Given my previous over interactions with doctors in the past related to the Pilonidal disease, I feel very much qualified to say this.
I think it is undeniable that if a primary care doctor asks "What can I do for you?" after you've explained you issues that they are an "F" doctor. Some might say too harsh, "C". No, We should expect better from any doctor not give an ounce of legitimacy to those that play pretend listen.
The job of primary care is to LISTEN CLOSELY, EDUCATE, RECOMMEND, ADVISE. These four tenets make the difference between an "A" doctor and a "C" doctor.
- Listen to what the patient is saying. Listen closely to why they are there. Are they there because they've no clue of what's ailing them, is it a recurring problem with no end, what steps have they taken so far to alleviate the problem, what steps does it sound like they are fumbling on. LISTEN CLOSELY.
- Education about the issue is much more important than education about the body. Medical school isn't going to teach you this. LOGIC works overwhelmingly. If a patient thinks they know what's going on, it is only right to educate not to lecture. If a doctor they've seen previous said something and the patient is jumping on that, educate about it just being an opinion from one doctor. Encourage exploration, it is not a waste of time. Educating about how suggested medicine/drugs work helps a long way.
- Recommend things specific to what you LISTENED CLOSELY to. General recommendations can be given on a sheet of paper. It's insane the amount of doctors that just say "eat healthy", "lower stress" as if that means anything to anyone. Who's going to trust you have their best interests knowing you go by the book. If is YOUR JOB to recommend different paths that can be taken and which paths could be merged.
- Advising patients is mental. It is powerful to identify with the problem and advise from the patient's perspective. Some are lost and looking for a way out. Sometimes some problems are transient, but when it is recurrent you must, you must research the issue and communicate with the patient.
Also advise your staff to not add to patient's troubles when they are just seeking help, the negative reviews I see on staff can be staggering 'Good doctor, bad staff attitude' multiple times destroys confidence.
Otherwise, give up on trying to be an "A" player and being a 4-5 star rated doctor, give up on review farming. You will always get those 1 stars for poor service.