Our health care clinic has been in operation for 80 years, and some of our patients have been coming here since they were children. We pride ourselves on providing balanced medical care that looks at all aspects of a patient's wellbeing, including their mood, mental health, social connection as well as their physical health. As many of our patients are older, we've become specialists in geriatric care and help patients to stay at home as long as possible. We find that happy and connected seniors tend to be healthy. Our blog is all about holistic care for older patients in a health care clinic.
Geriatric community care
Is Your Medical Centre Accountable? Issues to Consider
Jane Brown
With recent criticisms of accountability in some medical centres, you may be wondering how to tell if your medical centre is accountable. Luckily, most doctors and healthcare providers take their jobs very seriously and strive to provide a high level of care for their patients. If you are concerned about accountability, however, here are some issues you should keep in mind when choosing a healthcare provider:
1. Patient Reviews
Before visiting a medical clinic, look at patient reviews. Also, check to see if any disciplinary action has ever been taken against the centre. If everything looks good at first glance, schedule an appointment and trust your instincts.
2. Doctor-Patient Rapport
It's easier to take care of your health if you feel like you and your doctor are partners. Keep in mind that this is a personal decision, and the doctor or nurse who makes one patient feel comfortable may not be the perfect doctor for another person. Pay attention to how the experience makes you feel during your first appointment at a medical centre.
Does the doctor or nurse take time to really speak with you and listen to your concerns? Do you have a sense of trust and open communication? If so, this may be the prefect medical centre for you, but you may also want to look into how they handle their medical records.
3. Medical Records and Privacy
With medical records, you need your privacy and legal rights respected, but you also need a medical centre which can easily communicate with other hospitals or specialists in the area. Ask about how your medical centre handles records.
Do they store them on site and in safe locked areas? Do they have backups in a secure cloud in case something happens to the records on site. When sending records to other hospitals, do they use an encrypted messaging service? Ideally, you want a yes to those questions or a satisfying alternative. The medical centre should also have a consent process in place to alert you before sharing your records with anyone else.
4. Coordinated Care
If you have a chronic illness or any other issue that requires you to meet with several health care professionals at once, you may want to work with professionals who are willing to coordinate your care.
This allows your doctors to ensure that the prescriptions and treatments they use harmonise with each other. Additionally, when you have more people looking over your care, it reduces the risk of mistakes and boosts accountability.
Want to learn more, contact a medical clinic to talk about their accountability measures and what they offer patients.
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