LOCAL COMMENTARY

The Good Doctor

By Dr Sonjia Kenya

Thursday,  November 3, 2005

What makes a doctor good? While we all expect a doctor to be capable of diagnosing illness and providing treatment to sustain or improve our health, what makes a skilled physician better or worse than their peers? Is it Education? Experience? Dedication?

As a professor at the local medical school, I frequently attempt to define characteristics of good doctors to my students.

Concerned that their ‘off-shore’ medical training may be considered less superior to their American-educated colleagues, my students are determined to become competitive physicians, often working harder than their State-side peers to master their course-work.

As is common with all medical students, sometimes my students become so consumed with mastering the scientific portion of their education, they temporarily lose perspective of their personal attributes which motivated them to pursue medical education in the first place.

Based on experience, I’m confident that education has little to do with the makings of the world’s best doctors. While one can always debate about which country produces the best physicians, most medical curriculums are modeled according to the same standards that define American medical education.

In addition, a significant number of practicing physicians in the States were educated at foreign medical schools.

When was the last time you chose a doctor based on the medical school they attended? Actually, how would you even know what medical school your doctor attended until you experienced an appointment at their office where their diploma is displayed?

The truth is, most of us never know what medical school our doctors attended and as long as they provide high quality care, we don’t research their educational background. But when we recommend a ‘good’ doctor to our friends, how are we defining good? Just what does it mean to be a good doctor?

As a doctor of the PhD persuasion, I’ve never considered myself a medical practitioner, but I’ve worked with several patients in the U.S. who described me as a healer and successfully advocated to their insurance companies to pay for my health counseling services.

On more than one occasion, I’ve relished from compliments like, “You’re the best doctor I’ve ever seen.

“No one has ever helped keep the weight off like you!; You’re the first doctor who I understand!” Regardless of how many times I tell patients I cannot perform medical services, they’re persistent in their quest for me to administer care.

I’ve been asked to perform physicals, take blood, diagnose conditions and hold a claustrophobic patient’s hand through an MRI scan.

With the qualifications to do only the latter of these services, I’m honored by my patient’s faith in me and convinced that people do NOT measure a doctor’s worth by their medical ability. Rather, we determine good doctors in much the same way we determine good people – by personal attributes such as compassion, commitment, honesty, and understanding.

Cayman residents agree. Terry, a local bartender from Ireland raved about Dr. John Madden as one of Cayman’s finest.

“Whenever I see him, he greets me with ‘What’s the craic?’ which in Ireland means ‘What’s happening’ or ‘What’s the latest?’ I like the way he talks to me in my language and takes the time to speak to me like a person.”

Ed, a native Caymanian business owner and the leader of my morning water-running club thinks his dentist Dr. Thacker is the best he’s ever experienced.

“He takes the time to explain things to me and tells me about the whole process. He’s honest”. Ed believes the two dentists he had before Dr. Thacker took ‘quick-fix’ approaches, didn’t talk to him about what they were doing, and charged a whole lot of money for services that may not have been the highest quality.

According to Ed, Dr. Thacker created realistic expectations about the time and cost associated with his dental work and ensured he understood all of the details involved with his care.

Another member of my water-running group, Ed from Amsterdam, said “The best doctor is interested in what they’re doing and has a broad range of experience with all different types of people. But most important, a good doctor is also a human being.”

I agree.

Just before Hurricane Wilma, Dr. Cona diagnosed me with a nasty case of acute tonsillitis.   Though I began to heal immediately, storm precautions forced me out of my beachfront home and I stayed with friends in a very cool air-conditioned apartment which encouraged the return of my fever, halted my recovery process and created some resistance to the medications.

Still sick four days after my initial diagnosis, Dr. Cona demanded I return to his office for a follow-up exam.

After viewing my swollen tonsils, his concern was apparent and he immediately consulted his friend Dr. Glatz, an ENT specialist. Though it was Saturday and Dr. Glatz was not working, he arrived at Dr. Cona’s office within minutes to examine my throat.

Dr. Glatz agreed with the course of action Dr. Cona considered before his arrival and insisted I follow up with him at his office on Monday to ensure my recovery was on-track.

By Monday, I felt 100 percent better and bounced into Dr. Glatz’s office so buoyantly, he could see I was a new woman.

An honest man, Dr. Glatz refused to charge me for a follow-up visit, as he said I was already well and there was nothing he could do to make me feel better. Later that day, I popped over to Dr. Cona’s office to show off my healthy self, and his happiness about my recovery was so genuine, I couldn’t help but hug him and yell, “I love you!” so all his patients could hear.

Through this experience, I really did come to love both Drs. Cona and Glatz, as it was obvious they were interested in my health and cared enormously about my recovery which made me feel special.

I know they’re both busy doctors, but they dedicated their personal time to ensure I healed and followed up with me.

When I smiled a huge healthy grin, it made them smile because they knew I was healthy again.  I believe this type of care, commitment, and sensitive communication which builds close human relationships is what makes a good doctor.

Fortunately, those in charge of educating our local medical students agree.

Dr. Amy Smith, who teaches ‘patient-doctor communication’ on the Island, defines a good doctor as one who is, “compassionate, caring, understanding and a good communicator.”

When you’re seeking medical care, you expect a doctor to be skilled, but for many, competency as a physician is determined much more by personal traits.  While most doctors are trained as healers, the most healing doctors honed their most important qualities before they entered medical school.

Compassion, humanity, sensitivity and honesty are not in most medical textbooks, but are obviously the textbook qualities of the world’s best doctors. Thank God we have them in Cayman.

    Back...