|
. The
Australian health-care system has a long history of providing a
reasonably harmonious balance of public and private health services.
It provides more equitable and affordable health-care than the United
States and with a higher level of service than might exist in a
nationalised system. (All of these statements will be vigorously
debated by proponents of different health-care systems.)
Since
the introduction of Medicare and the establishment of bulk billing
there has been a growing expectation that services provided by medical
practitioners and particular by general practitioners will be free
at the point of delivery. The proportion of consultations which
are bulk billed is declining steadily but at the time of writing
is still approximately 70% of primary care consultations.
The
attitudes of Australian patients are somewhat different to those
in other nations. In some developing nations the receipt of any
health-care of whatever quality is regarded as a privilege. In Australia,
world-class health-care with relatively short waiting times and
minimal or no cost is often an expectation. Australian patients
tend to be relatively well-informed. Often they have done some reading
on the topic of interest to them. With the increasing availability
of Internet services more and more patients would have done some
research if they are particularly worried about their problem.
As
a large majority of patients are well-educated they expect and appreciate
if the medical practitioner spends some time explaining the problem,
possible outcomes and why treatment choices have been made. It is
my experience that very few patients expect their doctors to be
infallibile. What they do expect is to be treated with kindness
and respect.
You
may well be aware of the rise in litigation throughout the Western
world and in Australia. Evidence from medical indemnity providers
shows that the large majority of medical indemnity claims are precipitated
by discourteous treatment rather than medical malpractice. The moral
of the story is that a smile and an appropriate explanation when
appropriate is both good medicine and strong protection against
legal prosecution.
There
are some things which Australian patients tolerate extremely poorly.
They will not tolerate an old-fashioned patronising and gruff approach.
Patients decline to re-attend if they are made to feel that the
consultation has imposed upon the doctors time or is inconvenient.
Ultimately this has significant impact upon the financial well-being
of your practice or the practice for which you are working.
In
conclusion. A smile and a welcoming approach to your patient is
completely free but pays a huge dividend in terms of the service
which you provide.
|
