How To Choose The Right Oncologist for You?

Life is the most precious thing anyone can have. When we put our life in someone else’s hands, it is natural to feel a little conscious and worried. Insecurities happen at the beginning itself when you hear you are diagnosed with cancer, your world turns upside down. So, it is the most important initial process to choose the right doctor for the treatment. In this article, we will help you with the tips to find the right oncologist for you.

India’s health care services are very reliable due to the experienced doctors, hospitals facilities, and the best treatment which is delivered at an affordable rate, so people come to India to get their treatment done. You can easily find the best oncologist in India but still, to feel confident before jumping to a conclusion, you have to go through these 8 tips. 

8 Tips to ensure you are in the safe hands:

Get Referrals

The beginning can be done with the list of doctors your primary doctor suggested. You can also ask your family, friends, and other healthcare providers for recommendations. Take an informed decision by doing proper research, call each oncologist’s office and ask for an appointment to have a discussion. You can also explore consulting an oncologist in India online through teleconsultation services, this will save a lot of your time. 

Research the Oncologist’s credential

The important factor you should consider before choosing the doctor is to check if the doctor and hospital have the necessary certificates to prove its training, skills, and experience to provide healthcare in oncology. You must also make an indirect check that the oncologist has no history of malpractice claims or disciplinary actions.

Questions that you must ask an oncologist:

• How many patients have you treated with this type of cancer?
• How many patients with this type of cancer are seen at the center?
• Is there any team who can work together to help me make the decision for my treatment?

Experience matters

Health is the most important asset of a human which cannot be risked by consulting the new doctor. When it comes to cancer, experience matters. The more experienced the doctor is, the better results he can deliver. If you already know the procedure you need for your treatment, ask how many such procedures the doctor has performed and found out about complication rates. The complication the doctor has encountered and the risk you might have as per your health status.

Evaluate the Oncologist’s communication style

Communication is though not the most important factor for getting treatment but it is an important factor to feel comfortable and discuss personal information. Even if you find the best doctor but you are not comfortable discussing each and every detail comfortably then your doctor will not be able to give the best, neither will you get the best out of the treatment. If you consult a cancer specialist in India most of them are good at making you feel comfortable and they make sure to respect your confidential details.

Get detailed Research on the hospital

The quality of the hospital cannot be compromised. Check out the rating of the hospital in various sources. Nowadays, there are many hospitals that have started treating their patients with advanced technologies like robotics, cyberKnife which are more accurate and efficient than traditional ones. So, finding the hospitals with the latest mode of treatment is also important. 

Consider Reading Patient Reviews

Reading patient’s reviews can provide insight into how a doctor practices medicine and how they treat the patients, their overall experience, and infrastructure and office staff friendliness. Reach out to the sources where you can get genuine reviews.

Do the brief research

It is great to be proactive in figuring out the experienced doctor and effective treatment by reviewing the patient's testimonial. Research through case studies and meeting the specialists is also a great option to know about the various treatment options, you will find some treatments that sound great online but when you will meet the doctor he will have something else to say about it, the loopholes will only be revealed by specialists. 

Seek a second opinion

You are the driver of your life, till the end you can change your decision of getting the treatment from the particular doctor. Be open and calm to listen to a variety of options in doctors and procedures till you begin the treatment. You should be comfortable and sure at the end. Though the cancer treatment in India is very reliable but each and every doctor has their own way of treating the patients and procedures, you have to choose the way you are comfortable with, because you are going to have a long-term relationship with the doctor. 

The Bottom Line:

To summarize, it is not that easy to find the right doctor but with the steps discussed above sure, you can find a doctor who is trustworthy. Above all, patience is the key factor because it is a long treatment plan and you can not compromise in the treatment. Therefore, it is a good idea to invest some time in a detailed investigation before giving the authority to someone to save your life.