only time will tell

 

 

 

As a physician, and at times as a patient, I enjoy the advantage of knowing, before I see a doctor, what questions he will (or should) ask concerning the reason for my visit. This saves time and effort because he doesn’t have to tease out the diagnostic clues that are part of the “history of the present illness.” I hand them to him in perfect order.

 

“It is much more important

to know what sort of patient

has a disease

than what sort of disease

a patient has.”

~William Osler~

 

Likewise, I already know what the physical exam should include and how it should be performed. I can predict what tests he will order, and he doesn’t have to go into detail about the treatment he is recommending. I know what he is going to say before he says a word.

 

Unfortunately, this means I pick right up on it when my own physician slacks off. When he fails to ask the right questions. When he neglects parts of the physical examination. When he fails to follow-up on X-ray findings or blood tests.

 

This is how mistakes are made…and I know why it happens. Not because he lacks expertise in his field. Not because he is uncaring. Not because he is lazy or unmotivated. (I know him better than that…).

 

No, there are other forces at work. He is seeing a patient every 10-15 minutes, so he is usually running behind schedule. The history and physical exam must focus solely on what he suspects is wrong. There simply isn’t time to be as thorough as he would like to be.

 

“It’s not about having enough time.

It’s about making enough time.”

~Racheal Bermingham~

 

Perhaps he's falling behind on his “productivity quotient” and risks losing his job if he doesn’t pick up the pace.

 

Or maybe the EMR he is using doesn’t have a bullet for the information he wants to include, so it goes unrecorded.

 

All the health care mandates and initiatives in the world will not solve the problem of TIME. Time spent with the patient. Time to reflect on his illness. Time to help him heal.

 

Now is the time for change.

 

“Lack of time

is actually

lack of priorities.”

~Tim Ferriss~

 

jan