Patients in Scotland who feel dismissed by their doctor can take three lesser-known steps, according to Josef Newton, founder of health anxiety app Condri.
Many patients can feel reluctant to seek advice from their GP or private doctor if they have previously been dismissed by healthcare professionals. While a doctor is there to provide reassurance and create a treatment plan, patients can feel misunderstood if their thoughts or concerns are brushed aside. Repeated visits without a guaranteed diagnosis can also leave people feeling anxious, and some may develop health anxiety despite being told they are healthy.
Understanding the limits of a diagnosis
Newton says patients need to be mindful of a clear distinction. While it is important that a patient's voice is heard at the GP practice in a way that they feel listened to, this does not mean they can push doctors to deliver a diagnosis with complete certainty.
He argues that by the end of a doctor's appointment, patients should leave understanding the logic of the healthcare professional and with any next steps if applicable. The patient should also be aware of what justifies seeking additional help.
Newton said: "Patients should not feel embarrassed about explaining that symptoms are persistent, evolving or affecting day-to-day activity; however, it must be recognised that a clinician cannot promise that every possible illness has been excluded forever."
Request a safety net plan
If patients do not feel reassured by their doctor that their symptoms are no cause for concern, they can ask for a safety-netting plan. This is information given to the patient about what to do if their symptoms continue or evolve.
The plan can include a variety of questions, warning signs to watch out for, a timeframe for improvement and when or where to seek another assessment. This can provide added reassurance and allows the doctor to present their reasoning and create a plan of potential action.
Newton advises: "Write the safety-netting instructions down before leaving. If possible, repeat the plan back to the clinician. This creates a defined next step. It can also reduce the urge to search online every few hours because the patient has already agreed what changes matter and what action to take."
NHS Scotland states that patients should receive clear information and be involved in decisions about their care. In Scotland, patients can contact their GP practice during opening hours for advice or call NHS 24 on 111 if the issue is urgent and the practice is closed. Patients are urged to call 99 in life-threatening emergencies.
Read your consultation record and voice inaccuracies
In Scotland, patients can ask to access their health records through the GP practice or the NHS organisation that holds them. If an error is found, such as wrong medication or a symptom recorded inaccurately, patients should contact the organisation holding it.
Patients will need to identify the entry, explain precisely what is wrong and provide supporting information if required. While people can ask for inaccurate or incomplete personal data to be corrected, they cannot request to have a clinical opinion removed if they do not agree with it.
Newton adds: "Making amendments to your patient record isn't about rewriting history but ensuring that the foundations of the information are correct and based on facts. Always remain calm and precise, providing the correct information and why the distinction matters."
Request a second opinion or utilise the complaint route
If a patient is unhappy with the outcome of their appointment, they can request another opinion from a practitioner in the practice. However, before seeking additional assessment, it is important to know what outcomes the patient is seeking.
According to the General Medical Council's Good Medical Practice guide, doctors must respect a patient's right to seek a second opinion. However, this does not create automatic entitlement to every scan, referral, blood test or treatment requested.
It is important that patients do not repeatedly move between doctors if no answer feels right to them. Newton says: "Another assessment can be valuable when there is new information or a question that remains unanswered. Before booking, write down what you want the clinician to review. That helps make the appointment focused, particularly if the urge to seek repeated reassurance is part of the difficulty."
If patients are concerned about how they were treated, Scotland has a complaints route. Patients can raise it with the service involved, and the Patient Advice and Support Service (PASS) offers free and confidential help to patients using NHS services in Scotland.
