Find The Right Doctor To Solve Back Pain

7 Important Considerations When Choosing A Doctor

 1) Is your doctor correctly qualified for your condition?

Many people will seek the opinion of an orthopaedic surgeon for back pain. It is important to note that many orthopaedic surgeons are further sub-specialized to handle different types of conditions and different body parts.

The type of orthopaedic surgeon you consult as well as their type of training and experience will affect the options you are offered.

Other than orthopaedic surgeons, you may also benefit from the opinion of a rheumatologist, neurologist or a number of other different types of specialists.

2) Can you get an appointment quickly enough?

Every single day matters when you are suffering in pain.

Is there a delay in getting an appointment to see your doctor?

It is important to get effective treatment started to prevent back pain from getting more severe.

Is there a wait for the necessary X-rays and MRI scans needed to properly assess your condition before starting the treatment?

Ideally you should get an appointment within 1 working day and a scan within 1 week.

3) Is your doctor able to provide you the best possible care or more likely to offer standard recommendations?

As back pain can be a very difficult condition to treat, it is possible that many doctors will recommend simply “rest and painkillers”, “exercise”, or “spine surgery”.

Make sure your doctor is familiar with the latest back pain treatments available.

4) Are you limiting your options unnecessarily due to worry about medical expenses?

Some people avoid medical care believing that treatments are expensive.

The good news is that most people have some medical insurance that can cover their treatments, even if they see a private specialist.

Is your doctor able to allow medisave use for your condition?

Many patients are able to use their Personal Accident Insurance and Company Insurance to cover their medical bills.

5) Are the fees reasonable?

It is important to be willing to pay for good quality medical care.

However an expensive doctor or hospital is not necessarily the best choice.

Price is not always an accurate indication for quality.

At the same time, we also encourage patients to not simply choose the "cheapest doctor".

You get what you are willing to pay for. If a doctor charges very little, it is worthwhile to consider "why".

It is best to select good, cost-effective care most suited for your condition.

6) Is your doctor of a high professional and ethical standard?

It is probably fair to say all Singapore doctors are highly qualified with years of clinical training and experience.

A quick google of all their profiles will likely reveal an impressive list of academic qualifications and clinical experience. What may not be as easy to learn online is how much your doctor cares for each patient and their standing among fellow doctors.

A third party with close knowledge and the benefit of knowing the experiences of past patients can be very helpful for you to make an informed choice.

7) Does your doctor have access to the latest medical technology?

For people who prefer a non-invasive approach, there are many non-invasive medical technologies available.

For example, shockwave therapy is well known to give very good results and has been available in Singapore for the past decade. Did your doctor mention this as an option?

For people who prefer a more direct, quick and effective treatment, the Radiofrequency injections can give very good results.

Surgery is often the last resort, reserved for only the most severe cases of pain.

Bearing in mind the risk of surgery, risk of general anesthesia and cost of spine surgery, many patients have a hard time finding the right orthopaedic surgeon for their condition.