Taking care of your health should always be your utmost priority – especially if you are approaching the age where you may experience health concerns. As a result, it is also extremely important to have a suitable health practitioner guiding you along the way, to provide you with lifestyle improvement advice and ease your worries.
If you are having trouble finding the right health practitioner for you, here are a few tips to get you started!
Look for reviews and recommendations
Ask your close friends and family for health practitioner recommendations. Those closest to you will probably be most understanding of your health conditions as well, and can provide you with trustworthy recommendations.
If you are unable to gather recommendations from friends and family, you may also consider looking up reviews of your potential health practitioner and clinic. You can find reviews online on search engines, blogs or even independent third-party websites. Most of these sites will also include a ranking system (rated out of five stars), meaning there are both qualitative and quantitative reviews to consider when deciding on your health practitioner.
When reading these online reviews, pay special attention to those explaining the communication tendencies of said health practitioner, as such is extremely important when identifying whether or not a health practitioner is right for you. For example, it will be beneficial to know if the health practitioner explains health concerns in detail, or gets straight to the point with diagnosis and treatment. Knowing which you prefer based on reviews and recommendations can help you find a suitable health practitioner.
Know your criteria and standards
Before committing to any one health practitioner, be sure to first know exactly what you want. Set your expectations and standards so that it is easier to find a health practitioner whose work methods are compatible with yours. For your criteria, you should consider:
- Age. Are you more comfortable speaking with a younger or older health practitioner?
- Gender. Are you more comfortable speaking with a health practitioner of a particular gender?
- Focus area. What are you seeing a health practitioner for, and can they address your health concerns if they are more niche?
- Location. Where is their clinic? Is it far from your home or close by?
Interview them during your first consultation
Rather than ‘interviewing’ them in a traditional sense, treat your first consultation as an opportunity to evaluate and test the waters with a health practitioner. Make sure they are easy to talk to and understanding of your health concerns and worries. Get a feel for how they treat you, as well as other patients, and evaluate whether or not they match your expectations.
Contrary to popular belief, it is completely acceptable for you to treat your first consultation as a trial – you do not have to commit to a particular health practitioner from the get-go. Instead, take your time exploring your options, and learn what you like and what you dislike. This will help you further understand your preferences and determine which health practitioner you’d rather consult with for the long term.