Do IVF Patients Not Mind Waiting for Hours for Their Doctor?

Today, in India, to see patients waiting for hours to see senior doctors is a common occurrence. Many doctors are often extremely preoccupied , which is evident in their waiting rooms that throng with patients and worried relatives. Ironically, patients do have complaints that they have to wait for such a long time to have just a few minutes with the doctor. How do doctors pull it off ? And why do patients out up with this experience which taxes their patience?

Doctors go scot-free with making patients wait for long periods because patients are willing to wait. The next question is, why should patients wait for hours to see a famous doctor when there is clearly no shortage of well-qualified and experienced doctors who have the necessary expertise to deal with their problems? Several of these doctors have begun their clinical practice after many years of overseas training. There is no doubt as to their qualification. But it is surprising to note that they do not have many patients.

Why is it that patients prefer to see a “famous” doctor as opposed to one of these technically competent doctors?

It must be accepted that patients are making reasonable decisions. There is a logical reason behind this act - this is how they manage their perceived risk. When they are sick, patients get anxious and want to ensure the best possible medical care for themselves. They believe that the best way to do this is to go to a doctor who is the best in his profession, who has the most experience and who can help cure their ailment. The only means for them to narrow down this doctor is to ask around, which is why busy “brand name” doctors become even busier, because of their word of mouth reputation.

If you are sick and tired of having to wait for hours in your IVF doctor’s waiting room, and want to explore alternative options, please send me your medical details by filling in the form at www.drmalpani.com/malpaniform.htm so that I can guide you better !

Dr. Malpani’s Advice for Doctors on how to deal with Patients’ Complaints

Doctors put in their best efforts to care for their patients. They often work hard and long hours just to ensure the best of health for their patient. Nevertheless, some patients have complaints about the kind of care provided by the doctor. These complaints could frequently be unrelated to the doctor’s behavior or actions. The patient could probably be angry for having had to wait too long or because the receptionist was ill-mannered. Some patients even have the unfair expectation that the doctor will see them first, out of turn, even though they know that the doctor has other patients to see before them, who have been given earlier appointments.

Being unhappy for some reason, patients complain. Unfortunately, most doctors are clueless about how to handle these complaints from their patients.
 

However, it is important for doctors to remember that medicine is a profession based on service and therefore, complaints offer an opportunity to recover when the patient perceives a deficiency in the service she has received.

Dr. Malpani advises doctors not to lose their temper or ignore complaints. It is better to empathize with the patient in their situation. They do not particularly like coming to doctors and because they are anxious about their health, they are not very emotionally strong.

Refusing to see the patient or dismissing their concerns only causes a bad situation to become worse. A minor issue which can be resolved amicably can quickly escalate to become ugly.

It’s best to believe that patients are generally sensible and rational, and wouldn’t complain hadn’t they a very good reason to do so. Complaints can be seen positively as opportunities to solve problems by investing time and effort. By doing this, the concerned patients are impressed with your attitude and turn from, being critic into becoming supporters.

Investigating and resolving patients’ complaints is worthwhile. If one patient complains, there may be ten others who may not bother to do so, but instead silently walk away and seek another doctor .

Do you feel your IVF doctor has treated you badly ? If you want to find out if you have valid reasons to complain, please send me your medical details by filling in the form at www.drmalpani.com/malpaniform.htm so that I can guide you better !

Bed Rest After Embryo Transfer is Unnecessary

Bed rest after embryo transfer is not only advised by many IVF doctors , but is also forcibly imposed on patients , both by themselves or their family members. Patients often have the misconception that their embryos will fall out of their uterus if they walk around. They resort to lying flat on the bed to protect the embryos in their uterus.

It is an irrational belief that embryos in the uterus can be harmed by walking. Embryos inside the uterus are completely safe. But changing deep rooted misconceptions of people is a difficult task.

Dr. Malpani first tries to logically explain to them that no rest or precautions are necessary after embryo transfer , in much the same way that none is required after sexual intercourse. Patients reply with the statement that IVF is artificial and hence, requires more care.

