Following diagnosis, people living with primary biliary cholangitis (PBC) will be referred to a liver specialist (or hepatologist), who will head up a multidisciplinary team that includes gastroenterologists, dietitians, nurses and psychologists.
While these individual care providers will usually be recommended to you by your PBC specialist, if at any time you are dissatisfied with your doctor, it might be time to look for a new one.
What is PBC?
Primary biliary cholangitis (PBC) is a rare, chronic autoimmune disease that primarily affects the liver. In PBC, the body’s immune system mistakenly attacks the small bile ducts within the liver, causing inflammation and gradual destruction of these ducts. Bile, a substance essential for digesting fats and removing toxins, becomes trapped in the liver, leading to liver damage over time.
How to evaluate your doctor
If you are feeling uncertain about or dissatisfied with your doctor but can’t quite put your finger on why, here are some aspects to consider.
- Qualifications and experience: Solid experience in PBC is essential to inform your personalized disease management and treatment.
- Availability, accessibility and punctuality: Can you easily contact your doctor if you need to? Is your doctor’s office or clinic easy to access? Is your doctor on time? Does your doctor maintain appointments?
- Communication, active listening skills: A good doctor-patient relationship requires two-way communication. Do you feel heard? Is your doctor asking the right questions? Do you feel that your doctor takes into account your perspective and opinion on your treatment options?
- Medically curious: With evolving treatment guidelines and new therapies becoming available, a doctor who is aware of these changes will be able to proactively apply them to your individual case.
Learn more about PBC treatment and care
When to know it’s time to change doctors
When living with a chronic disease like PBC, a solid doctor-patient relationship is key to effective long-term disease management. You need a doctor on whom you can rely and with whom you have good rapport. If you have any feelings of frustration or dissatisfaction with your doctor or the care he or she is providing, it is time to look at other options.
Choosing a new doctor
If you have decided to switch doctors, it is important to do your due diligence and make the right choice.
- Reputation: Ask your friends, family or PBC support group if they have any recommendations. Then ask the right questions to better understand their confidence in the doctor.
- Online reviews: While online reviews can at times be contradictory or at worst misleading, they should be a factor in your research.
- Qualifications/affiliations: Do a background check on a doctor’s educational and professional experience to be sure the doctor has expertise in PBC.
- Meet and greet: When you’ve narrowed down your selection to a final two or three providers, set up an appointment to meet with each of the doctors. First impressions are important to assess the communication skills and approach of the doctor.
Once you have made your choice, you will need to organize the transfer of your medical records from your previous doctor.
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