Choosing a doctor is one of the tough decisions to make. The last thing you want to happen at the doctor’s office is to find yourself in an uncomfortable situation that could put you in danger.

One of the best approaches to ensure you are receiving treatment from someone you feel comfortable and safe with is to do a little background research on your doctor. With 3,000 doctors trained each year for cases like malpractice, inappropriateness, and sexual offenses, doing research on your doctor can give you peace of mind.

Before we tell you how you should see your doctor, it’s helpful to know how medical boards currently screen doctors for criminal records.

Physicians must maintain an active license from their state medical board. Various sheets have distinctive policies regarding criminal records and discipline. Doctors in your state may continue to practice with a criminal record or investigation pending, however some states are more strict.

There are 70 restorative/osteopathic sheets in the US, each with various guidelines. Sheets in 36 states expect doctors to pass this background check conducted by companies like Intelifi before they are licensed and able to practice. Tragically, however, there are 14 states that do not have this policy to work with doctors.

You can check the screening practices in your state by visiting the Federation of State Medical Boards. In case you choose to simply go ahead and do your own particular background check, you should check regional and state criminal records, as your doctor may have practiced in multiple places in your state. You can also conduct a national criminal investigation to see if your doctor has convictions in other states. You should also consider checking the national sex offender registry list.

In addition to a criminal check, check with your state’s restorative board to make sure your doctor is licensed and in good standing. You can also use DocInfo, which is controlled by the Federation of State Medical Boards that provides data on a doctor’s medical school, licensing history, specialization, locations, and disciplinary activities.

You can also use efficient background check services provided by a reliable company to help ease your worries about choosing the right doctor. They will surely be available to help you find records for any doctor you want to see.

At the bottom of everything else, it is your health we are talking about and you surely want a doctor who can make you feel safe and better, not sick.