This is an invalid argument because IVF is neither unnatural, nor artificial. A normal IVF cycle only mimics what happens naturally in the reproductive system during normal sexual intercourse. Because there is a medical problem due to which normal fertilization may not occur, assistance is necessary in carrying out the same deed.  The test tube used in IVF is comparable to the fallopian tube. The embryo only grows here for a few days in vitro, and after it is transferred into the uterus, the behaviour of the embryo is exactly the same, irrespective of whether it was formed in an IVF incubator or naturally in the fallopian tube after sexual intercourse. Embryo implantation is independent of its in vivo or in vitro origins.

When this explanation does not sit well with the patient, who often is not willing to listen to logical arguments, an emotional appeal is tried. Dr. Malpani tells patients that god has wisely designed the body in such a way that there is no danger of the embryo falling out. Hence, there is no rationale for them to worry.

Getting conflicting advise about do’s and don’ts after IVF ? Please send me your medical details by filling in the form at www.drmalpani.com/malpaniform.htm so that I can guide you better !

Why don't IVF Doctors Do Something About Their Incompetent Colleagues?

Seeing the same group of patients makes IVF doctors well aware of the professional expertise and competency of their colleagues. Doctors can often tell the most incompetent and dangerous of their colleagues from the proficient ones. Doctors are comfortable referring their patients to their proficient colleagues. But what do they do with the knowledge that one of their colleagues in the hospital is incompetent and likely to cheat? Most frequently, this remains an open secret of the professional staff in the hospital which is carefully concealed from patients.

Most doctors prefer minding their own business instead of being proactive about this fact. They decide that their best course of action would be to stick to their own job and avoid intervening in others’ work. By turning a deaf ear and a blind eye to this fact, they escape from talking publicly and openly about this wrong. (For instance, a dermatologist is in charge of running one of the most sought after IVF clinics in India. This is an open fact widely known to all doctors , but seldom debated).

There are several reasons behind this attitude. Keeping with the norms of the profession, it is difficult for doctors to condemn other doctor colleagues. This is because being a whistleblower could result in their being shunned by others , and thus they could end up losing a lot on their own career front.  To compound the problem, there is no way for a doctor to lodge complaints against their problematic colleagues. As a matter of fact, it is an arduous task for them to complain to the medical council or the hospital management. Being busy themselves, no doctor would willingly expose his/her role in complaints against other doctors . Most will never bother getting into this issue, because they feel it may end up becoming a sordid mess, and they don’t want to be party to this. They feel that it is an unnecessary bother , and since most doctors have their hands full tackling their own problems , they feel it is unwise to tackle an additional controversy. However, this is a dis-service to society; to patients; and to the profession. 

Do you feel your IVF doctor maybe incompetent ?

Please send me your medical details by filling in the form at www.drmalpani.com/malpaniform.htm so that I can guide you better !

IVF Treatment can be a positive experience

It is commonly assumed that IVF is a very strenuous treatment measure. Since infertility is a taxing experience, patients take it for granted that the treatment for infertility must be even more arduous. And this seems quite intuitive, since so many hopes are pinned on the outcome of the IVF treatment cycle !

Actually, it is quite possible that an IVF treatment cycle is a good experience, provided the patients stick to a few guidelines. IVF treatment can be a positive experience for them no matter what the outcome is. For this, it is essential to expect realistic results from IVF treatment.

IVF treatment is the best option for infertile patients to get pregnant because it has the highest success rate. Therefore, if they do an IVF cycle, they can be assured that they have chosen the best way to go about completing their family. They will never be resentful that they didn’t try enough. Being an elective treatment, IVF is entirely a matter of choice of the patients. Nobody can pressurize them to undergo IVF. Patients can freely decide what they want to do to maximize their chances of having a baby. This way, a patient has some control over what is happening to them instead of being a mute victim of a low sperm count or blocked tubes. Thus, it is an empowering experience.  In a way, patients try to craft their own fate using medical technology- and this is the best a human being can do.

Furthermore, if done properly, there are no medical risks involved in IVF treatment. Sadly, IVF treatment is ridden with misconceptions and myths. Thus, some people still believe that the hormone injections used in IVF make one put on weight or pose a risk of breast cancer for the patient. 

Still think IVF needs to be stressful ? Please send me your medical details by filling in the form at www.drmalpani.com/malpaniform.htm so that I can guide you better !