To achieve a successful resolution of a medical problem, it is imperative that the healthcare provider and the patient consider each other partners.
Here’s why.
Both have important responsibilities, and if either fails to live up to them, the potential for a successful outcome of the medical problem being treated is diminished.
Ensuring that my patients are my partners is so important to me that I sometimes greet them by saying, “Hello, partner, good to see you!”
The healthcare provider’s responsibility includes pursuing a high level of training and experience and having access to the necessary supplies and medical devices.
The patient’s responsibility includes providing proper self-care. If patients don’t do their part—the things that only they can do for themselves, like controlling blood sugar, taking medications on time, or performing wound care—the healthcare provider’s efforts will be in vain.
So if you are a patient, establishing a partnership, rather than a customer relationship, with your healthcare providers can yield great benefits for you, including better health, enhanced quality of life, reduced costs, and a feeling of empowerment.
I encourage you to ask yourself these important questions today:
“Do my healthcare providers consider me a partner and treat me as such?”
“Do I act like a partner and do everything I can to contribute to my successful treatment instead of simply expecting my healthcare providers to take care of me?”
If you can’t answer “Yes” to the first question, it’s time to build a better relationship with your healthcare providers or seek new ones. If you can’t answer “Yes” to the second question, you need to start fulfilling your part of the relationship.
When your health or life is at stake, being just a customer should not be an option.
Mark Hinkes, DPM, is the author of Healthy Feet for People with Diabetes. His website is www.dr-mark.net.
By Mark Hinkes, DPM
