A Message to My Patients
and Their Parents
A patient and doctor relationship is a partnership. A partnership is based on mutual trust and confidence. I want to make sure that you get the right diagnosis and the treatment that's best for you.
To give you the best, most thorough care possible, I need some things from you:
- Communication. If you don't understand what I'm telling you -- if you don't understand a treatment, instructions about your medicine or my diagnosis -- tell me. If I explain again and it's still not clear, say so. With a difficult topic, sometimes it takes two or three times to explain all of the details. I'm willing to explain as many times as needed; I simply need you to remind me.
- Clarification. Tell me what you need to know about your illness. If I've told you to take it easy until you feel better, and you want to know if you can go to work, watch TV or go shopping, please ask.
- Satisfaction. Be sure you're comfortable with what I've recommended. If you're not, tell me. We can discuss other choices. If there are no options, I'll try to do a better job of making you feel more at ease and explaining the choices you do have.
- Understanding. Doctors don't always have the perfect, no-questions-asked diagnosis, treatment or cure. I can do a better job of treating you if you tell me what's wrong, ask me questions and give me honest, complete information about your symptoms or problems.
- Patience. I spend all day seeing patients like yourself, many who have complicated issues and need me to spend more time than I was prepared to spend. We are also open to fitting in emergency patients so that they can avoid a trip to the emergency room whenever possible. Please be patient when I am running behind schedule—I promise to give you the same attention next time you have an emergency or an urgent need.
- Information. Tell me or one of my staff when something is troubling you, whether it's that my front door is difficult to open, that one of us lost our temper with you, or that the medicine we gave you doesn't seem to be working. If I know when you're unhappy or not satisfied, I can do something about it. If you keep information to yourself, it makes it difficult for me to help you. In return for your openness and willingness to ask questions, I promise to take your questions and worries seriously. I believe the result will be better medical care and a stronger relationship between us.
Dr. Zipf
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