How to Choose the Right Gynaecological Surgeon: A Comprehensive Guide

When you are considering a gynaecological procedure, it can seem a minefield when deciding which Surgeon to choose. Choosing the right surgeon for you needs is critical to the chances of the best outcome, but how do you approach finding just the right surgeon for you ?

In this article we will explore the steps that you can do yourself to help educate yourself , both about the procedure you would like, or need to have, and the Physician you choose to do it.

By taking some time to do your research you have the best chance of the best outcome

The Procedure

Everything starts with the procedure. Ask yourself, are you clear in your own mind about the outcome that you would like to see ?. Or perhaps you may be unclear about what can be achieved.

Its okay if you do not know , but at least having some idea of the results you would like can help in the process.

Some procedures may only be performed by certain specialists, this will therefore narrow your search. Other procedures can be performed by different specialists because the procedure may fall into the remit of Surgeons from a number of different medical specialities.

The Surgeon

When you have decided on the procedure you would like to have its time to start doing some research into your Physician. Here we will outline some steps that you can take to help you decide whom to choose This list is not exhaustive of course, but it will be a good step forward in the process

• Registration

All Doctors who want to practice in the UK must be registered with the general medical council of great Britain. The GMC has an excellent website where you can enter a Doctors name and check the registration. Information such as year of qualification, the Specialist in which he or she practices can all be found. If the Doctor has been subject to disciplinary proceedings this is also available to view.

By starting here, you can validate what a website might be saying about the Doctor.

It is free to access this information and can be accessed in minutes

• Experience

A good idea is to try and find out how many of the procedures the Doctor has performed. You want to make sure that the Doctor has performed your procedure many times. Doctors do keep logs of the procedures they have performed so the Doctor should be able to tell you this information readily. It is also a good idea to check if this experience has been gained in the UK or abroad.

• Procedure outcomes

All procedures, surgical and non-surgical carry risks of complications. A consultation will cover risk and complications as well as the potential benefits of the procedure. Always be wary if the risks and complications are not given much consideration and too much of the focus of the consultation are on the benefits. You need to get an objective view of the whole procedure. Of course . you are going to want to know what can be achieved from the surgery and if your expectations are going to be met.

You may find that your expectations are more than the Physician can deliver. This is fine, but its best to know this before any procedure is carried out. Most Doctors will ask questions to ascertain your expectations and if the results you are expecting can be delivered. You should know that many consultations do not result in any further action either by the Patient or the Doctor. This is to be expected in any medical consultation.

To assess the potential outcome, an examination is usually always required and this is undertaken as part of the consultation.

The Consultation

There is no set period of time for a medical consultation. Generally speaking most will take between half and one hour. Much depends on the type of procedure you are seeking and the examination process. It will also depend on the number of questions you have, and this is an important point. The Doctor will do a lot of the talking of course, but you should also be given plenty of time to ask any questions about the procedure. Ask yourself, did you get the opportunity to ask all the questions you had, and did you get the answers you wanted and were they clear enough ?

Do your homework

You have always the opportunity to do your homework on the Doctor. We have already metioned the General medical council as a good starting point, but there are other steps you could take to get an overall picture of the experience and ability of the Surgeon.

• Online reviews

There are a number of online review platforms now which have reviews for Doctors and Surgeons. These include Trustpilot , arguably one of the best known review platforms. Most experienced Doctors will have built up a series of online reviews for their work.

• Word of mouth

Sometimes Doctors have a number of patients who are willing to chat to other prospective patents about their experience of both the procedure and the care generally. This can be useful to talk to someone who has had the same procedure as you are considering. Bear in mind though that if the procedure you would like is a particularly sensitive one, then this may not be possible.

• Website

Most Doctors in private practice now have a website, or at least the clinic that they are working for will have one. Websites are shop windows of course and you should perhaps view them as such. However, if the website has lots of useful information and advice it may be indicative that the Doctor is taking his work seriously , and wants to inform his patients in the best possible way.

• Before and after photos

Before and after photos can be helpful to show what can be achieved with the procedure you are seeking. Do the results match up to your expectations of the outcome?. Remember that we are all different, and you should bear this in mind when reviewing before and after photos. Results gained for one patient may not be possible for you. Your likely outcome from the procedure could be better or worse than the photos that you are seeing.

The Hospital or clinic

Another very important factor to consider is where your procedure will be carried out. If this is a surgical procedure then it is likely to be carried out in a private hospital. All private hospitals in the United Kingdom are registered with the Care Quality Commission who regulate private hospitals. The CQC do publish reports of private hospitals from time to time and you can check how well the facility in which your Doctor works, is performing.

If your procedure is non-surgical in nature then it may not be performed in a registered facility. This could be performed in a clinic or Doctors office. This is fine of course, but make sure you know the premises before you go for the procedure. If your consultation is carried out in the same treatment facility then you should have a broad idea of the standard of care and cleanliness . If you are in any doubt then reconsider.

Hopefully, this has given you some key factors to bear in mind when searching for a Doctor for your procedure.