When a patient goes to an IVF doctor for a consultation , the standard ritual is that the junior doctor or assistant will fire off a list of questions that the patient is expected to answer, so the senior doctor can review them, make a diagnosis, and then prescribe treatment . This usually takes a few minutes, depending on how busy the doctor it, and then the patient leaves so the doctor can then treat the next one in line.
But most patients have many doubts and questions in their mind , which they have been harbouring for weeks, and they never get an opportunity to ask the doctor their queries. This is why many remain unsatisfied and unhappy after the visit, because their doubts have not been addressed.
Please remember that doctors are not mind-readers, and while some doctors are happy to resolve your queries, we can’t answer questions you don’t ask !
This is why there is a huge gap in doctor-patient communication . Now, when things go well , it doesn’t really matter , but when the cycle fails, this creates a rift in the doctor-patient relationship , and the patient is bitter that the doctor did not share the truth with them, and tell them everything they wanted to know .
Most Indian patients are reluctant to ask their doctors questions. Many get brain freeze when sitting in front of a doctor, and only remember their questions after they have left the clinic. Others can see how busy the doctor is, and because they are considerate, they don’t want to waste his time asking questions. Also, they are worried their questions are stupid , and the doctor will judge them as dumb if they ask silly questions . Now the reality is that the only dumb question is the one which you don’t ask !
It’s important to at least list your questions , so your doctor can understand what your worries and doubts are . Now it’s true that doctors have a limited amount of time , and they can’t possibly answer all your questions during a consultation , but there are many creative ways of solving this problem . For example , you could ask your questions in advance by email , so the assistant could answer some of them , because most of them will be frequently asked questions , for which doctors have standard replies . This is why we answer our questions proactively , both on YouTube and our website , so that we can resolve the majority of a patient’s doubts even before they come to us for a consultation. This saves a lot of time , and saves the patient a lot of unnecessary anxiety as well !
You can also get all the information regarding your IVF Treatments from Dr. Malpani directly at https://www.drmalpani.com/chat-w-chatbot/index.html