After a nurse practitioner (NP) refused to let me observe the doses being drawn up for my allergy shots, I asked readers to suggest solutions.  Most readers who emailed me said something like, “If the doctor won’t change his practice’s approach, go elsewhere.” After the column ran in which I reported that suggestion, a nurse practitioner pointed out that NPs in Arizona are licensed to treat patients without being under the direction of a physician.  For this reason, it’s not clear that appealing to the physician in the practice would have any impact on the NP’s approach.

At the time, I was on my way out of town and couldn’t afford to have uncertainty about the results of any possible future conversation with the doctor or NP delay me in making arrangements for the next shots, which are intended to be given on a strict schedule.  It can take several weeks to get a medical appointment, even for something as basic as allergy shots.

So I made other arrangements.   

But was it necessary to switch to a new doctor’s office?  Can’t you get good care from skilled doctors and nurses, even if they limit your involvement in your own care and treat you dismissively?

Anything is possible, but if you are treated by care providers who treat you with respect, the odds improve that you will get the benefits health care has to offer without experiencing complications of care that harm you.

Consumer Reports did a study of 1200 patients last year and reported, “Those who said they rarely received respect from the medical staff were two and a half times as likely to experience a medical error.”  Respect means, in part, “You’re listened to without being interrupted, your questions are answered, your concerns are addressed, and your wishes honored whenever possible. . .[it means treating patients] as adults able to be involved in their own care.”

 That particular study covered hospitalized patients, but there is no reason to think that results are much different for care in doctors’ offices, where medical errors occur very often as well.

Consumer Reports quoted another analysis that concluded, “The emerging evidence is that patients who are actively involved in their health care achieve better outcomes, and have lower health costs, than those who aren’t.”

Next week’s column describes the response to my situation by my Mayo Clinic allergist’s office (not involved in giving me shots up to this point).  The Mayo Clinic generally does an unusually good job in its various hospitals and clinics of treating patients with respect, and, not surprisingly, getting very good medical results.  In fact, U.S. News and World Report ranked the Mayo Clinic’s flagship hospital #1 of the 5,000 hospitals it evaluated.