|
A very good question.
Like Lee, my onc was among the top on the west coast and well-loved by practitioners and patients alike, but never gave me information unless I already knew enough to know very specifically what to ask.
Unlike Lee, I have to be very honest and say that because most of us are in the dark at time of diagnosis and that is exactly when we are having to make very complicated decisions, having an onc who only provides information when asked makes it MUCH more difficult to know what to do.
I think my surgeon, on the other hand, is excellent. He didn't assume anything when I met him. He started at square one and gave me a clear outline, and then started filling in the picture, skipping ahead whenever it was clear that I had a good understanding. In short, I think the best doctor is someone who is constantly learning, and is both able and willing to teach -- someone who isn't afraid of being challenged by new information, even when it is the patient who brings it in.
I believe that by making the effort with patients at crucial visits like the first one, a doctor can save the patient and him or herself a lot of time and energy down the road.
AlaskaAngel
|