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Description
How shall one evaluate the profile of an oncologist or a cancer doctor?
The word ‘cancer’ can be dreadful for the patient, who has just been diagnosed with this life-threatening disease. However, if the ailment is in its initial stages and the patient is strong enough, it can be fought off with the modern-day cancer treatment. Choosing the right cancer doctor on oncologist will not be difficult if you have the following points by your heart:
References
As soon as the disease strikes in and the patient starts facing the initial symptoms, he or she always looks up to a trusted doctor or general physician. While running tests, when the doctor finds out cancer, he or she will immediately refer you to a good oncologist. You need not blindly follow this reference but visiting that referred oncologist once is generally suggested.
Credentials
Opting for a board-certified oncologist, who has good credentials including the quality of his or her medical school, training hospital and other certifications, is very important. A doctor, board-certified to provide healthcare in oncology, implies that he or she has comprehensively studied this specialty and has also successfully passed rigorous testing. You can also take the help of internet to find useful information about cancer doctors and also to check if they have any history of disciplinary actions or malpractice claims.
Experience
When you need to find the perfect oncologist, it is very significant to select a cancer doctor who has ample experience in treating and working with your specific condition.
Comfort and rapport
Generally, cancer treatment lasts for long durations and thus, developing a good rapport with your oncologist is significant. Feeling comfortable with your oncologist will imply that you can openly discuss your personal condition and information. Some patients might feel more comfortable with the same sex doctor as gender-specific cancer care is bound to produce better results for them. You can rank your comfort zone with the doctor in the very first appointment by observing how he or she is welcoming and responding to your questions.
Checking Patient Satisfaction
These days, internet has everything. When assessing a good oncologist, you can easily follow this small step of checking his or her patients’ reviews. Besides providing you an insight into how the prospect oncologist practices medicine, this will also help you learn the success rate of his or her treatment. You can also check reviews for him pertaining to scheduling appointments, clinic environment, wait time and staff friendliness.
Hospital Quality
For an optimum treatment, the patient and his or her attendants have to spend long hours in the hospital. Therefore, considering the quality of the hospital and the superiority of care that it provides is essential. For better survival rates and fewer complications, top-rated hospitals are more preferred. Also, the hospital’s location is important in terms of regular commutation back and forth.
FAQ
Why is the experience of an oncologist so important?
When we talk about cancer treatment, the experience of the doctor matters the most. If the doctor has good experience in treating your type of cancer, the chances of better results are likely to expand. You can simply ask your oncologist the approximate number of patients with your specific cancer, he or she has cured. Here, you also need to find out about complication rates of your particular treatment, according to his or her experience.
Is it true that a good oncologist will be working in a good hospital?
This is true in most cases. A good hospital earns its brand value only if it has good doctors and surgeons. So, while choosing for the best oncologist, you can easily trust a good hospital but do not forget to check in if a doctor, expert in treating your specific cancer type, is there.
Are the oncologists also available via telemedicine?
Although many people are aware of the term ‘telemedicine’, ‘teleoncology’ is the newest word in the world of telehealth. Offering the new-day oncologists a newer way to access remotely with specialists in other places or fields of medicine to deliver quality clinical attention, teleoncology implies application of telemedicine in cancer care. For cancer patients, telemedicine can include several procedures of diagnostics, treatment, post-treatment care and prevention of side effects.
Should we also look at the other specialty doctors while choosing an oncologist?
Generally, as soon as cancer is diagnosed, the patient has to immediately shift his or her attention to a specialist or oncologist. While doing this, however, oncologists with experience in your particular cancer type can also be beneficial. Seeing other specialty doctors may be futile, therefore.