Top Patient Frustrations with the Medical Profession

What frustrates patients with the medical profession? What follows is not a scientific survey but merely my recollection of patient gripes over the years.

Why is my doctor always late?

Poor access to doctors and medical professionals. This vexes patients more than the other challenges that they endure. They simply cannot get in to see their doctors who are booked out for months. What good is having a great physician if his or her schedule is locked down? Sending these patients to an Urgent Care or an Emergency Room might be a convenient play by the doctors and staff, but this does not serve patents well.

Rushed office visits. I hear this all the time. I’m sure that I’ve been culpable of this offense at times myself. The doctor is running behind and is under pressure to move the visit along efficiently. But not all patients operate in this mechanized manner. They need time to collect their thoughts, and we should permit them to do so.

Communication lapses. Patient are irritated when their phone calls and electronic messages are not responded to.

The cost of pharmaceuticals. This is an open wound in the health care system. Other nations have figured it out, but not us.

A wanting bedside manner. Patients deserve empathy and they want to be heard. Good rapport is the connective tissue in the doctor-patient relationship. The return on investment here is enormous.

Inferior medical outcomes. Patients with persistent or worsening symptoms and chronic illnesses carry heavy physical and emotional burdens. Understandably, they may question the competence of their care although in many instances it's the disease's fault.

Billing issues. I can’t fully grasp my own medical bills and I’m in the business. Yet, we expect ordinary folks to navigate through this chamber of horrors?

Next week I’ll share how some of these issues are viewed through physicians' eyes.

Comments

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