Time off for the doctor: is it good for patients?

     "Do you have clinics on Saturdays?" one of my patients asked me today. "No," I replied. "The company told me you had Saturday clinics," she countered. I had to explain to her that I did quite a few years back.

     This conversation made me think about why I no longer hold Saturday hours in my city clinics. I need to take time off to renew myself every week.

     I have been taking time off more or less regularly on an annual basis. I spend time in silence, prayer and deep conversation. This helps me renew in mind, body and spirit. This has become a habit such that I look forward to it when it is due, and I long for it when I am unable to do it at the usual time.

     My provincial clinic is a different story. Because I only go there a few days a month and my patients get agitated when I don't keep my scheduled days, I have been sticking strictly to my published dates. That is until this year. This April and May - when medical school is out - I have cut down my scheduled days.

     I wonder how my patients feel about their doctor taking time off - for weekends, for school breaks, and yearly. I hope they would agree that it is good for the doctor, and for them as well.
   

Doc, these are important to me!

Have you noticed that when making health care decisions, you can have as many choices as there are people involved? Use of the worksheet suggested in the following link may help facilitate such decisions. Read and fill it out to bring to your next appointment to your doctor.

http://thegeriatrician.blogspot.com/2011/08/communicating-to-physicians-goals-of.html?spref=fb

When more is NOT necessarily better for patients

Choosing Wisely, an initiative of the American Board of Internal Medicine, says NO. Here are the links for 5 tests or treatments (and the situations) that patients should question.

For adult patients (internal medicine)

For older adults (geriatric medicine)

For patients with arthritis and other rheumatic disease (rheumatology)

Always and forever: living with a chronic disease

I encounter two kinds of patients with arthritis: one comes to consult me just before leaving for a long trip and the other one comes to consult expecting to rest. The first response is perfect for those who are well and just want to be reassured they are well. The second response is also perfect for the flu or pneumonia: you get sick like a dog, rest, take your meds and then leave when you get better. These are NOT good responses when dealing with arthritis, the other rheumatic diseases I treat, and even diabetes.

Arthritis is a chronic illness for the most part. Once you get it, you have to live with it. You will have good days and bad days. We hope that most of them will be good. Taking your meds that the doctor prescribes helps increase your chances of having mostly good days. Medications can have side effects; they are not always good for you. This is where the follow-up clinic visits help.

During the follow-up clinic visits, your doctor should ask how you have been since you last saw her/him. How has your arthritis been? Have you been able to do your activities without difficulty? Have you been sick? Have you noticed anything new (or a worsening of something old)? Your answers to these questions help the doctor adjust your treatment, if necessary.

Living with a chronic disease is a case of always and forever. The disease stays with you but you can do something to keep yourself as healthy as possible.

Change of Clinic Schedule in Callang and Citimedic

The March clinic days are changed as follows: Callang Clinic from 2-Mar-2013 to 9-Mar-2013, and Citimedic Clinic from 4-Mar-2013 to 11-Mar-2013. This is in response to the scheduled annual Revalida for the UST Faculty of Medicine and Surgery.

February and March clinic days in Isabela and Tuguegarao

The next clinic days in Isabela are: 16-Feb and 2-Mar. Tuguegarao city will be on 4-Mar-2013.

Planning a clinic visit at Callang? Please note these.

In order to facilitate your follow-up visit at Callang with me, please note these procedures we have instituted.

For FOLLOW-UP visits,
1. Appointment numbers will be given in person by Misael on the day of the clinic as early as 700AM.
2. Patients given follow-up appointments for that clinic day will always be given a slot.
3. Early follow-up visits due to urgent concerns will likewise be given a slot.

For NEW patients,
1. We accept walk-ins up to the maximum number set for the day.
2. Appointment numbers will given by Misael on the day of the clinic visit.
3. You may choose to be seen on a different clinic by asking for an appointment for that day. Numbers will still be assigned on the day of the actual visit.

You may continue to TEXT 0918-9334458 to verify our clinic schedule in advance. Please allow up to the end of the working day for a reply.