Part of ensuring that your health is always on point includes working with healthcare professionals that you respect and trust. However, not all doctors or other specialists are created equally.
Not only are some medical professionals simply not good at their jobs, but they also have the ability to make mistakes that could cost you your health or your life. So when you find yourself in a sticky situation with a healthcare professional, it’s good to know what you can do to fix any problems or get the help you need to take care of the issue.
To help you with this, here are three things you can and should do if you have a bad experience with a healthcare professional.
Give Immediate Feedback To The Doctor Or Staff
There’s a wide range of problems you can have with a doctor or other medical professional. For the type of issues that are minor, like feeling like you’re not being given enough time at your appointments or aren’t getting your phone calls returned in a timely manner, arguably the best thing you can do is give immediate feedback to your doctor or their staff members.
If you’re uncomfortable doing this directly, Dr. Arefa Cassoobhoy, a contributor to WebMD.com, recommends that you try to broach the topic in a non-threatening way with the person or speak with someone else on the staff that can help you pass the message along. For some medical relationships, the healthcare professional might need your guidance to ensure they’re giving you exactly what you need, and this is the perfect time to provide a teaching moment.
Leave A Review Online
Ideally, you should have done some of your own research about the medical professional you’re seeing before your first appointment. During this research, you may or may not have seen negative reviews online through various directories or platforms.
If you yourself have a bad experience with a doctor or other medical professional, one thing you can do, according to Angela Haupt and Ruben Castandea, contributors to U.S. News and World Report, is to leave your own review about what happened so that other future patients won’t be burned the same way you were.
Know How And Where To Make A Formal Complaint
For serious issues with a medical professional, you may need to lodge a formal complaint that is then investigated either by the medical board, the police, or an attorney.
In situations such as this, Trisha Torrey, a contributor to Very Well Health, shares that the letter you write to the appropriate institution should be concise and explain what type of action you’d like to see taken.
If you’ve recently had a bad experience with a medical professional, consider using the tips mentioned above to help you take care of this issue.