Dear Doctor
Why must you interrupt? I am not verbose and had almost finished my short account. I don’t take long, and I really wanted to say it all, but you did interrupt, so I never got to tell you that I was still somewhat shaky at night. I know that you got the gist and that you had all of the trusty test results, but people want to tell their stories and be heard.
I know that those extra fifteen seconds of my narrative wouldn’t have changed the prognosis or prescription, but I wanted to say my few words anyway and in my way.
Sincerely
John
And now, put that in the mail and send it to him or her.
ReplyDeleteI've seen studies that show the average listening period, from a doctor who has asked a patient to describe their symptoms, is -- 18, not a typo, seconds. I left a doctor who interrupted, ridiculed and generally acted badly for one, a woman, who listens to the end of my sentence!
ReplyDeleteMy doctor is a woman, and she is efficient, but she ticked me off yesterday. There’s a bit of a shortage. Here, so if we have a family doctor, we hang on for better or for worse.
DeleteDoctor in mother-in-law's hospital room, to interrupting nurse: "That's not what she was asking."
ReplyDeleteNurse: "Well, she was going to!"
Good grief.
DeleteDoesn't make you feel very confident that the doctor was even listening to what you did say, since they were thinking of what they wanted to say before they interrupted you. Time for a new doctor?
ReplyDeleteDoing the math, those 15 seconds probably cost the doctor 83 cents. Average in 16 patients a day and that is 4 minutes of time and $13.33 which might buy them a fairly nice coffee or two.
ReplyDeleteI finally found one who listens. She's is a PA and she is considerate. That has not been my past experience.
ReplyDeleteOh that's the word I couldn't think of today...verbose. I gave up and just texted that the nurse talked a lot. A phone call lasted 40 minutes and I finally told her I needed to phone someone she'd referred me to. I'm sorry your Dr. did a "shut out" of your important information. Maybe if my nurse called you.... HA! No, we'll have her call your Dr.!!
ReplyDelete