Every time you have an appointment with a doctor - whether a practisioner or in a hospital - there is always a delay? You never get consultation at the scheduled time, hence you always end up being delayed yourself. Life would be more simple, if you could count on the appointed time.
Doctors know alot about medicin and nothing about logistics. They mean no harme, but it will always be like this, even if they try to improve.
View B
Doctors think only about filing up their schedule and do not care if you have wait. They will rather have five people waiting than risking 10 minutes without 'customers' in the shop.
9 comment(s) so far
Maventhinks: Many times doctors take as much time as they need with each patient depending on the individual patients circumstances. Would you want your doctor to rush your session for the sake of being on time for the next patient?
Simplerthinks: Doctors have to make money. General practitioners get paid by the patient - event in European welfare states (in this case by the government). This means more patients = more money. Of course they also want to do their best and so are underestimating the time they need per patient.
Perhaps their scheduling systems could be sending us SMS or email messages if they're running late, so we don't have to wait too long. Also, many of their appointments are because often people go to the doctor for no real reason. It's part of our culture today, I think. Home monitoring systems may help to reduce the need for people visiting the doctor in person?
Londonerthinks: I think that they have Government set targets - which are pretty much based on a conveyabelt of patients. I think we are allocated 15 mins in the UK per patient and the Dr (quite rightly) may take more time with patients who actually want some discussion / explanation and time spent on what is troubling them. Especially if you think of the way the population is, with more and more elderly who want to see their Dr personally and ask questions until they understand everything - 15 mins is inadequate. I would rather wait the time knowing that the GP was prioritising a certain "bedside" manner rather than treating people like things on a production line.
Maventhinks: Maybe all we need is some sort of expectation as to when the doctor will be available to focus on you as a patient. A countdown clock as is used on the metro to see when the next train is coming or a short message in the room telling you that he is now available or possibly even offer other options or services to help you pass the time while you wait.
clancythinks: Have you never been to the doctors and felt the need to ask a question after they have diagnosed your problem?? How upset and angry would you be if the doctor said, I'm very sorry but I don't have time to answer that as I have a queue and you've had your 3 minutes of my time, so push off and make another appointment and I'll see if my schedule allows time to answer your question then! I think that its appalling that you should even be complaining about waiting to see a professional person about a health issue and assume that they are going to be able to deal with someone that may be concerned that they have a cancerous lump in the same amount of time as they will be dishing out medicine to someone with a touch of a cold! Perhaps the best way to deal with this is not to have appointment times at all but a first come first served basis in the surgery - see if you like the waiting then!
JBonninthinks: I do want my doctor to examinate me carefully, listen to my questions and not send me out because he´s got other patients waiting.
Even though it is just ridiculous to have to wait so long always. If those delays were an exception, I would have no complain. It is not always easy to leave compromises to visit a practitioner.
Doctors do need their patients. But they could just try to be more realistic about their schedules. Instead, most of them leave schedules up to their secretaries and don´t pay much attention if patients are wasting their time.
donnamthinks: I am of the opinion that you want the doctor to take as much time with you as he does with other patients. Some visits are quick, some are more lengthy and often there is no way to tell when they book the appointments which it will be. I do think that when you go to check in for your appointment, they give you a realistic estimate of how long you will have to wait. Some clinics here in the US are now doing online check in and they will call you approximately 30 minutes before you can expect to be seen so you can be out running errands or waiting in the comfort of your home. Not a bad idea, I think.
SacredVerminthinks: Med friendly tech, doctor/assistant/paitent-oriented software, and better information sharing therein will make this a moot point. Most doctors are excellent logisticians with the PAPER and old channels they're still using, and I would be shocked to find a doctor that thinks of patients as customers, even after being burnt out and rushed for years. They mean the Hippocratic oath when they say it (at least the ones Joe Sixpack goes to).
SimplyOverwhelmedthinks: I think I am view B. Doctors book too many clients. This may be partly economic and partly doctor shortage. One thing I do try to keep in mind when I *am* waiting is that I assume my doctor will take as much time listening to *me* as they are to the clients that have kept them longer. This does help. However, if a doctor is consistently running more than, say, an hour behind, should they not learn that perhaps taking out a few appointments might help?
