If you’ve ever had a chronic illness or dealt with a condition that impacts your everyday life, you might’ve noticed doctors don’t always seem all that concerned with how you’re actually feeling day-to-day. They can help manage symptoms, prescribe medications, and run tests, but when it comes to improving your overall quality of life? It can feel like that part gets neglected, even though it’s often the only thing that a patient cares about.
I’ve wondered about this for a while, especially in my own experience navigating the medical system. Why don’t doctors put more energy into improving how we live with our illnesses, instead of just treating the symptoms? Are doctors asking the right questions during appointments?
Here are potential reasons as to why I think doctors put less focus into a patient’s quality of life:
From what I’ve seen, doctors are trained to diagnose and treat diseases—basically to “fix” whatever is wrong with you. That works great if you’ve got an infection or a broken bone, something that can be treated and done with. But for people with long-term health issues, like chronic illness, the focus seems to stay on managing the problem rather than looking at how an illness impacts a patient’s daily life.
Doctors are also super busy. We’ve all had those rushed 10- or 15-minute appointments where you barely have time to explain your symptoms before they’re moving on to the next patient. I’m guessing that in those kinds of short appointments, there isn’t time to dive into the deeper stuff, like how your illness is impacting your mental health, your relationships, or your ability to do the things you love.
The Focus on Medication and Quick Fixes
In my experience, a lot of doctor visits end with a prescription. “You’ve got pain? Here’s a painkiller. You’ve got inflammation? Here’s some steroids.” And these medications can be extremely helpful, but it can feel like the focus is just managing the symptoms rather than looking at what’s causing the problem or finding a way to improve your overall quality of life in the long run.
The medical system is kind of built around these quick fixes. It’s designed to treat diseases and injuries as efficiently as possible, but when it comes to more complex, long-term issues, that same approach doesn’t always work. If you’re living with a chronic illness, a prescription might help for a while, but it might not address all the ways your condition is affecting your life, which could have a bigger impact in your healing.
We all know that every person’s body is different, and what works for one person might not work for another. But I’ve found that a lot of times, doctors stick to standard treatment protocols without tailoring them to individual needs or nuances. I’m sure part of that is because personalized care takes time, and doctors don’t always have that kind of time to give.
From what I’ve seen, the system doesn’t really encourage doctors to go beyond the standard treatments. When I got prescribed Prilosec for my acid reflux and other gut issues by my GI doctor, it didn’t help my symptoms after a 3-month trial. In a follow-up visit, I asked about recommended diets, and even the vagus nerve connection when it comes to digestion.
I was shocked at how little knowledge he had on food as medicine, and the lack of next steps with even a referral to a dietician. The appointment ended with a prescription for an SSRI and no other suggestions. I think that’s why so many of us end up feeling like we’re just another case file, not someone who has unique needs and experiences that need to be considered.
I feel like a big part of the problem is the way the healthcare system is set up, especially when it comes to insurance. Treatments or services that could drastically improve quality of life, like physical therapy, counseling, or more holistic approaches, aren’t always covered by insurance. This makes it less likely for doctors to suggest them. Instead, the focus tends to be on things like surgeries, tests, or medications because those are the things that insurance actually covers.
For example, something like nutrition counseling, which could help people manage chronic illnesses like diabetes or autoimmune diseases and improve both their physical health and quality of life. However, since many insurance plans don’t cover these services, people end up managing their conditions with medications alone, which may not be as effective or sustainable on their own.
It’s also worth mentioning that many doctors most likely have financial pressures of their own. They need to see a certain number of patients each day to keep their practices running, and that can lead to rushed appointments. It’s not surprising that doctors might end up leaning on treatments that are easy to prescribe and covered by insurance, rather than taking time to explore long-term solutions that could improve a patient’s overall well-being.
In theory, doctors are supposed to advocate for their patients’ health and well-being. However, I think what’s often overlooked is the disconnect between how doctors and patients define “health.” For many physicians, health is defined by the absence of disease or symptoms.
If your lab results are within normal ranges, have negative imaging, and symptoms for a condition are under control, they consider you healthy. But from the patient’s perspective, you might still be struggling with fatigue, pain, or mental health issues that might be affecting your quality of life more than the condition itself.
This disconnect can lead to frustration on both sides because from the doctor’s perspective, they’ve done their job when your test results are good, and your condition’s symptoms are manageable. I can’t totally blame them, as doctors are focused on solving the medical puzzle in front of them, working within a system that prioritizes treating diseases, not necessarily the person behind the disease. They simply don’t have the resources to offer more comprehensive care.
Lastly, I’ve noticed that patients (myself included) don’t always advocate for ourselves when it comes to improving our quality of life. I think a lot of us don’t even realize that we can ask for more than just symptom management. It’s possible that if we started pushing for more conversations about how our illnesses are affecting our lives in a broader sense, doctors might start to pay more attention to those aspects of care.
Something I’ve noticed since the pandemic in 2020, has been the rise of complex, chronic, or hard to treat conditions, that has left many bedridden. Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Long COVID, POTS, Mast Cell Activation Syndrome, fibromyalgia, and more; these are conditions that are difficult to diagnose, treat, and manage within the current medical system. These illnesses are not well studied and relatively new, and doctors have been struggling figuring out how to treat them. Patients then often feel dismissed or like it’s all in their head during appointments.
This has led patients to look at alternative approaches, such as working with functional medicine or holistic health practices. These clinics often put more emphasis on improving quality of life and take the time to look at the bigger picture, your lifestyle, mental health, day-to-day functioning, and how everything is connected. Appointments are longer, giving you the ability to have in-dept discussions on how you’re really doing beyond your immediate symptoms without feeling rushed.
They are known for working with patients who have unexplained symptoms and creating a personalized plan that gives hope to many. However, the downside is that these approaches are unproven, and for this reason, you won’t find many doctors who will recommend them, leaving you to do your own research. It’s also incredibly expensive and often out of reach for many people. Insurance rarely covers the supplementation, comprehensive tests, and visits that are often involved, so they remain an option only for those who can afford to pay out of pocket.
For those who have been able to be treated by these functional clinics, many have had life changing results and even learned more about their condition during the process. How much better it would be if mainstream medicine could adopt even a little bit of this personalized approach? Although, it’s hard to see how that could happen without major changes to the healthcare system.
I think the first step toward improving this issue is for doctors to take a more patient-centered approach to care. This means asking the right questions about not only symptoms, but how patients are living, their goals, and figuring out what’s really setting them back. It means considering mental and emotional health alongside physical health and giving patients more tools or resources to advocate for themselves when it comes to improving their quality of life.
Doctors could also benefit from more training in empathy and communication. They don’t need to be therapists, but in my experience, some of the best appointments I’ve had were ones where the doctor took the time to really listen to how I was feeling and what I needed to improve my life. For me, it’s not just about managing my symptoms, it’s about getting to a point where I can do the things I love again.
I also think that as patients, we need to start speaking up more. We need to ask for the kind of care that helps us live better, not just the kind that keeps us alive. That might mean having difficult conversations with our doctors or seeking out second opinions from practitioners who take a more holistic view of our health.
At the end of the day, we all deserve to live well, not just to survive. It’s time the healthcare system caught up to that idea.
What changes do you think would help doctors focus more on improving patients’ day-to-day well-being?
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