Dr. Luczay was recently awarded ‘Favourite Doctor of the Year 2013' by foglaljorvost.hu, a popular doctor-finding website. We tried to find out what made her so popular.
Dr. Andrea Luczay: I like to make my patients feel satisfied after a visit, but not at the expense of breaking the rules of the trade. Many people think that at a private clinic, the doctor will be more willing to alter their opinion to fit better what the patient wants to hear. I, however, believe that a doctor can only have one standpoint. I also work at the #2 Children’s Hospital of Semmelweis University. If I don’t agree with something or allow it to happen at the state hospital, my opinion will not be any different at the private clinic either.
People also like to be right and since internet is at hand, they generally tend to be more informed concerning their medical issues. However, often their knowledge is either incomplete, or incorrect, which is also difficult to challenge. I normally tell them my opinion and leave it to them to decide how they want to proceed. Patients tend to respect and like my approach.
The award, I believe, is not solely based on my merit, but also that of the environment. Those patients who come to FirstMed will encounter a much different atmosphere, one which is rarely found in state institutions, making it one of the greatest appeals. In my opinion, FirstMed by far offers the best atmosphere among the places I worked at to this point. This is also the one, where my husband prefers to wait for me.
Many people ask specifically for you when they book their appointment. Where do they know you from?
When people search the net in search for an endocrinologist, it is my name that comes up among the first few finds. Ours is a specialty represented by very few doctors; there are only 25-30 pediatric endocrinologists in Hungary and about 10 in Budapest. There are even fewer, about 2-3 doctors that are also pediatric diabetologists in the country and I am one of them. Many find me on the net, but I see patients referred by family doctors or recommended by friends and family. Most of them come for private consultations since waiting for months for a future appointment in the state system is simply not an option for them. Additionally most medical centres do not have the laboratory background required to provide quality service. None of the above issues are found at FirstMed.
What is your favourite element in your fields?
Children. I love to have the opportunity to deal with even the simplest cases. I never had the chance to work as a pediatrician like I do here. When I worked at the University Hospital I encountered a lot of special cases, but hardly treated simpler illneses like cold. I was often anxious during the first two years at FirstMed, as I didn’t want to make any mistakes. I had been treating very serious cases before, but I felt it was different.
Treating adults was a challenge too, I never did it before my FirstMed years. By then I had been working for 20 years. You have to learn to communicate with adults differently. There are more psychological barriers involved, which are important to be identified and separated from the real problem.
Any other challenges?
Language. I have a certain style in Hungarian, and knowledge that I aspire to correctly convey in other languages too. The small matter should also get through. It is sometimes difficult to understand the different accents, especially in stressful situations over the phone, when a child is sick. They rightfully expect to understand and be understood.
I worked in a French ER for 14 months in the past. It is a huge hit among French speaking FirstMed patients when it turns out that I also speak their language. It happened multiple times that I managed to calm down patients with the mere fact that I reassured them that we will understand each other.
We congratulate Dr. Luczay on her award. We are grateful to have her working for us for the past 8 years and hope that she will continue contributing to FirstMed’s quality medical care with her work, for years to come.
Written by: Andrea Zs.Tóth
