a list with me or not. When that requirement is met, I need the place to be clean! According to Irishhealth.com, "Ireland has recorded the highest number of MRSA cases - the so-called hospital super bug - in Europe." Later they go on to say, "MRSA is a strain of bacteria that is resistant to some of the most powerful antibiotics available. It thrives in hospitals where people are in close proximity and may have their defences weakened by illness. According to the IPA survey, Ireland recorded 119 cases per million in 2003, which is two-and-a-half times higher than the next worst hit country, Portugal, with 46 million cases per million." That is a very scary thought and I would like to think yo could leave the surgery or the hospital healthier, rather than sicker, than when you arrive!

I would prefer a doctor that listens, not that I've been lately in doctors but it is important to have someone that you can relate. If you don't feel confident enough with your doctor the only solution is to run a big deal of expensives tests to see what is going on. If you relate a couple of conversations can do the job. And a doctor like that would always point you to the right direction.