This Valentine’s Day, take a moment to reflect on one of the most important relationships in your life: that beautiful, clinical union between you and your doctor.
Now think about whether the things you value in your doctor-patient relationship are the same as the things that matter in your romantic life. It may seem like an odd comparison, but according to the findings from a recent Zocdoc survey titled “Match Made in Medicine,” what you expect of your doctor is actually pretty similar to what you expect of your significant other, with a few key exceptions.
Here are some of our favorite takeaways:
- We really don’t like to be kept waiting at the doctor’s office. Eighty percent of respondents said it matters that their doctors are punctual, while only 76% cared about a first date being on time.
- We’d rather talk about sex with our M.D.’s than our S.O’s. Sixty-seven percent of respondents said they would be comfortable talking about their sexual health and history with a longer-term doctor compared to the 57% who said they’d have that chat wtih a long-term romantic partner.
- Forty-three percent of people want their doctor to have a sense of humor. (Anything to make that yearly physical a little more enjoyable, right?)
- Curiosity matters. Eighty-two percent of people want their doctors to ask them good questions, while 59% say this quality matters on first date.
- Nearly three out of four people said they hope their doctors are good listeners. Women were 18% more likely than men to consider listening skills important.
- Forty-one percent of people said that it’s “more difficult to maintain a long-term relationship with a doctor than with a romantic partner.”
The findings underscore how much we value a strong connection with our doctors, and with good reason. Research suggests that the quality of our relationships with our doctors, much like our partners, can affect our health outcomes.
Read more on Zocdoc.
Originally published at journal.thriveglobal.com