As we\u2019ve said on the blog in the past, caring for your spine needs to be a collaborative approach between the patient and provider. Your doctor may have decades of medical experience, but you bring a lot of helpful information to the table as well, so if you\u2019re feeling like you\u2019re not being heard, it\u2019s time to make some changes. In today\u2019s blog, we share some tips for what you should do if you feel like your spine specialist isn\u2019t listening to your concerns.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you feel like you\u2019re not being heard by your care provider, there are a few steps you\u2019ll want to take to ensure you can feel like your concerns are being met.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
1. Let Them Know<\/strong> \u2013 While it\u2019s easier said than done to say \u201cspeak up if you feel like you\u2019re not being heard,\u201d this is the first step in helping the physician realize that there\u2019s a problem. There are times that a doctor may believe they have the answer to your problem, and they might start tuning everything else out because they are excited about the possibility of a solution, and they may not even realize they aren\u2019t hearing your concerns. The first thing you need to do if you feel like your concerns are being ignored is to speak up. A line as simple as \u201cI appreciate all your help, but sometimes I feel like my concerns aren\u2019t being heard,\u201d is a simple way to start a dialogue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 2. Bring More To The Table \u2013 <\/strong>Sometimes patients feel like they aren\u2019t being heard, when in reality, the information they are providing isn\u2019t all that useful. Patients can absolutely be a pivotal source of information for the provider, but they may not know exactly how to convey this information effectively. Document some information or bring notes along with you to your appointment so that instead of saying \u201cMy back hurts when I move,\u201d you can bring some more detailed information into the equation, like \u201cMy back pain is worst in the morning, but it tends to get better as I move. I\u2019m currently taking Ibuprofen and walking for exercise to help with the discomfort.\u201d Learn how to bring more helpful information to the table, and the doctor will typically be more engaged.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 3. Be Concise<\/strong> \u2013 Doctors are busy, and your time is valuable too, so be concise when talking with the doctor. While there\u2019s always time for pleasantries, if you get off topic too often or there are too many non-vital parts in your story, it can be easier for a doctor\u2019s attention to slip. You\u2019d want other patients to be direct and concise so that the doctor stays on schedule, so do the same for others. A focused conversation that goes on for 5-10 minutes can be much more helpful than an unorganized discussion that drags on for twice as long. Sometimes doctors can be long-winded too, so don\u2019t be afraid to help us get back on track!<\/p>\n\n\n\n 4. Get A Second Opinion<\/strong> \u2013 Finally, if you\u2019ve spoken up, tried to bring more helpful information and have been concise and direct during your appointments, but you still feel like your concerns are not being met, it\u2019s time to shop for a different specialist. A second opinion is common in the healthcare industry, so never feel bad for looking into other options if you aren\u2019t getting what you need from your first specialist. At the end of the day, it\u2019s your health, and you need to be heard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you want to connect with a doctor who will listen to your concerns and ensure you get the care and attention you deserve, reach out to Dr. Chang and his team today.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" As we\u2019ve said on the blog in the past, caring for your spine needs to be a collaborative approach between […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-600","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/davidchangspine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/600","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/davidchangspine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/davidchangspine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/davidchangspine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/davidchangspine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=600"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/davidchangspine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/600\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":605,"href":"https:\/\/davidchangspine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/600\/revisions\/605"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/davidchangspine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=600"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/davidchangspine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=600"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/davidchangspine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=600"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}