Little gestures by doctors can make a big difference to the patients, said MDS adviser Au Eong Kah Guan at a sharing session yesterday. It can be just a smile or simple eye contact, but it can make a world of difference to the patient.
He shared his views on doctor-patient relations with more than 50 members of MDS, GPAS and RP Society, as the three non-profit organisations came together for a joint-session for the first time.
While doctors, especially those in public hospitals, often have to contend with large number of patients, he believed that doctors should encourage patients to ask questions and avoid medical jargons when explaining the condition to patients.
But it cannot just be a one-way street. Patients should also aim to acquire more knowledge, he said, and be compliant with the treatments advised by the doctors.
He was joined by RP Society president Wong Meng Ee, who also urged patients not to be passive when dealing with doctors. Instead, patients should actively engage the doctors. He offered a tripartite model for doctor-patient relations, saying that it should also include families in the equation.
Look out for more joint-sharing sessions, with the next one coming up in May.
1 comment:
I found the session very inspiring, and I think we all benefitted from it. Thanks for posting on the blog - and thanks to Prof Au Eong for so generously spending his Saturday afternoon with us.
Sharon Siddique
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