Posted on 03/23/2006 3:47:56 PM PST by neverdem
WHEN politicians speak of America's health care needs, they often miss an important point: the doctor-patient relationship has become frayed. Patients aren't unhappy just because health care costs too much (though they would certainly like it to be more affordable). Rather, people sense a malaise within the system that has eroded the respect they feel patients deserve.
There has been a shift in attitude within the profession. I see examples of it every day. I was making rounds in my intensive care unit recently when one of the interns presented a case. "This is the first admission for this 55-year-old male," he said.
"Stop," I said. "He is a man."
"That's what I said," the intern replied.
"Not exactly," I answered. Clearly, the intern didn't get it. Neither do a lot of other health care professionals anymore.
The problem has been sneaking up on us for almost two decades. As health-care dollars became scarce in the 1980's and 90's, hospitals asked their business people to attend clinical meetings. The object was to see what doctors were doing that cost a lot of money, then to try and do things more efficiently. Almost immediately, I noticed that business jargon was becoming commonplace. "Patients" began to disappear. They were replaced by "consumers." They eventually became "customers."
This may seem a trivial matter, but it is not. You treat "patients" as if they were members of your family. You talk to them. You comfort them. You take time to explain to them what the future may hold in store. Sometimes, that future will be bleak. But you assure them you will be there to help them face it.
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
Wow - 7 Minutes.
I wish more Doctors would spend that much time with customers.
I don't know how much time a doctor should spend with someone, but I think it's great when they remember that they are serving customers.
I practice in an underserved area in my specialty. I schedule 4 15 minute appointments per hour in my outpatient clinic. Medical record keeping takes up some proportion of that visit as does scheduling and prescription writing. My patients sometimes want more time and I try to provide it. Most understand the supply and demand dynamics and are willing to tolerate the scheduling. I wish I could do it differently but the demand is high enough that someone has to try to meet it. I don't have anyone telling me how to schedule or how much time to spend with patients. This is a compromise from the ideal to try to increase capacity.
If there was ever a "golden age" of doctor-patient relationships it was long before the 60's or 70's (the extent of my early memory). Not that most of my doctors haven't been competent and professional; but "family" was never an adjective to describe the relationship. Maybe the author is going back a few more decades and envisions doctors making housecalls through blinding snowstorms, and even that picture is suspect.
"...Sincerely, Eric (Otter) Stratton, M.D., F.A.C.O.G."
Once again the Gray Old Lady stuns the literate world with information only they alone could provide...and of which we have all known for the last 10 to 20 years.
In the words of Gomer Pyle, "Surprise, surprise!"
After waiting for 12 hours to see a doctor the "doctor" walked in - a young man with a thick eastern European accent - looked at some little pre-printed card he was carrying - and simply said ... "He needs to lose weight."
What opinion *am* I supposed to have after such an experience?
What was wrong with your son?
I just recently "fired" my doctor of over 10 years. When I would go there with more then one problem I would be told only one problem at a time ...make another appt. I have an HMO plan. His staff changed over the years to become rude, out and out nasty. The last straw was the message his co dr left on my answering machine about my meds. That was it for me. At 1st I liked this Dr, he took over from my old dr who retired but over the years he became a money making dr with little regard for my feelings. We had 5 people going there for many years. One kid would there each month it seemed. Our family will go elsewhere now.
The health care system in this country has gone down hill for years, starting with the horrific HMO type insurance. The doctor gets paid not to see you, not to send you to a specialist, and not to send you for tests. That is the truth, read it and weep.
I must be lucky because my doctor will sit there and chat with me for 20-30 minutes about family while she's checking out any problems.
Why did you have to wait for 12 hours? Were there that many people in the ER?
The symptons were very similar to those of an ulcer apparently. The camera revealed "furrowing of the esophagus". It was ultimately attributed to an adverse reaction to antibiotics, complicated by other medicines and suppliments.
Interestingly, the solution was for him to stop taking medicines and suppliments altogether.
Fewer Doctors Providing Charity Care
Hypersonic jet ready for launch [British design will launch tomorrow]
FReepmail me if you want on or off my health and science ping list.
Maybe. And maybe a liberal NY newpaper might have an ulterior motive to help gin up a health-care "crisis" that needs "someone" to "solve".
A senior specialist I have consulted who is busy with many projects seems to get ticked off if you ask too many questions.
Seven minutes!
How about waiting 60 minutes in the waiting room to get that seven minutes. Oh, the inhumanity.
Why did he have surgery?
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