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Getting more men into the doctor’s office
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Men’s Health Week, an event to encourage males of all ages to make their health a priority, runs from June 12 to 18, according to the CDC.
However, it can sometimes be a daunting task to get male patients to see a doctor for a routine checkup or for tests and procedures that can save their lives, according to one doctor.
“There are a lot of modifiable behaviors that can reduce risk for chronic diseases, and there are a lot of conditions such as diabetes, hypertension and hyperlipidemia that are very treatable,” Michael Taylor, MD, of the department of internal medicine at Cooper University Health Care in Camden, New Jersey, told Healio Family Medicine.
“I don’t think it’s myth,” Bradley Jones, MD, of the department of internal medicine at Baylor Scott & White Medical Center in Irving, Texas, told Healio Family Medicine when asked if it is a fable that men do not like to go the doctor. “It’s more common to see men who don’t go to doctors.”
According to the 2015 National Health Interview Survey, and based on a sample of 33,075 adult responses, 24.3% of all men aged at least 18 years had not seen a doctor or health care professional in the past 12 months vs. 12% of all women of that age. In that survey, as the number of visits increased, the disparity between men and women seeing a physician decreased, suggesting that once a man was seen by a doctor and a condition that needed additional care was identified, he was willing to commit to treatment. The trick for clinicians is convincing men of the importance and value of the initial visit.
Healio Family Medicine asked several health care professionals for their strategies in getting more male patients into a doctor’s office, as well as getting these patients to keep coming back for follow-up appointments and other regular procedures before a medical condition becomes debilitating or incurable.
Taylor:
“I would recommend having a spouse or perhaps a grown child present [during the appointment] to keep the patient honest... The family is going to hear essentially everything we’re saying, and they’re going to hear the plan of care, which is going to involve some level of follow through on the [patient’s] end, whether it be a diagnostic test or a lifestyle intervention, which is ultimately up to the patient, of course, to follow through on. Men tend to be a bit more on the stubborn side, and having that family member there encourages them to follow through on these things.”
Jones:
“We send out annual reminder cards that say, ‘You haven’t had a physical in a year. It’s your birthday. It’s time to come in for a physical.’ Those work well. In addition, when they come in for a really bad cough, sore throat or cold, I tell them, ‘We’re going to find time in your schedule to get you in for a physical because you know if you don’t schedule it today, you know you’re not ever going to do it.’ So, schedule them while you can, while you have other contact with them.”
Sharon Horesh Bergquist, MD, FACP, primary care internal medicine physician at Emory Clinic in Atlanta:
“Primary care physicians can help increase awareness about men’s health, including recommended screenings for testicular, prostate and colon cancer, as well as for risk factors of premature heart disease. We can also be more proactive eliciting concerns about difficult subjects such as relationships, sexual function and mental well-being. [In addition], knowledge and trust are the two most important factors medical professionals need to provide in order to develop the type of doctor-patient relationship that can keep men healthy and on-track with prevention.”
John Meigs, Jr., MD, FAAFP, president, AAFP:
“I use the example of an automobile: If you never change the oil, never get any maintenance done, never get the car serviced, that car is not going to run as well or as efficiently if you would have gone to the trouble of doing the preventive maintenance and taken care of it.”
References:
CDC. National Men's Health Week. Accessed on May 26, 2017.
CDC. Summary health statistics: National Health Interview Survey, 2015. Accessed on May 26, 2017.
Disclosures : Taylor, Jones and Bergquist report no relevant financial disclosures. Meigs is president of AAFP.