Eleven Seconds Is More Than Enough Time
The American healthcare system is the envy of the civilized world because of our short wait-times. In countries where they actually treat everyone who is sick, wait times are horrendous. Patients sometimes wait two or three months to get an appointment. Here, you get in right away. You may spend two or three months in the waiting room, but at least you’re there.
I admit, our system is not perfect. Doctors are well aware of the time you spend in the waiting room, and in all fairness, they are doing everything in their power to get you in and out of there as quickly as possible. At least it appears that way according to a new study published in the Journal of General Internal Medicine that shows that doctors listen to patients for an average of eleven seconds before interrupting. (1) I personally find this statistic hard to believe, because I have never even seen a doctor stay in the room for eleven seconds. An experienced physician needs only three or four seconds to figure out that after three months in the waiting room, you can’t even remember why you came to the doctor, and you just want to get the hell out of there.
Some doctors manage to improve their patient outcomes by staying in the room for zero seconds, at least according to another study out of Harvard University that showed that patients having a heart attack are more likely to survive if their cardiologist is away at a conference. (2) Attaining this level of efficiency is quite an accomplishment, but I am confident that doctors will not become complacent, and will continue to improve their protocols until they achieve their ultimate goal: direct patient contact for a negative amount of time.
If you are one of those old fashioned patients who actually enjoys face-to-face contact, no need to worry. There will still be a platoon of medical assistants, physician assistants, assistants to physician assistants, nurse practitioners, nurse practitioner assistants, janitors, and secretaries who will all take turns coming into the room to listen to your story of why you came to the doctor. That is, if you can remember it.
