Do you feel like your doctor is just too busy? Maybe you have to wait for them in the waiting room for nearly an hour since they have so many other patients to see. When they finally get to you, they rush into the room, clearly still thinking about the last appointment, and disappear again after a few minutes. You’ve been thinking about your health concerns for months, and your doctor gave you five minutes and zero answers.
If you do feel this way, you’re not alone. Many patients complain about this, and some studies have backed it up.
Is the doctor getting the right information?
One potential issue is that your doctor may not be getting the right information from you, leading to all types of mistakes. For example, one study found that only about 33% of doctors even asked patients for the main reason they’d come in. You may accurately feel like your doctor has no idea why you’re there.
The same study found out that doctors gave patients just seconds to answer. Most interruptions came after a mere 11 seconds. So, even if your doctor did ask you why you were there, they may not have waited long enough to actually find out. They just interrupted you, made an educated guess at your condition, and then hurried on to that next meeting with another patient who will get that same level of care.
What happens if your doctor makes mistakes?
If your doctor did not listen to you and then made crucial mistakes, you need to know what rights you have to compensation. This is critically important if you suffered injuries or if your condition got worse.