Wow. So many comments here. I am a female primary care physician - so I come to this from both sides of the equation. Facts: 1)doctors do not differentiate or disregard patients by sex: we do not selectively feel more comfortable in making women wait longer than men.
2) Doctors are not taking leisurely lunches or scrolling Facebook in bet…
Wow. So many comments here. I am a female primary care physician - so I come to this from both sides of the equation. Facts: 1)doctors do not differentiate or disregard patients by sex: we do not selectively feel more comfortable in making women wait longer than men.
2) Doctors are not taking leisurely lunches or scrolling Facebook in between patient appointments and extending anyone's wait. We are frantically trying to refill prescriptions, answer My Chart messages, review the abnormal test results and decide what needs to be done next. Many doctors don't have time to eat lunch or go to the bathroom.
3) Patients come into appointments with various expectations. When in for a preventive physical, a patient may also bring a "list" of other items they'd like to discuss, such as hot flashes, sore knee, abdominal pain. They might be in for checking on a sore knee, but then also want to discuss palpitations they've been noticing or anxiety that is getting worse.
4) The population is aging - more people are going to the doctor with more complicated problems. There are lots of patients to see in a day. If every doctor took 30-45 minutes with most patients, there would not be enough patient appointment slots to keep up with things as they are. Delays for getting in for appointments would increase.
5) There are more medications available to treat things. More complicated problems and many more options for medication and treatment. This takes time to review and evaluate.
6) The doctor is the "scribe" and stenographer who must record the details of the interaction between patient and physician. This also takes time.
I don't think either side is happy with the current state of medicine! As a patient, it is near impossible to find a new PCP and the wait times to get into specialists is increasing. Just calling an office is often an ordeal in and of itself.
All I can suggest is that patients will need to self-select their physicians. If wait times are extremely important and you refuse to put up with waiting, then find the docs who are ultra-efficient and always running on time (but they will typically not be answering any additional questions or concerns). If you want docs that spend more time with you and are open to additional questions, more than one problem at a visit, etc. you likely are more tolerant of waiting. For the most part, it can't happen both ways.
Wow. So many comments here. I am a female primary care physician - so I come to this from both sides of the equation. Facts: 1)doctors do not differentiate or disregard patients by sex: we do not selectively feel more comfortable in making women wait longer than men.
2) Doctors are not taking leisurely lunches or scrolling Facebook in between patient appointments and extending anyone's wait. We are frantically trying to refill prescriptions, answer My Chart messages, review the abnormal test results and decide what needs to be done next. Many doctors don't have time to eat lunch or go to the bathroom.
3) Patients come into appointments with various expectations. When in for a preventive physical, a patient may also bring a "list" of other items they'd like to discuss, such as hot flashes, sore knee, abdominal pain. They might be in for checking on a sore knee, but then also want to discuss palpitations they've been noticing or anxiety that is getting worse.
4) The population is aging - more people are going to the doctor with more complicated problems. There are lots of patients to see in a day. If every doctor took 30-45 minutes with most patients, there would not be enough patient appointment slots to keep up with things as they are. Delays for getting in for appointments would increase.
5) There are more medications available to treat things. More complicated problems and many more options for medication and treatment. This takes time to review and evaluate.
6) The doctor is the "scribe" and stenographer who must record the details of the interaction between patient and physician. This also takes time.
I don't think either side is happy with the current state of medicine! As a patient, it is near impossible to find a new PCP and the wait times to get into specialists is increasing. Just calling an office is often an ordeal in and of itself.
All I can suggest is that patients will need to self-select their physicians. If wait times are extremely important and you refuse to put up with waiting, then find the docs who are ultra-efficient and always running on time (but they will typically not be answering any additional questions or concerns). If you want docs that spend more time with you and are open to additional questions, more than one problem at a visit, etc. you likely are more tolerant of waiting. For the most part, it can't happen both ways.