Warning: If you don't agree with your doctor seek help elsewhere

Patients and doctors tend to maintain a cordial professional relationship most times, which is how it should be.

Sobriety is required when discussing what ails you, and what treatment options may be appropriate. But every so often, your doctor’s recommendations might be in direct conflict with your own expectations. What happens then?

Any treatment recommendations by the doctor are usually based on a thorough assessment of your condition. Clinical decisions must always be in your best interest. For one option to be preferred against another, there must be a good balance between benefits and risks. Treatment goals must be objectively aligned to cure, or adequate control of symptoms, and the cost of the preferred treatment can never be ignored. This has a knock-on effect on overall healthcare provision both in public and private sectors.

An awkward situation can arise if disagreements on treatment options come up between you and your doctor. After thoroughly evaluating you, the doctor is at liberty to offer you an option that best suits your clinical condition.

If say you have something that can be managed conservatively without putting you into undue risk, you might be advised to do nothing. Now, may be you are aware that surgery may sometimes be an option, and that may be your preference. However, your trusted doctor refuses to put you under the knife, insisting that they have offered the most suitable treatment option.

So what do you do? Is the doctor negating your rights to choose whatever treatment option you desire, even when it may not be the most suitable? Your doctor too has the right to decline unreasonable demands from you. Doctors are never obliged to dance to your tunes on fanciful treatment options. You remain with many options in such scenarios.

You can choose to accept what was initially recommended, or decline and walk away. Your doctor can elect to refer you to a colleague for a second opinion, or you may choose to seek out another doctor by yourself. So long as your ailment is not life-threatening, immediate action from either party may not be warranted.

Situations where some conflicts occur between patients and doctors always impact on future relationships. You may feel you can no longer trust the doctor. Your doctor may also be of the view that you can sometimes be unreasonably demanding.

If you feel obliged to consult the same doctor again at some point, you might find that your custom is no longer welcomed by them. Once the relationship is seriously dented, the best way out may be for you to seek care elsewhere.

If you ever get into some conflict with your doctor, find an amicable way to resolve it. If it doesn’t work, cutting off the professional link and looking elsewhere is the way out.